Grab your Earl Grey and get in here. Week 8 is upon us, and we're heading back to foggy London Town for another bright and early start.

The uniform gods continue to be good to us on Thursday Night Football - improving to 6-2 on Thursdays and starting off the week 1-0. Safe to say things are going better for us than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But I digress. I'm loving the games this week. Let's have some fun.

A quick note on methodology.

As always, I’m analyzing every NFL uniform matchup and picking a winner against the spread based on who dresses best. And just because a team’s wardrobe is ranked higher in the Power Rankings doesn’t mean that it will automatically win the uniform matchup. It’s what you wear in the instant matchup that counts.

I’ll also be crowning the best matchup of the week and shaming the worst matchup of the week. It’s the over for the sharpest matchup and the under for the dullest.

And don’t forget the Triple Mismatch Club. I’m making three units plays whenever the best dressed team in the matchup is a member of the Club (different colored helmet, jersey, and pants). And nine units plays if both members of the week’s best matchup are members.

Keep an eye out for a “NOTE” here and there where teams have not fully unveiled what they will be wearing before the writing of this issue (this is especially the case on days with a London game). I’ll make my best guess as to their outfit, and it won’t affect my ability to pick a winner. I’ll also try to update after the fact if possible so each weekly issue can be a reference point for what a team wore on a given week.

Week 8 Uniform Matchups and Picks.

Raiders at Saints should be a competitor for best of the week. But the Saints are addicted to the black unitard look and refuse to embrace the gold pants. The Raiders boast a classic look with their road whites, and they're the easy pick here.

On the field, this is a matchup between two teams with much higher preseason aspirations than their current records reflect. The 2-4 Raiders are unlikely to catch the Chiefs, but a Wild Card spot is still a possibility (especially with seven teams making the playoffs in each conference). The 2-5 Saints would likely be down for the count if it wasn't for playing in the dismal NFC South. With the Bucs having already lost this week, a share of first place is a win and a Falcons loss away. Just based on the eye test, the Raiders seem like the superior squad, so no complaints with the uniform gods steering us to their side.

The Pick: Raiders -1 (-110)

Anything the Eagles can do, the Jets can do worse. If nothing else, I respect their commitment to the Eagles imitation bit. At least the Jets blackout outfit ends the four-game streak of the green-white-black uniform. And believe it or not, the Jets still have not worn the green jersey OR green pants this season. We are approaching the halfway point of the season, and the New York Jets have yet to wear green below the helmet. What a time to be alive. To our collective delight, the Patriots finally broke out silver* pants last week. However, after that home blowout to the lowly Bears, I'm worried they may put those pants back in the closet. I'm rooting for them to keep it going this week, but my money is on the navy pants to make an appearance. Regardless, the Patriots are the pick.

The Bailey Zappe roller coaster may have officially veered off the tracks. Mac Jones gets the start in this road game against the 5-2 Jets. I said last week the Jets could be 15-2, and I still would not be a believer. And that stance has not changed. The Patriots are the favorite for a reason, and I think Belichick reasserts his dominance over a divisional punching bag.

*New England calls them silver, but they're basically gray.

The Pick: Patriots -2.5 (-110)

Triple Mismatch Club 3x Play IF the Patriots wear blue pants.

NOTE - The Patriots have yet to unveil their choice of pants.

UPDATE - Blue pants confirmed.

I've been singing the Lions praises the last few weeks as a wardrobe that was growing on me. And how do they repay me? With a healthy dose of gray bodysuit. I've never understood this look for the Lions, and it is an especially bad choice against the icy white outfit of the Dolphins. This one had potential as a sneaky good matchup, but the Lions had other ideas. At least it makes my decision easy: Dolphins by a mile.

Tua looked rusty in his return to action last week. And I hope he sent thank you notes to the Steelers defensive backs for their refusal to catch multiple interceptions. But the Lions porous pass defense should be just what the doctor ordered for Mike McDaniel and this Dolphins offense. The Lions are coming off the bye, and they need to turn things around fast before this becomes a completely wasted season. Like so many other football fans, I'm a huge fan of Dan Campbell, and I'm pulling for him to get it sorted. But when people start comparing your tenure as a Lions coach to Matt Patricia, it's time to smash the panic button.

The Pick: Dolphins -3.5 (-110)

The Battle for the Keystone State. It's always fun when the Steelers and Eagles square off. And this is a sneaky good uniform matchup. The Steelers are the clear pick, but the Eagles primary home look is by far the best outfit in their current wardrobe.*

The Eagles are the last undefeated in the league. Coming off a bye, they're double digit favorites against the Steelers, who are having the worst season of the Mike Tomlin era. On paper, this shouldn't be remotely close. But a quick trip through history: back in 2004, the Steelers played spoiler to the 7-0 Eagles, handing them their first loss of the season. To be fair, those Steelers were 6-1 heading into that game. But who knows? Maybe history will repeat itself. At the very least, a cover feels in play.

*Not for too much longer. Come 2023, we'll be in kelly green heaven.

The Pick: Steelers +10.5 (-110)

Triple Mismatch Club 3x Play

Cardinals at Vikings leaves a lot to be desired from a uniform perspective. Arizona has the second worst wardrobe in the league, and Minnesota is in the "Wasted Talent" tier for a reason. But between the two, the Vikings are the easy choice here.

It's always a good thing when a team can have a bye week and watch their divisional lead become even more secure. The Vikings had such luck watching the Packers drop a third game in a row from the comfort of their couch. The Cardinals are coming into this one off the mini-bye after tearing apart the Saints last Thursday night. In this battle of well rested teams, I could see it going either way. And the edge may come down to home field for Minnesota.

The Pick: Vikings -3.5 (-110)

NOTE - The Cardinals have yet to unveil their choice of pants. And the Vikings have yet to unveil their uniform.

UPDATE - Uniforms confirmed.

Looking at the Panthers and Falcons uniform matchup, I'm reminded of the opportunity being wasted every time the Falcons don't wear one of their throwback options. It's like night and day in terms of quality. So rather than have a contender for best of the week, we are stuck with another forgettable entry in the season slate. The Panthers are the choice here, but I hope the Falcons seriously consider adopting a wardrobe built around the throwbacks in the future.

To the surprise of many coming into the season, both the Panthers and Falcons are still in play for the NFC South crown. In fact, the Falcons can claim sole ownership of first place with a win over the Panthers. But I must admit, I'm kind of rooting for Panthers and Saints wins this week so the entire division can be tied at 3-5 going into Week 9. To that end, consider me pleased to be on the Panthers side in this one.

The Pick: Panthers +4 (-110)

NOTE - The Panthers have yet to unveil their choice of pants.

UPDATE - White pants confirmed.

Bears at Cowboys. When good complementary colors go wrong. As a general principle, I despise color-on-color matchups. This isn't soccer. To add insult to injury, the Bears orange overload outfit is a disaster. And the Cowboys wearing blue at home is a curious choice. If it wasn't for the matchup across the pond, this one would've been worst of the week.* With all of that said, the Cowboys have far and away the better outfit.

It was nice to see Justin Fields have a good game last week. I did not expect that kind of performance against a Bill Belichick defense, but Fields showed why he was a first round pick a year ago. And it was about time his coaching staff leaned into his game changing athleticism and borrowed from the Ravens and Eagles offenses that have had so much success with Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts respectively. Matt Eberflus is very quietly showing that he's the right man for the job in Chicago. But this Cowboys defense is a completely different breed of cat. And the Bears are likely to find themselves outmatched.

The Pick: Cowboys -9.5 (-110)

Triple Mismatch Club 3x Play

UPDATE - White pants for the Cowboys.

Let's call a spade a spade here. Both of these uniforms stink. But the Texans* are the lesser of two evils, and they get the nod.

The Titans are red hot, winners of four straight and safely in the driver's seat of the AFC South. The Texans are in a driver's seat of their own, looking like the best bet to wind up with the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But anything can happen in a divisional game. And this feels like a possible trap spot for Tennessee. Add in Ryan Tannehill's absence and Malik Willis's first career start, and the Texans may be cooking with gas.

*The Texans are debuting their red helmet next week against the Eagles. But I think it's a mistake to pair it with the red jersey. I wish they would try it out with both the blue and white jerseys. A red helmet in this matchup would go a long way.

The Pick: Texans +1 (-110)

A tale of two uniforms between the Commanders and Colts. The worst in the league meets one of the league's best. Decisions don't get much easier than this: Colts all the way.

The Taylor Heinicke experience is an exciting one, and the entire Commanders team seems to kick it up a notch when he's under center. But all eyes will be on the start of the Sam Ehlinger era in Indianapolis. Let's pour one out for Matt Ryan, the poster boy of the Bets Dressed Single Digit Revolution issue. While I was never big on Ehlinger as a prospect coming out of Texas, he may be just the shot in the arm the Colts need to get back into form. In a very winnable AFC South, he doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. He just needs to protect the football. If he does that, I think he'll start his tenure on a high note.

The Pick: Colts -3 (-110)

NOTE - The Commanders have yet to unveil their choice of pants.

UPDATE - Burgundy pants confirmed.

Light against dark. The icy white Giants taking on the all-navy Seahawks. I say this every time the Giants wear the road whites, but I still miss the gray pants. Regardless, New York is clearly better dressed than Seattle in this one.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the game of the week. The New York Fighting Dabolls and the Seattle No More Russes have been the (unexpected) stories of the season. Last week, I compared the Giants to Rodney Dangerfield because they don't get no respect. And once again, the 6-1 Giants are underdogs. But if Vegas wants to keep handing out points when I ride with the Giants, who am I to say no? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous; Geno Smith and the boys are no joke.

The Pick: Giants +3 (-110)

This one was on the shortlist for best of the week. The 49ers boast one of the best wardrobes in football, while the Rams have some fantastic elements held back by some flaws. Overall, this a strong matchup. And the complementary color palettes are as good as it gets. The Niners get the nod in this one.

These two teams met in the NFC Championship Game last season, but they better get their acts together or the surprise Seahawks are going to sneak away with the NFC West crown. San Francisco comfortably won the first matchup between these teams back in Week 4. But throw all of that out the window when these rivals meet again in Los Angeles. The Rams are coming off the bye week and looking to get back above .500. While the 49ers are looking to end a two-game skid. With a full week of practice with his new team under his belt, Christian McCaffrey is poised to show why the Niners gave up so much draft capital for his services.

The Pick: 49ers -1.5 (-110)

Like I mentioned on Thursday, I had Packers-Bills penciled in as the best matchup of Week 8 at the start of the season. But the Bills newfound obsession with the blue unitards has thrown everything out of whack. And if they keep it up all year (which appears to be likely) I may have to re-evaluate how high I have the Bills in next year's power rankings. Glass half full: the Packers are the easy pick now.

I have refused to buy into the Packers downfall this year, but it's becoming too hard to ignore. Losers of three straight (including back-to-back losses to the Jets and Commanders), Aaron Rodgers and the Packers can't seem to get anything going offensively. For a team desperate for a change in momentum, the buzzsaw Bills can't come at a worse time on the schedule. I've wrongly predicted the last two weeks as get-right spots for the Packers. And Buffalo is no one's get-right spot. But I have the weirdest feeling. Could Green Bay somehow pull a rabbit out of their hats as double digit underdogs? Crazier things have happened. And I'm happy to have the points.

The Pick: Packers +11 (-110)

While I'm a huge fan of the Bengals and Browns wardrobes, a matchup between them is almost always doomed to be a clash fest. And the two teams didn't do much to mitigate the issue here. For example, this was the perfect game to use the White Bengal outfit. It would be an elite uniform matchup and eliminate any orange clash between these AFC North rivals. For the millionth time, we need an NFL Uniform Scheduling Czar. While each team is wearing a sharp outfit, the Browns are best here.

The Bengals and Browns are teams moving in opposite directions. The Bengals have been on a tear, winning four of their last five after starting 0-2. Meanwhile, the Browns have dropped four straight after starting 2-1. The Bengals will be without superstar wideout Ja'Marr Chase, but it's good news he will avoid IR (suggesting his return in four weeks or less). The Bengals have playmakers aplenty. With Joe Burrow still at the helm, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd should pick up the slack. Despite the 2-5 record, Cleveland has been in almost every game this season. Outside of a blowout loss to the Patriots, the Browns are losing games by an average of two points. I expect them to keep this divisional battle close as well.

The Pick: Browns +3 (-110)

Worst NFL Uniform Matchup of Week 8.

For the second time this season, London is treated to the worst matchup of the week.* What are we doing here, Denver? I'm fine with the idea of pairing navy pants with the white jersey. But this mismatched stripe situation is a complete disaster. To make matters worse, the Jaguars are breaking out the black body suit. Between the navy and black clash, this is a dreary looking affair.

You know the expression "dress for the job you want"? Well lately, the Broncos and Jaguars have been dressing for the teams they are. After 2-1 starts, both Denver and Jacksonville are losers of four straight. The Broncos have been especially disappointing. Despite the much-hyped Russell Wilson era, the Broncos under head coach and play caller Nathaniel Hackett are the worst scoring team in the NFL (14 points per game). On the flip side, the Broncos defense under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is one of the best units in the league (and third best in scoring, giving up only 16 points per game). In terms of the under, let's hope both trends hold.

*Vikings and Saints had that dishonor earlier in the year.

The Pick: Under 40.5 (-110)

Best NFL Uniform Matchup of Week 8.

We already covered the best of the week in the Thursday issue. Check out the full breakdown here.

The Pick: Over 45.5 (-110)

Triple Mismatch Club 3x Play

The Gridiron Uniform Database.

The uniform graphics you see here are courtesy of The Gridiron Uniform Database. If you’ve never paid their site a visit, stop what you’re doing right now and check it out. It is my favorite site on the Internet and an invaluable resource to uniform nerds and casual fans alike. This is especially the case during the season. I check the site multiple times a day to keep tabs on who’s wearing what.

Drop me a line.

You can always find me on Twitter at NFL Fashion Advice (@fashion_nfl) or via email at [email protected]. Come talk uniforms and all things football, and let me know what you think of the newsletter.

Coming Attractions.

We’ll be back in a few days for Week 9 with the Thursday Night Football Uniform Matchup and some Single Digit Revolution fantasy plays.

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And always remember: Look Good. Feel Good. Pay Good.