Good morning, Uni Watchers! I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend.
ICYMI, over the weekend I had a few more NBA City Edition uniform reviews, for the Sacramento Kings (awesome), Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks (both not bad), and the Miami Heat (awful). There are still a couple CEs to go, and I’ll have those later today. Also on Friday, the Cleveland Guardians announced some uniform changes for 2025, in case you hadn’t seen.
Now then.
If you’re a fan of orange pants — as am I — this was your weekend. We had no throwbacks, no alternates, no alternate helmets this weekend (I believe it’s the first week this has happened), but two teams broke out never-before-seen combinations, and both involved orange pants.
The 4:00 ET window brought us the Broncos, who have all new uniforms this year (with a ton of different possible uni combos), pairing their orange jerseys and pants for the first time. Now, normally I’m not a fan of too much orange, but because the Broncs wore their regular navy helmets and went with navy hosiery, a wonderful balance was struck. I loved this:
It works, not just because the helmet and socks matched. But to my eye, a well-balanced uniform means both the helmet and socks are darker than the jersey and pants.
It also works because neither the pants nor the jersey have too much blue, but enough blue to tie it all together, and the Broncos also meet those criteria.
Also debuting a new combination yesterday were the Bengals, who paired their new orange pants with their white jerseys for the first time.
It might be my favorite of all the Bengals’ combos.
This works for a different aesthetic reason: helmets match pants (and also jerseys match socks). Most of your classic football combos have helmets matching either pants or jerseys, and with good reason. The balance is good. I’m wondering whether black hosiery for the Bengals might have looked better, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well it looked with the white leggings.
Unforunately the Browns didn’t also wear their orange pants, but two pairs in one afternoon/evening was just right. But how did the Bengals and Broncos match up with their opponents? Would great individual looks be enough to snag a Top 5 spot?
Let’s look at all the games now, and see if your Five and One is in synch with mine. And as always, I’d love for you to give me your own Five and One as well.
Here we go.
A week after going mono-burgundy, the Commanders flipped that script to go mono-white below the neck. For teams with stripeless pants (especially white pants), the Commanders really need to break that up with burgundy socks. The Eagles, OTOH, have basically given up wearing anything but white hosiery. So if you’re a fan of white pants and hose, this was a game for you.
I’m generally a fan of almost any combo the Ravens wear, but I don’t like the black pants/hose look unless they’re going all black. Purple or white pants would work much better. The Steelers almost always look good, though having both teams in black hats and socks somewhat muddies the contrast.
Leave it to the Saints to ruin the Browns’ classic look. I’ve given up hoping the Saints will quit the all-black look below the neck, especially with their stripeless pants. I wouldn’t mind it so much if they had a black helmet (they do, but they can’t wear it with their primary uniform), but to my eye, all-black with a light metallic helmet looks off.
Few NFL games have better matchups than the Packers and Bears, and it’s probably the best divisional rivalry matchup there is (Raiders/Chiefs might be up there too). But give me a sunny Soldier Field pairing of these two uni-stalwarts every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. And if there was ever an argument for wearing a tucked in shirt, this would be it (h/t to Dave Hilbert for the screen grab).
This was another really nice-looking matchup, and the Jets at home wearing green/green/white/green is a Top 10 uniform. And while the Colts in white/white/white is also a stellar look, they’ve been going full Icy White with their white jerseys of late. Simply wearing blue hosiery would have pushed this much closer to the #1, but even then, they can still make mono-white look good.
What’s worse than one team in yoga pants? TWO TEAMS in yoga pants. For all our high hopes that the Lions’ new uniforms were a return to a classic, the extremely superstitious team lost their only game this season in silver/gray pants, and we’ve yet to see them again. In fact, except for their Week 2 loss, the Lions have gone mono every single game this season. Yesterday they went monolulu blue again. One small tweak — adding pants stripes that match the jersey — would really improve the look. But instead, the Lions are the new Saints, and that’s not a compliment.
How many times in the past four or so years would a Rams/Pats tilt even sniff a Top 5? Maybe once? The Patriots certainly did their part by going navy over silver-gray. If only the Rams would have worn their sol pants, this would have looked infinitely better. Still not a terrible matchup, but it could have been a contender.
Much like the Colts, the Dolphins’ look would be immensely improved if they simply wore aqua hosiery, but the Dolphins almost always insist on white socks with white pants. Thankfully the Dolphins pants have stripes. It’s hard not to have a great looking matchup against the Silver and Black, but Miami’s mono-white didn’t help. Also, does anyone else hate the tramp stamp on the Dolphins trou? I could see why guys go untucked when they have to wear those pants.
Few teams have a worse uniform template than the Titans, and despite my dislike for dark mono, it’s a look I’ve come to dislike a bit less, sorta like how the Seahawks mono-blue has grown on me. I also don’t hate the Vikings in purple/white/purple/purple, but this game needed the Vikes to wear their white pants. Having 7 out of 8 elements (helmet, jersey, pants, hosiery) dark didn’t do this game any favors.
I talked about the Broncos’ new combo at the top, but what about the matchup? Yeah, the Falcons’ unis have their issues, but by going black/white/black/white, they wore one of their better combos. It all made for a pretty nice pairing. Obviously it helps that neither team went with the yoga pants look.
When the 49ers wear their regular home unis with red socks, they look as good as any NFL team. Ideally, I’d have preferred the Seahawks in gray pants instead of blue, but it was still a visually appealing matchup. Definitely in the running for a T5 finish.
I’m pretty sure the NFL’s schedule makers weren’t considering uni matchups when they picked Week 11’s late games, but boy howdy did they give us some fantastic pairings in the late window! And the Chiefs and Bills sure make a strong case for the best looking game of the weekend. Will this be your #1?
I talked about the Bengals pants above, but how was this for a combo? Well, if you like bright colors, as do I, then this was nirvana! I am, of course, partial to light blue and orange, so this one is in my sweet spot. But even if you’re a mono, or dark color (or all-white color) person, I think we can all appreciate a pair of “modern” uniforms that got it right. *CHEF’S KISS*
So who do you think made the Top 5? We had another week with a few good and a few really bad looking games — but who made the Top 5? Which matchup do you think was the worst, snagging the dreaded “And One”? Read on for the Five and One…
Remember when the NFL would fine players if they had an untucked jersey or the wrong socks? Sigh. Those were the days.
They still do. The players have just decided that paying the fine is worth it.
It’s obvious that fines no longer work. If the NFL really cared (and they don’t), they could stop this nonsense by imposing a 15 yard penalty any time a uni violating player steps on the field.
I just noticed that the Bears (I think) are the only team still wearing striped socks. So many teams who go same color pants/socks would benefit from some kind of striping to help break up the yoga pant look.
Amen brother, Amen.
The Chiefs do also, but unfortunately, most players wear them so low it’s hard to tell
So do the Browns, although it’s hard to tell with them as well.
I saw the Browns with their classic brown/orange/brown/orange/brown stripes on their socks yesterday.
The Bears, Browns, and Chiefs are the only NFL teams that still wear striped socks.
Teams who wear throwbacks also have striped socks (in many cases).
But yes. It’s a dying element and will probably soon be gone from those unis as well.
For me, ideally, the pants should be different colors for a more visually appealing matchup.
“But to my eye, a well-balanced uniform means both the helmet and socks are darker than the jersey and pants.” This is an extremely oversimplified (and unnecessary) statement that is almost immediately ignored for the rest of the article.
There are many times a uniform looks good where this isn’t the case, of course. But in general, I do prefer helmets and socks to be darker. There are always exceptions. But I will tend to like a uniform more if hat & hose are darker than jerseys and pants.
GTGFTS
20 July 1969
Yankees win in 11, 3-2, but obviously the bigger news is happening a quarter of a million miles away.
The Vikings-Titans matchup was a color abomination. I love the Vikings’ road uniforms, but the Titans look like garbage. And purple helmets and pants combined with all navy is just brutal. Worse-looking game than Jaguars-Lions.
GTGFTU: Week 16 2010: San Diego Chargers (20) at Cincinnati Bengals (34), Paul Brown Stadium, 12-26-2010.
I thought as a whole must uniforms weren’t very good. It seems the NFL is turning into NCAA and having too many uniform combos.
My 5 and 1
5 Pittsburgh/ Baltimore
4 Green Bay/Chicago
3 Cincinnati /LA Chargers
2 SF /Seattle
1 Buffalo /KC (if it had been on grass, would have been perfect)
And 1
Any game with a team wearing matching jersey and pants
That CIN-LAC game was a real nice aesthetic last night.
The collars on those Jets jerseys are laughable. Then again, so are the Jets.
Said it before when they announced it, but that Bengals look would be improved dramatically by black socks.
I do believe that last night’s Bengals/Chargers game was the only NFL “No Straight Stripes” game currently possible.
GTGFTS Senators vs. Yankees, Yankee Stadium, July 20, 1969. I was there. I have a memory of the Senators’ Ed Stroud standing in the on-deck circle FOREVER as Bob Shepherd, the stadium’s legendary PA announcer, tells the crowd the news…the crowd cheers and cheers and cheers…Stroud, with his bat on his shoulder, looks around at the stadium. Then, play resumes and it’s a long at-bat. Before Stroud can come to the plate, the Yankees make a pitching change and he has to wait some more.
That’s my memory from 55 years ago. As we say in New Orleans, a good story is better than a true story. This might be both.
I was really enjoying your story from your memory bank in the Bronx, and then you said, “… a good story is better than a true story.” Whaaaaat?!
So, what isn’t true? And please don’t tell me that the moon landing was actually fake!
Great story, true or not.
The Saints are extremely frustrating because they could easily have one of, if not THE, best look in football if they just added a triple stripe to the black and white pants (replaced the fat, single stripe on the gold pants) and quit suiting up in unitards. As has been noted many times before by readers of this website and elsewhere, if they really wanted to kick it up a notch, they could adjust their gold (ala the 2023 Vandy redesign) as well. Personally, I would get rid of black and white britches altogether and go with gold lids and pants for all home and road games, but I don’t expect a lot of people would echo that sentiment. Plus, having the black/white pants in the wardrobe (with stripes!) would allow for a nice triple-mismatch every now and then. I mean, it’s right there for them. Sometimes I wonder if uniforms ever even cross owner’s minds…until they need to increase profit-margins with new merch sales.
I agree with everything you said. I would get rid of the black helmet as well.
I think the Patriots uniforms would look infinitely better with stripeless gray pants. The red/blue/red stripe combo on the gray pants just doesn’t work. They would look similar to UCLA with the stripeless pants.
The Saints and Cardinals are the most frustrating teams in the NFL with their stripless pants and them refusing to wear their best combos. The Saints have one of the best looks when they go with black over gold but the all black with stripelss pants makes them look like an Arena Football team. Same for the Cardinals, if they’d go red over white they’d immediately look pretty good and add stripes to the red pants.
The Lions are becoming pretty disappointing. Their all blue look is cheap but if they keep winning then it will become the new default and that’s not good at all.
For the life of me I still don’t understand the appeal of stripeless pants. They look cheap and bush league.
If the helmet is a solid color, stripeless pants of the same color can play nicely off of it.
EVERY NFL helmet is a single color!!
What I am assuming that was meant by the person above you is that a stripeless helmet would make stripeless pants work better.
Then again, I could be wrong.
Some great looking games. Sure, I’d like the Rams to wear their yellow pants, even better if they went back to the Eric Dickerson uniforms, but these royal blue pants look good with their royal blue helmet and white jersey. I’d love to know who decides for the Saints what uniforms to wear, and have you interview him to find out why he takes one of the best NFL uniforms and turns it into one of the worst by going black pants instead of gold. I believe all teams with metallic helmets look better with matching metallic pants.
agreed. Lions and Pats need to go back to metallic silver. 9ers and Saints metlalic gold.
Teams missing out on things so obvious.
Perfect 5 and 1: the Lions should be ashamed of srtpeless pants.
stripeless…my fingers twitch when I look at these pants.
Falcons/Broncos
Seahawks/49ers
Colts/Jets
Packers/Bears
Chiefs/Bills
&1… Jaguars/Lions
If you have gold pants but don’t wear them, you don’t make the Top Five.
And while I’m happy for Detroit fans, I’m not happy at how superstitious their team is. They’re supposed to be this tough hardworking kneecap-biting team, but they’re afraid of their silver pants? Give me a break.
I actually prefer when the Rams wear blue pants with their white jerseys. The white/yellow combo has always felt a bit pale and washed out for me. Same goes for Packers’ and Chargers’ road uniforms. Totally agreed on the bright color matchups though – especially when we got some autumnal beauties with oranges, reds and yellows!
My initial response to the Broncos’ orange jerseys/pants combo, from the main, sun-filled scrimmage TV view, was: Jailbreak! They did look better in the close-up shots, once the stripes were more visible, and not as loud after the sun rays passed through the field.
And the MIAMI on the back of the Dolphins’ pants looks like a hand stamp: “If found, please return to … ” or when moms write their kids’ names in their undies before camp. week.
Not to give away ideas for free, but why doesn’t a company just design yoga pants with team sock designs printed on them?
Look at the Bears.
The calf part of the yoga pants would be navy with stripes, and then the player match the bottom with white socks.
Problem solved.
7. Rams/Patriots (if only Rams had worn yellow pants/blue socks or blue pants/yellow socks)
6. Raiders/Dolphins (agree that Dolphins should have worn aqua socks, but this game still has a classic look and feel)
5. Seahawks/49ers (I know the navy socks and pants isn’t great, but the neon green patterned stripe on the pants breaks up the yoga pants look, and overall the mix and contrast of colors in the game was appealing)
4. Colts/Jets
3. Bengals/Chargers
2. Chiefs/Bills
1. Packers/Bears
&1 Jaguars/Lions (dishonorable mention to Browns/Saints and Vikings/Titans)
I would say that 1 and 2 were very close (both were fantastic), and 4 through 7 were very close for me. I was not nearly as much of a fan of the Broncos mono-orange as Phil was.
I have to ask the Cincinnati Bengals about their orange pants. What took you so long? It looks great.
Is it possible they just didn’t want to look like the Browns? That orange-over-white-over orange look has been exclusively Cleveland since the mid 70’s I think.
Might be my age, I don’t think Cleveland looks like Cleveland in Orange pants!
Just looked at Gridiron database – between 1982 and 2016, Cleveland only work Orange/White/Orange during 2 seasons for a total of 5 games.
Its only since 2016 as multiple looks have started to become all the rage that they have started wearing them again.
The silver pants are the make or break element in Detroit’s set, and they’ve been abandoned for good it seems. The Lions are definitely the new Saints.
The Ravens going with black yoga pants on the road against a black-heavy team is proof that no one in these organizations pays the slightest bit of attention to who the opponent is when planning which combo to wear. If there was a week for Baltimore to go all white, or with purple pants, this was it.
What was it that Crash Davis said about a streak?
Broke your own aesthetic rule: the Bengals looked good with matching helmets and pants while the Seahawks didn’t. As long as the Hawks leave the Neons in the locker room I’m fine with anything below the waist, but I think the Navy works better against the Niner Gold than Gray does, and lack of contrast — Eagles/Cmdrs and Colts/Jets — will always earn a deduction from me.
Oh, there are exceptions to every rule. For example, I don’t generally like teams with three distinctly different colors for helmets, shirts and pants … but I love the Chargers in white/powder/gold and the Broncos in blue/white/orange.
Honestly it’s something I need to *see* rather than a standing rule. The only thing I almost always hate is when pants and socks match (as I complain about often). But if you’re going mono dark, then pants/socks matching (see: Titans, Ravens, Seahawks, for example) is better than not.
So, yes…while I have some *general* rules there will always be exceptions. Just avoid yoga pants and I’m usually OK.
I think someone on the Commanders was wearing burgundy socks instead of white and it just looked so much better.
Yeah that was Bobby Wagner. Best looking Commander on the field!
Does anyone just watch the game to watch the action, as in the playing of the game and to just enjoy that? Just curious. I feels as though no one here does that. Some times it’s nice to just sit back and watch your team, good or bad, to yell at the horrid officiating and enjoy a cold beverage without being totally consumed by what the teams are wearing. In the end, it’s supposed to be about the game, the action and the players, not colored pieces of fabric.
You must be new here.
And your point? Not necessarily “new”, as I do read the site quite frequently. I do think it is a fair question though. Don’t you ever just sit down and watch the game just for the game, not for some colored pieces of fabric? I also have the thought quite frequently that if everyone has something negative to say (which is ALL the time), why do you then get in touch with the makers of the uniforms and see if they have any open positions in the design department? That way all NCAA and NFL teams could wear the boring shit that everyone here advocates for. As has been said many times on here, the uniforms are not designed for you or for me, but for the teams that wear them. I also do not feel that all new releases of jerseys or hats are “merch dumps” (hate that term).
But oh well, just wanted to say my piece. Try just watching the game for the game some time, you might just enjoy it. It’s not always about the laundry.