In the sports world, March is typically a time for basketball, bracketology and bubble teams. The NFL offseason is in a little bit of a lull, as we’re now a month removed from the Super Bowl and not quite in the full swing of free agency. The NFL Draft is on the horizon, but it’s still too far away to build immediate excitement. That’s why early March was the perfect time for the Pick Six Podcast, CBS Sports’ daily NFL podcast, to unveil a new offseason project: The NFL Uniform Bracket.
This month, NFL fans who follow the Pick Six Podcast on Instagram have hopped on the bracket fun. The project started with 64 different uniforms, seeded 1-16 in four different regions. Those regions were Home Uniforms, Road Uniforms, Alternate Uniforms and Throwback Uniforms. The head-to-head matchups were decided entirely by the Pick Six Podcast followers, who voted for their favorite uniforms using the poll function on Instagram stories.
The first two rounds of the NFL Uniform Bracket saw plenty of upsets, but three of the four No. 1 seeds are still alive in the Sweet 16 unveiled on Tuesday. There’s also a 16-seed still alive in the Alternate Region, after taking down a No. 1 seed and a No. 8 seed to get to this point. You can check out all the matchups, as well as the entire Sweet 16 field in the embedded Instagram post below. Keep scrolling after that, if you’d like to read more about each matchup.
To have your voice heard in this bracket, follow the Pick Six Podcast on Instagram and vote in the story. The teams that move on to the Elite Eight will be revealed on Wednesday, followed by the Final Four on Thursday. If you’d like to see past voting results from the first two rounds, click through the NFL Uniform Bracket story highlights on the Pick Six Podcast Instagram page. Each matchup has been archived there.
Home Region
(1) Chargers Powder Blue vs. (12) Jaguars Teal
Entering the tournament, the Chargers’ powder blue uniform was an easy favorite to win the whole thing. It is widely regarded as the most appealing NFL uniform on social media, so it should come as no surprise that it steamrolled both the Cardinals’ red uniform and Ravens’ purple uniform in a couple of polls on an Instagram story. But in the third round of this tournament, they’re up against an unlikely competitor in the Jaguars’ teal uniform, which was just announced as Jacksonville’s primary home uniform this offseason. Previously, the Jags wore black at home.
The recent switch to teal must have caused a wave of excitement throughout the Jaguars fanbase and beyond, because their uniform has knocked off two teams with very iconic looks in the Raiders (black) and Steelers (black) so far. On top of these two teams, four other black uniforms were one-and-done in this tournament (Ravens alternate, Cardinals alternate, Jets alternate and Panthers home). If that’s a sign of changing times, then the Jags were smart to switch from black to a bold color this offseason.
(6) 49ers Red vs. (7) Vikings Purple
The 49ers’ red uniform is a classic look that is standing the test of time by making it to the Sweet 16 in this tournament. A lot of teams wear pants that are white or a relatively neutral grey/silver, but San Francisco accents its red tops with gold pants that are distinctly their own. This uniform had a convincing victory in the second round, upsetting the (3) Packers’ green uniform by garnering 60% of the fan vote. It could be the uniform in this region with the best chance to challenge the Chargers’ powder blue.
But people LOVE the Vikings’ uniforms. Maybe it’s the fact that purple and yellow are complementary colors, but Minnesota is one of only three teams with multiple uniforms still alive in this tournament (the Chargers and Bills are the others). Purple is only worn by one other NFL team (the Ravens), so the color is immediately identifiable. The stylized numerals and horned helmet also make this uniform unique and, at the very least, memorable.
Road Region
(1) Colts White vs. 13 Saints White
When it comes to road uniforms, it’s tough to stand out. Almost everyone wears white. The Colts, however, may wear white the best. Ever since Johnny Unitas wore it to victory in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, the uniform has been attached at the hip to greatness. Maybe it’s the all-white look (helmet, jersey and pants), but quarterbacks just look clean in this get up. From Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck to Philip Rivers… Now we’ll see whether Carson Wentz can maintain this uniform’s fresh reputation.
Don’t overlook the Saints’ white uniform, though. This uniform has outperformed its seeding, and the first two matchups of this tournament weren’t all that close. Perhaps New Orleans is on track for a third straight upset, as fans are clearly feeling the simplicity of white and black with a touch of old gold.
10 Bills White vs. 11 Vikings White
This is a matchup between two teams with pretty popular uniforms, as we’ve already highlighted the Vikings’ home uniform and the Bills have another uniform coming up in the Alternate Region. A lot that was said about the purple Vikings uniform can be also said about the white one — complementary colors, unique numerals, horned helmets. The Bills have similar striping on the shoulders and pants, while also using colors that pop. The big difference in this matchup is the helmet. The Bills’ logo is not as meta, and they have a thick center stripe where the Vikings have nothing. Minnesota also has matte purple shells, which looks a lot more modern than Buffalo’s shiny white ones.
There’s not much to dislike about either one of these uniforms, but is there enough to love about one of them for that uniform to ultimately win this region? That remains to be seen.
Alternate Region
(4) Chargers Color Rush vs. (16) Falcons Gradient
We probably could have put any iteration of the Chargers’ uniform in this bracket, and not only would it have come out on top in most matchups, the comment section would complain about it not being seeded high enough. That was pretty much the case with the Chargers’ royal blue color rush. This uniform is the only one the Chargers wear with this exact shade of blue, so it feels special any time they wear it. As always, the lightning bolts and yellow accents (especially on the face mask) are absolutely electric.
The Falcons’ gradient uniform truly is the Cinderella story of this tournament. This uniform was widely panned on Twitter when Atlanta unveiled its new threads last offseason. Seeing them on the field must have won over our voters, though, as this red-to-black alternate toppled the Ravens’ all-black uniforms in the first round and the Bengals’ all-white (except the helmet) color rush uniforms in the second. We never expected the NFL’s only gradient uniform to make it this far, but maybe other teams should take notice if the Falcons keep pulling off these upsets.
(6) Bills Color Rush vs. (10) Panthers “Panther” Blue
The NFL’s color rush initiative seems to have been worthwhile, as it’s produced two of the four alternate uniforms left standing in this tournament. You might remember the controversy from 2015, when the Bills first debuted their all-red uniforms against the Jets’ all-green color rush uniforms in a Thursday Night Football game that was deemed “complete torture” for the color-blind. Luckily for the Bills, that unfortunate matchup hasn’t stunted the love for their uniform. People must value the boldness, as not every team is willing to dress out from head to toe in their alternate color.
The Panthers”https://www.cbssports.com/”Panther” blue uniform is an interesting case. Carolina changes its look up often at home. This past season, they wore black in five out of eight home games. They only wore blue three times, and two of those times were on the road. That means the Panthers wore white at home more times (twice) than they wore blue at home (once) in 2020. Considering how well the blue uniform is doing in this tournament — and the fact that their black uniform lost in the first round of the Home Region — the Panthers should show it off for the fans more often.
Throwback Region
(1) Dolphins Aqua vs. (5) Patriots AFL
If there is a uniform in this bracket that rivals the Chargers’ powder blue uniform in terms of social media clout, it’s the Dolphins’ aqua throwback uniform. Miami wore this uniform twice during the 2020 season, and it gained popularity when head coach Brian Flores said that he prefers it to the team’s current primary home uniform. The old-school Dolphins logo, which features a Dolphin wearing a football helmet, is arguably the best part of Miami’s throwback ensemble. The new Dolphin is less detailed and not wearing a helmet, creating a sleeker but far less fun logo.
The AFC East is apparently home to some of the NFL’s best throwbacks, as the Patriots’ AFL uniform is one of the last four remaining in this region. This uniform was part of the celebration of the AFL’s 50th season back in 2009. Like the Dolphins throwback, the most iconic part of this uniform is the “Pat Patriot” logo, which is wildly different than the logo that New England wears on its helmet today. This is a fun matchup regardless of the uni that comes out on top.
2 Eagles Kelly Green vs. 3 Buccaneers Creamsicle
This is a matchup between two throwback uniforms that NFL fans desperately want to see back in the game. The only problem is the NFL made a rule in 2013 that limited teams to wearing a single helmet shell color in a given season. This prevented the Eagles from swapping out their usual midnight green shells for kelly green shells once a season. It did the same for the Bucs, who could no longer interchange between their usual pewter shells and the white ones they traditionally wear with the creamsicle uniform. Several other teams across the league have been forced to modify or suspend their throwback uniforms since this rule went into effect.
Both of these uniforms are vibrant alternatives to the darker colors they typically sport. Philadelphia’s winged helmet is one of the best helmet logos in the NFL — throwback or not — but the Bucs have the additional advantage of featuring a very recognizable throwback logo known among fans as “Bucco Bruce.” It must be a coincidence that the coach who just led them to a Super Bowl victory shares the same name.