Ranking all 16 of the NFL's 'Rivalries' uniforms, from Colts to ??
Ranking all 16 of the NFL's 'Rivalries' uniforms, from Colts to ??
Christian D'Andrea, For The WinTue, August 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC
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We're in year two of the Nike Rivalries uniform era in the NFL. That means an opportunity for the league to sell some new alternate jerseys and for lapsed fans across the nation to stumble upon a primetime game, squint at the television and ask "wait, who's playing?"
The 2025 debut hit the AFC East and NFC West, coincidentally bestowing Super Bowl powers on these divisions. That's great news for the Chicago Bears' ascension and the Jacksonville Jaguars' turnaround, because this year's eight kits belong to the teams in the AFC South and NFC North. That gives Nike a wonderful opportunity to ruin both newer, weirder uniforms and established classics that have been largely unchanged for decades.
It's tough to get too upset about jerseys and helmets that will only be worn for a fraction of the season. And, in fairness, some of these kits look pretty nice! But who's winning the rivalry race from a sartorial standpoint? Let's compare all 16 "Rivalries" uniforms and see who came out ahead in this styles exchange.
16. Indianapolis Colts
What sets this apart from the blue-and-black blackout uniforms of the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers? Why, the grommets, of course!
15. Miami Dolphins
Hmmm. Looks like your standard Group of 5 college football blackout kit.
14. New York Jets
You know what I think about when I think New York City? Manholes.
Despite all the talk of Gotham City, it's only referenced on the *interior* of the jersey. And while I know licensing a D.C. Comics product is an unnecessary expense, would it killed the Jets to make things at least a little more Batman?
13. Detroit Lions
These look a lot like color-swapped late 2010s-early 2020s Jets uniforms. You know, the ones Sam Darnold was caught seeing ghosts in. That's probably not a great sign.
12. Tennessee Titans
It's better than the generic, paneled uniforms the team introduced in the 2000s and has begrudgingly stuck with. It's worse than the Houston Oilers-themed robin's egg blue-and-whites.
11. Los Angeles Rams
The material on the numbers has gone from Fruit Roll-Up to old gym locker doors:
The black is boring and the two-toned paneling is a bit jarring. But I love a good shoulder/sleeve stripe, and the Rams didn't mess with the best part of their uniforms.
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10. Arizona Cardinals
It's, uh, sand!
9. Chicago Bears
A perfectly cromulent uniform.
8. Green Bay Packers
A vague throwback look that's much nicer than the team's actual doo-doo brown throwbacks. That puts this grade on a curve, but the numbers are clean even if they look like someone had 15 seconds to pick a Microsoft Word font before shipping the proofs out to the factory.
7. Buffalo Bills
There's a lot of Oakland Raiders-ing going on with these kits. I get it; that's a classic look.
6. Houston Texans
I don't love the shiny Fruit Roll-up numbers. I do appreciate how it's based on the kind of paint job Paul Wall's car would have.
5. San Francisco 49ers
The font on the numbers matches the font on the wordmark! That's enough to make me forget the helmets look like what Indiana University wore to a 3-9 record in 2002.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Yeah man, I dunno, I guess I just like numbers that look like they were ripped from the menu of a whimsical ice cream shoppe.
3. Seattle Seahawks
That shoulder design? Sharp. The metallic numbers? Potentially a disaster in motion but they look good so far. The color-changing helmet? Seems cool as hell.
2. New England Patriots
I can't believe I dinged the Bills for looking like the Raiders yet put New England's Ole Miss kits this high. I guess I really am a sucker for a good shoulder stripe. Especially if the tapering makes them look like each player is wearing an invisible cape.
1. Minnesota Vikings
We're leaning hard into the Nordic aspect of the team's origins without drastically changing anything about one of the league's cleanest fits. It's purple. There's a horn. You've got some runes. It's not jarring, but it is nice.
Andrew Van Ginkel's gonna look awesome jumping a screen pass for a pick-six in these.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking all 16 of the NFL's 'Rivalries' uniforms, from Colts to ??
Source: “AOL Sports”
