Infrared41's Best and Worst of the Week - NFL Week 1

[infrared41]

Back for another season of weekly best and worst lists that are sure to please some, disappoint others, and positively infuriate a few.

We have a change to the worst criteria this season. Before this season, both teams had to look terrible to make the worst list. This season, if a team ruins a potentially great match up with a terrible alt or wears a uniform combo that ruins it's look, that game is now eligible the worst list.

Without further adieu, let's put 60 seconds on the clock and play our game.

Best:

Much like the 2014 season, we're off to a bit of a slow start for the best list.

1. Colts - Bills: The Bills picked the perfect opponent for the AFL throwback uniform. Beautiful match up between two classic looks.

2. Chiefs - Texans: All white really works for the Texans. What else is there to say about the Chiefs? They have one of the best looks in the NFL. As long as both of these teams avoid the blue and red monochrome nonsense, they're always going to look good. Great helmet match up too.

3. Steelers - Patriots: In a more competitive week, this game is probably doesn't make the top three. I've always thought that the Patriots uniforms look like they were done by committee. It's like the design tried to please a few too many people but it's still a pretty solid look. The Pats are another team that has benefitted from "improvement through attrition." Last season, the Lions rode "improvement through attrition" to quite a few appearances on the best list. Thanks to the new Browns uniforms, the Patriots just might be this year's Lions. As long as they stay away from the "bumble bee" uniforms, the Steelers are always a contender for the best list.

4. Giants - Cowboys: Another example of a game that probably gets relegated to honorable mention in a more competitive week. We've been over the issues with the Cowboys colors eleventy-billion times. Let's just wrap this one up by asking how good would this game look if the Cowboys fixed their colors?

Worst:

1. Vikings - 49ers: Right out of the gate, the new "ruin a potentially great match up" rule comes into play. This game should have been a contender for the #1 spot on the best list. Instead, we get the 49ers wearing what just might be the worst alternate uniform in NFL history. Hell, it just might be the worst uniform, alt or otherwise, in NFL history and in a league that includes Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, et al, that's really saying something, folks. This 49ers alt is awful. Just awful. I think the Vikings look good in all white. I'd like to see them wear this combo more often.

2. Seahawks - Rams: This one could have looked pretty good. The Rams should have gone with either the gold or the white pants. Seattle should have gone with the gray pants. Those two changes would have made a big difference. Instead, we're buried under an avalanche of blue. Ugly game all around.

3. Browns - Jets: The new Browns look has a couple combos that can keep them off the worst list. This combo isn't one of them. Other than the green pants, the Jets were mostly innocent bystanders in this one. Remember when the Browns and Bucs used to be weekly contenders for the best list?

4. Packers - Bears: The second violation of the new "ruin a great match up" rule. The Bears have the best home uniform in the NFL. Why they insist on wearing these 1960's high school uniforms remains a mystery. While this game wasn't anywhere near as ugly as the three proceeding it, the new rule is the new rule and the Bears ruined a match up that likely would have taken the #1 spot on this week's best list.

That's it for this week. Thanks for dropping by. Tune in next week for another exciting/infuriating edition.

[Buster]

I agree with your list with the exception of Giants-Cowboys. Both team's uniforms are majorly flawed. Mismatched colors for Dallas and the Giants wearing practice-quality jerseys (add some red!).

I actually think this was a very visually-appealing matchup (homer call):

[NEW.ERA]

Always love Washington's Maroon and Yellow... if Miami still rolled with their old logo. That'd be awesome!

[Sport]

I agree with your list with the exception of Giants-Cowboys. Both team's uniforms are majorly flawed. Mismatched colors for Dallas and the Giants wearing practice-quality jerseys (add some red!).

I actually think this was a very visually-appealing matchup (homer call):

Always been one of my favorite Super Bowl matchups. Just nice colors against each other.

I prefer the second super bowl to the first and both are better than what happened Sunday thanks to the Dolphins' new unis.

[IceCap]

I miss Washington's maroon and white pants. Their maroon jersey/white pants combo was one of my favourites.

[Billy B]

I was going to complain about Bears-Packers not being in the best column...then I remembered they wore those awful throwbacks.

Agree about Miami-Washington deserving to break into the top five. Two good uniforms and great color contrast between them.

[ConcreteCharlie]

I thought Bears vs Packers, Colts vs Bills, and Giants vs Cowboys were fantastic. My top 3 this week by a mile

[infrared41]

Always love Washington's Maroon and Yellow... if Miami still rolled with their old logo. That'd be awesome!

Put the Dolphins in just about any uniform prior to the current look and that game is on the best list - probably at the top spot.

[Cosmic]

Always love Washington's Maroon and Yellow... if Miami still rolled with their old logo. That'd be awesome!

Put the Dolphins in just about any uniform prior to the current look and that game is on the best list - probably at the top spot.

Yeah, I think it's a matchup where the wildly different color schemes work well with each other. BUT, to my eye at least, the bold colors on Washington's uniforms make Miami's aqua look washed out. If Miami looked more like themselves, it'd be great.

[marble21]

Best:

1. Colts - Bills: The Bills picked the perfect opponent for the AFL throwback uniform. Beautiful match up between two classic looks.

Worst:

1. Vikings - 49ers: This game should have been a contender for the #1 spot on the best list.

4. Packers - Bears: ...and the Bears ruined a match up that likely would have taken the #1 spot on this week's best list.

Put the Dolphins in just about any uniform prior to the current look and that game is on the best list - probably at the top spot.

They probably can't all be #1.

[infrared41]

Best:

1. Colts - Bills: The Bills picked the perfect opponent for the AFL throwback uniform. Beautiful match up between two classic looks.

Worst:

1. Vikings - 49ers: This game should have been a contender for the #1 spot on the best list.

4. Packers - Bears: ...and the Bears ruined a match up that likely would have taken the #1 spot on this week's best list.

Put the Dolphins in just about any uniform prior to the current look and that game is on the best list - probably at the top spot.

They probably can't all be #1.

To be fair, I qualified all of those statements. "Contender for the #1 spot", "likely would have taken the #1 spot" and "probably at the top spot" aren't definitive. Obviously, a decision would have had to have been made. It would have been a tough call. Just for the hell of it, if things had played out as described...

1. Packers - Bears

2. Dolphins - Washington

3. Vikings - 49ers

Better?

[TheOldRoman]

I miss Washington's maroon and white pants. Their maroon jersey/white pants combo was one of my favourites.

Yes. I loved how the Redskins looked until about five years ago, particularly with them recently committing to wearing red at home. Even with flaws on helmet vs. pants stripes, that set was classic.

The yellow pants were cool for a little while, but now they're tired. Also, they've come to represent an awful era, with a brief glimmer of hope followed by the destruction of RGIII. Not bad enough to get top draft picks, but nowhere close to being good. And they hadn't been very good for the last 10 years in the old pants, but at least that look was tied to the Super Bowl set. The yellow pants, this time around, are only tied to this failed era. It's time to change back.

[andycumbee19]

I miss Washington's maroon and white pants. Their maroon jersey/white pants combo was one of my favourites.

Yes. I loved how the Redskins looked until about five years ago, particularly with them recently committing to wearing red at home. Even with flaws on helmet vs. pants stripes, that set was classic.

The yellow pants were cool for a little while, but now they're tired. Also, they've come to represent an awful era, with a brief glimmer of hope followed by the destruction of RGIII. Not bad enough to get top draft picks, but nowhere close to being good. And they hadn't been very good for the last 10 years in the old pants, but at least that look was tied to the Super Bowl set. The yellow pants, this time around, are only tied to this failed era. It's time to change back.

Preach it! I don't even like em, but my GF does so if I have to watch them every week, I'd prefer the previous set.

[Sport]

Obviously the Bengals uniforms are low bottom half, but from a pure color matchup standpoint I really like how the Raiders silver and black (and my favorite uniforms in the NFL) looks against the Bengals’ orange, white, and black.

It helps that the Bengals have been exclusively wearing the orange socks when they go white on white in the regular season in recent years. It’s the closest we’ll come to them resembling the Super Bowl uniforms in the current template.

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

I agree with your list with the exception of Giants-Cowboys. Both team's uniforms are majorly flawed. Mismatched colors for Dallas and the Giants wearing practice-quality jerseys (add some red!).

I actually think this was a very visually-appealing matchup (homer call):

Definitely a great match-up. Especially in the mid day lighting. Miami's look has grown on me.

The Redskins' current set would be perfect if they just wore this look on the road:

#hornyforzorny

[BrandMooreArt]

im a big fan of the Bears' throwbacks and that game was my favorite of the week. what is it about them that you dont like? is it just that they remind you of HS football?

[TheOldRoman]

For me, as a Bears fan, I dislike them primarily because they're taking away from the Bears wearing what I think it the best uniform in football. And over the last seven years in the regular season, they've worn alternates against the Packers at home all but once (they wore the orange jerseys in 2009 and 2011, and the throwbacks 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015). I wouldn't care as much if they wore them against the Cardinals or Panthers (and I love the Panthers' uniforms!), but it seems wrong that in a great visual matchup between historic rivals, the Bears always decide to not look like the Bears.

Incidentally, I much prefer the orange alternates to the throwbacks. The throwbacks are essentially them saying "we don't want to rock the boat, but we want to sell more jerseys." They're not as good as the home jerseys, but they're very similar. The orange jerseys were considerably different, distinctive, and the numbers were much more legible. I think the orange jerseys were really nice looking. The only problem is that they were wrong for the Bears. The throwbacks, however, look like a movie about the Bears that didn't want to pay for the license to use their actual jerseys.

[OffCenteredScoreboard]

that vikings all white look is really good, why they even have purple pants as an option is beyond me

[Billy B]

im a big fan of the Bears' throwbacks and that game was my favorite of the week. what is it about them that you dont like? is it just that they remind you of HS football?

They're a dumbed down version of their home uniforms that are one of the best in the NFL. No stickers on the helmets and gray facemasks are both worse than their primary helmet. Removing white from the jerseys is the deal breaker for me. The jerseys are way too dark with just orange on navy and the numbers aren't exactly easy to read. The number font on the throwbacks isn't as good as the classic rounded font.

If they have to have an alternate jersey, I'd prefer the orange jersey over these throwbacks. I don't think the Bears need an alternate though. Wearing white pants on the road a couple times would be enough mixing it up for me.

[TheOldRoman]

im a big fan of the Bears' throwbacks and that game was my favorite of the week. what is it about them that you dont like? is it just that they remind you of HS football?

They're a dumbed down version of their home uniforms that are one of the best in the NFL. No stickers on the helmets and gray facemasks are both worse than their primary helmet. Removing white from the jerseys is the deal breaker for me. The jerseys are way too dark with just orange on navy and the numbers aren't exactly easy to read. The number font on the throwbacks isn't as good as the classic rounded font.

If they have to have an alternate jersey, I'd prefer the orange jersey over these throwbacks. I don't think the Bears need an alternate though. Wearing white pants on the road a couple times would be enough mixing it up for me.

I liked it a few years back when the Illini wore basically the same uniform in a throwback game. However, the difference was their shade of orange is considerably brighter, so the numbers were more clear. Also, they wore and orange helmet instead of navy.