Ranking the alternate NFL helmets used in 2022
By Randy Gurzi
2. New England Patriots
These were on display on Thursday Night Football in Week 13 and the entire nation — or at least those who could figure out how to watch on Amazon Prime Video — got to see just how beautiful they are.
From 1961 through 1992, the New England Patriots wore a white helmet with ‘Pat Patriot’ preparing to snap the ball. Then in 1993, they decided to go with an ugly “flying Elvis” logo that featured less appealing colors than the brighter red and blue used on their old threads.
When the rule was changed to allow alternate helmets, this is one of the throwbacks everyone wanted to see. And while Thursday was the second time they dusted them off, social media still had plenty of love for them.
Please keep these New England Patriots uniforms and the paint on the field forever. Don't change anything back.
— Patrick Allen (@RPatrickAllen) December 2, 2022
Sadly, the next time we see New England play, they won’t look near as elite as they did on this night.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
It wasn’t that long ago when the Cincinnati Bengals unveiled their all-white color rush uniforms but something felt off. While everything else was white and black, they still had their signature orange and black tiger-striped helmets.
That changed this year as they finally got to complete their white-out look and it’s easily the best alternate in the NFL.
Who says you can't wear white after Labor Day?#WearWhite | Swift Meats pic.twitter.com/wIAyzdZ2oA
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 27, 2022
Like most of these in the top part of our rankings, it seemed to be unanimous on social media — they were a hit. Of course, it helps that they secured a win over the Miami Dolphins when they debuted them because everyone always looks better when winning.
Whether or not you rank them the same, the new rule is giving us more to talk about and added a little more fun to the game.