It’s that time of year again. We’re back with the third annual edition of the Unis - an awards show like no other. We gather to look back on the 2024 NFL uniform year in review and celebrate the season’s best, worst, and most memorable aesthetics.

Eat your heart out, NFL Honors. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Unis!

Like any other awards show, we're going to run through a bunch of awards/superlatives/categories and name the winners (or losers depending on how you look at it). Keep an eye out for honorable (or dishonorable) mentions here and there. I’ve been asking for three years now, but Billy Crystal turned us down once more. So you’re still stuck with me as host. As always: no musical numbers, I promise.

Enough preamble, let's get this party started.

The Awards.

Starting things off on a bittersweet note. The Lions won Uniform Redesign Season with this look alone. But we only got it once - a Week 2 loss to the Bucs that cemented a superstitious obsession with blue practice pants at home. In Detroit’s defense, they didn’t lose another regular season game in the Blueberries. But the Uniform Gods got the last laugh on Divisional Weekend. Setting the mojo analysis aside, this exercise is about crowning the best new individual uniform of the year - regardless of how often it was worn. And there’s no denying these Honolulu Blue beauties were a Modern Classic home run. The color scheme. The stripes. The blue mask. Perfection all around. Here’s to the Lions taking that Commanders loss to heart, developing new superstitions, and exclusively wearing silver-blue-silver at home next season.

Honorable Mention: General shoutout to the members of the best Uniform Redesign Season in recent memory (Broncos, Browns, Jets, and Texans); bonus shoutouts to the Panthers for finally embracing black-helmet-blue-jersey combos and the Bills for finally breaking up the red unitard with white pants.

Starting the season in this fauxback disaster Frankenstein’d together from both decades of the Prohibition Era was a harbinger of things to come for the Giants. Few uniforms better exemplify two of my favorite uniformisms: just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good and just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Some things are best left in the 1920s and 30s. Let’s hope it takes another 100 years of Giants football before we’re subjected to another look this bad.

Dishonorable Mention: Jags white helmet ensemble; Jets blackout.

I don’t know if we’ll ever top the 2023 Summer of Throwbacks. But the Broncos and Jags made it a conversation. Two of the best looks in football history looked even better on the athletes and equipment of today. And when it comes to these two - and elite throwbacks in general - I refuse to pick a favorite. It’s like picking a favorite child. You love each of them in their own way.

Honorable Mention: Steelers gray masks; Jets Classic uniform; Panthers silver-white-silver.

I feel for the Bears. Through no fault of their own, they stumbled into a rough uniform matchup season. They even had the Jags pulling them into violations of international aesthetic law. I know foggy London Town can be dark and dreary at times. But that doesn’t mean the uniform matchups we send over there have to follow suit.

Down year overall for yin and yang uniform matchups.* But the Bills understood the assignment against the H-Town Texans in the NFL’s rendition of the Running of the Bulls.

*Before people cry out for Bills-Lions, Detroit’s blue helmet disqualifies it from yin and yang contention. I’m willing to bend the rules on non-black uniforms (as I did with Rams last year and Texans this year), but helmet, jersey, and pants have to be the same color.

We’ve been asking for white pants to break up the Cardinals red unitard for two years now. And our pleas continue to fall on deaf desert ears. Their excellent white uniform can only stave off a Power Rankings tumble for so long. Maybe next year will finally bring red jerseys over white pants, but I’m done holding my breath.

You know the NFL aesthetic is in a good place when even the weaker wardrobes are making tangible improvements. I’m so proud of both of these teams I couldn’t pick just one winner. First up is Washington. If you told me one year ago I’d have nice things to say about the Commanders wardrobe, I would have said you’re out of your mind. And while there are still improvements to be made, the addition of gold pants to the burgundy ensemble provides an objectively solid uniform.

Then there’s New England. For reasons I’ll never understand, we had to wait five years for the Patriots to give us silver pants with the white jersey. And after the first four years, I threw in the towel on hope. But just when they couldn’t get any dumber, they did something like this and totally redeemed themselves. Here’s to more pleasant Pats surprises in the future - preferably a royal blue variety.

No brainer this year. Full palette of fall colors from the Ravens and Browns four days before Halloween. Doesn’t get much more seasonal* than that. And an elite uniform matchup to boot. Plus Baltimore’s Edgar Allan Poe energy always has them in the Halloween spirit.

*The antithesis of this award would be most unseasonal uniform matchup. And that dishonor would belong to Ravens-Texans and the lump of coal they served up on Christmas Day.

The timeless Raiders against the Orange Crush Broncos belongs in an AFC West aesthetic museum. Not only was this the best old school uniform matchup of the season, it was a safe pick for the best of the year shortlist.

Honorable Mention: Cowboys-Panthers in a spiritual successor to the 1996 Divisional Round.

The combo crazy Panthers were both a comical and welcome development this season. As an advocate for wardrobe interchangeability, I’ll always support teams mixing it up. And Carolina wasn’t messing around with 10 different helmet-jersey-pants combos. Now we just need the Panthers to be a bit more strategic in their combo usage: no more black plants against the Raiders or Bears, please. And can’t forget being blue pants against the Broncos away from sneaky Triple Mismatch Club matchup of the year contention.

Speaking of Triple Mismatch Club matchup of the year, that honor belongs to the Cowboys and Browns. Always impressive when a matchup enters the clubhouse* as a Week 1 leader and goes wire to wire. And Cowboys-Browns did just that. Don’t look now, but that’s two wins in a row for the Cowboys in this category. No surprise for the most complementary wardrobe in football.

*Pun intended.

Honorable Mention: Steelers-Ravens; Cowboys-Niners.

If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you know that I’m a sucker for the 90s aesthetic across sports. So it’s time to add an award to the lineup honoring the Dream of the 90s. Eagles and Ravens wardrobes are late 90s royalty. Shoulder logos, sharp colors, unique fonts, bold outlines, and two of the best helmet logos in football. Did the GOAT decade proud.

Honorable Mention: Panthers-Eagles.

Or stated differently: most lopsided uniform matchup. One of the best whiteouts and best wardrobes against one of the worst blackouts and worst wardrobes. With the Commanders getting their gold pant act together (and with rumors of additional wardrobe tweaks), Atlanta is officially in danger of slipping to the lowest rung of the Power Rankings ladder.

With semi-regular uniform changes and infrequency of opponents meeting, we see uniformigamis* all the time in the NFL. But when it happens between divisional opponents, it’s especially notable. And it’s downright shocking we hadn’t seen this glorious Chiefs-Chargers showdown until this season. Los Angeles unveiled their league-best wardrobe in 2020, but these AFC West rivals waited until 2024 to honor us with this iteration of red-white-red against white-powder blue-yellow. And it’s easily our finest divisional uniformigami and on the shortlist for best uniform matchup of the year.

*Uniform matchups we’ve never seen before (limited to helmet-jersey-pants and allowed some grace for minor tweaks).

Honorable Mention: Steelers-Ravens; Browns-Bengals; Texans-Colts.

This one’s multifaceted. In general, Cowboys-Niners had a chance at a best uniform matchup of the year threepeat. If San Fran played it safe with their primary reds, these teams likely lock up their third straight aesthetic title.* But that’s not the only missed opportunity here: we were this close to running back one of the best conference title uniform matchups of all time - the 1994 NFC Championship Game. I know silver-arctic white-silver isn’t currently worn in the Dallas wardrobe.** But if there was ever a time to try it out, this was that time. Oh, what could’ve been.

*To be clear, I still think primary white Cowboys against throwback red 49ers is an excellent uniform matchup. But it falls short of best of the year contention (and didn’t even claim best of the week this season).

**Arctic Cowboys versus Niners red throwbacks also would’ve had my attention and scratched that star-on-the-shoulder itch.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Amazon execs should be lobbying the NFL day and night for Throwback Thursday Night Football on Prime Video featuring teams in home and away throwbacks. And the first image on that presentation should be this shot of pure uniform nirvana. This exact showdown was the Biggest Missed Opportunity winner last season. Another thing I’ve said before and will say again: ask and you shall receive.

The presence of snow takes any uniform matchup to the next level. In a season filled with snow globe spectaculars, none were as aesthetically pleasing and snow-filled as Steelers-Browns. This award was locked up when this one turned from flurries to full lake effect with only the vibrant pops of yellow and orange standing out against the winter wonderland.

Honorable Mention: The other snow globe games (49ers-Bills and Rams-Eagles); Saquon defying the laws of physics in the Kelly Greens.

This one goes to the team that was featured in “best uniform matchup of the week” the most this season.* Coming in first, with five total appearances: the Baltimore Ravens. Not only were the Ravens in five best of the week matchups. They did it in five different uniforms. Now that’s versatility.

*The antithesis of this award would be “Uniform Nirvana Repellant”. That dubious distinction was a five-way tie - with three “worst uniform matchup of the week” appearances each - between the Bears, Commanders, Seahawks, Titans, and Vikings.

Commanders and Cardinals dumpster dove all the way to the bottom for this award back in Week 4, and I knew right then it was going the distance. Two of the worst uniforms in the league combining for a truly dreadful uniform matchup. This one had it all.* Similar color overload. Practice pants. Gradients. Jumbo wordmarks. Nonsensical omission of a team color while forcing black in the color palette. And white helmet over a darker unitard. In a word: WOOF.

*Or should I say lacked it all?

Dishonorable Mention: Bears-Commanders; Ravens-Texans; Seahawks-Jets.

There were A LOT of worthy contenders this season. Take your pick of the numerous honorable mentions below (or some others that aren’t listed) and I won’t even put up much of an argument. But nothing put a bigger smile on my face than seeing the two crown princes of the Modern Classic Uniform Renaissance squaring off on Sunday Night Football to put on a complementary contrast masterclass. It’s the perfect culmination of the NFL aesthetic improvement over the last five seasons. Cincy’s new orange pants were made for games like this one. And Los Angeles continues to remind the football world they’re the best dressed team on the block. Uniform nirvana, indeed.

Honorable Mention: Buccaneers-Lions; Cowboys-Steelers; Niners-Seahawks; Raiders-Broncos; Chiefs-Chargers; Ravens-Browns; Buccaneers-Cowboys; Ravens-Bengals; Steelers-Browns; Eagles-Ravens; Buccaneers-Chargers; 49ers-Bills; Cowboys-Eagles; 49ers-Dolphins.

Parting Words.

Strike up the band because it’s finally time to play me off. The third annual edition of the Unis is officially in the books. We started the 2024 uniform year with one of the best Uniform Redesign Seasons in recent memory. We bestowed the highest annual honor on some Modern Classic patron saints. And we’ve got an objectively well dressed Super Bowl coming our way. Life is good. Same time next year …

The Gridiron Uniform Database.

Uniform graphics seen 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. Best site on the Internet and an invaluable resource to uniform nerds and casuals alike.

Coming Attractions.

Super Bowl LIX is only three days away. If you're anything like me, you'll spend the rest of the week and weekend watching highlights of old Super Bowls to get ready for the big game. Now you can add the Bets Dressed Super Bowl issue to your Super Bowl preparation ritual. Look for it to hit your inbox early Sunday well before Chiefs-Eagles kicks off in the Big Easy.

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