NFL Week 6 Uniform Rankings

As a huge fan of both football and design, naturally I became interested in the combination of the two.

So I decided to rank my favorite and least favorite uniform matchups of the week in the NFL. These rankings are completely arbitrary and decided by nothing but my own preferences.

Don't like my picks? Feel free to argue with me.

Best

1. San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons

Every game should look this good. The 49ers look as good as they've ever looked with the three stripes on the sleeve finally fixed, and the Falcons look just about perfect. I loved the throwbacks last year with the black helmets, and they look even better with the red.

Seriously, just look at that. The little gold stripe is the perfect touch that complements the rest of those colors. The red helmet over the black jersey is truly an elite combination. Wear these uniforms every week, please.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers

This looked and felt like classic, smash-mouth football. Something about these dark uniforms with the splash of color created a really nice contrast. The Steelers obviously have a classic set, and this Tampa Bay set is a modern classic as far as I'm concerned.

The way that Bucs helmet glistens in the sun. Beautiful.

3. New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns

This was just a good-looking game. Cleveland's uniform set, outside of the Color Rush, is one of the better ones in the NFL. New England's road set, while bottom-heavy because of the socks, is still a decent uniform. I like the big stripes and bold colors of this matchup.

4. Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

This game would have been No. 3 if the Bills wore their blue pants. These are two very good uniforms, but blue pants inject a little more color into this matchup. Still good, could have been great.

Worst

1. Washington Commanders at Chicago Bears

Or should we say Minnesota Golden Gophers at Illinois Fighting Illini? From the weeknight kickoff time to the play on the field, this felt like a Big Ten game. Nothing added to that more than the uniforms.

Washington's new uniforms aren't great. This combination is one of their worst ones. The gradient numbers and stripes make this look more like a semi-pro team, and it seems Dan Snyder was so cheap that he couldn't afford dye below the waist. Seriously, where is the color? It looks like they had the equipment manager run out to Kohl's right before the game to grab leggings for the team.

Apparently they used up the quota on stripes somewhere around the shoulders. Even my high school football team - one that didn't win a game until my senior year, mind you - could afford more than just bare pants. From the waist down, they might as well be just the default NFL Football Team. Although in fairness, that was basically their team name last season.

Now for the Bears. I like the jerseys, I really do! This isn't a bad looking uniform. But the helmets...

You've been wearing navy blue helmets since you started wearing helmets in 1950. It works! Why are you messing with it? The navy-blue helmet with the orange C reminds me of the Monsters of the Midway. The orange helmet is more reminiscent of the traffic cones that guided disappointed fans trying to leave the parking lot after the game.

2. New York Jets at Green Bay Packers

I don't love Green Bay's all-green throwbacks, but they're fine. Worse than their regular uniforms for sure, but completely acceptable for a change of pace.

While the Packers were wearing too much green, the Jets decided to abandon the color altogether.

Six weeks into the season, New York has not worn its primary color outside of the helmet. The team has worn either all-white below the shoulders or all-black under their white jersey in all six games. I don't have a problem with mixing black and green, but you have a serious crisis of identity when you refuse to wear your primary color. Right now, the Gridiron Uniform Database projects the Jets to wear their "home" green jerseys less than their "alternate" black ones. What is the point of the "home" and "alternate" distinctions if you don't follow them?

Green has been the focal point of your identity for over half a century and all but three of your seasons. Please don't abandon it.