In the sports world, March is typically a time for basketball, bracketology and bubble teams. The NFL offseason is in a little bit of a lull, as we're now a month removed from the Super Bowl and not quite in the full swing of free agency. The NFL draft is on the horizon, but it's still too far away to build immediate excitement. That's why early March was the perfect time for the Pick Six Podcast, CBS Sports' daily NFL podcast, to unveil a new offseason project: The NFL Uniform Bracket.
This month, NFL fans who follow the Pick Six Podcast on Instagram have hopped on the bracket fun. The project started with 64 different uniforms, seeded 1-16 in four different regions. Those regions were Home Uniforms, Road Uniforms, Alternate Uniforms and Throwback Uniforms. The head-to-head matchups were decided entirely by the Pick Six Podcast followers, who voted for their favorite uniforms using the poll function on Instagram stories.
On Friday, the tournament came down to just two uniforms … and they both belong to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers' powder blue uniform tore through the Home Region of our bracket as a No. 1 seed, then took down the Buffalo Bills' white uniform (Road Region champion) in the Final Four. The Chargers' royal blue color rush uniform made it out of the Alternate Region as a No. 4 seed and narrowly defeated the Dolphins' very popular aqua throwback to reach the Championship round.
To have your voice heard in this final, follow the Pick Six Podcast on Instagram and vote in the story. The overall champion will be named on Saturday, after 24 hours of voting. If you'd like to see past voting results from previous rounds, click through the NFL Uniform Bracket story highlights on the Pick Six Podcast Instagram page. Each matchup has been archived there.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUP
(1) Chargers powder blue vs. (4) Chargers color rush
We probably could have put any iteration of the Chargers' uniform in this bracket, and not only would it have come out on top in most matchups, the comment section would complain about it not being seeded high enough. Entering the tournament, the Chargers' powder blue uniform was an easy favorite to win the whole thing. It is widely regarded as the most appealing NFL uniform on social media, so it should come as no surprise that it steamrolling other uniforms in online polls. In the Final Four, the powder blue uniforms garnered a whopping 82% of the fan vote over the Bills' white road uniforms. This uniform never received less than 70% of the vote in any round of this tournament. The "closest" call came in the Elite Eight, when it only got 72% of the vote in a matchup with the Vikings' home purple uniform. Based on these results, we feel justified awarding the Chargers' powder blue uniform with a No. 1 seed to start this bracket.
The Chargers' royal blue color rush uniform wasn't as obvious a choice to make it this far. The Alternate Region was filled with tough competitors, including a 16-seed Falcons gradient uniform that made it all the way to the Sweet 16. Several commenters claim the royal blue uniform isn't even the Chargers' best color rush uniform, as they also have an all-navy blue uniform that some people prefer. As well as they might have performed, we couldn't put all of the Chargers' uniforms in this bracket. While making it out of the Alternate Region was impressive enough, the royal blue color rush uniform's best win of this tournament came in the Final Four when it took down the Dolphins' aqua throwback uniform with 54% of the vote. We'll see if the Chargers can pull off the upset over themselves in the Championship Round.
FINAL FOUR RESULTS
(1) Chargers powder blue - 82% vs. (10) Bills white - 18%
The Bills had two uniforms make it to the Elite Eight of this tournament, but only their white one made it to the Final Four. Their all-red color rush fell to the Chargers' royal blue Color Rush in the Alternate Region final. However, Bills fans fell short of exacting their revenge by upsetting the Chargers in this matchup. It was a long shot — Buffalo's white uniform was a 10-seed in this tournament.
(1) Dolphins aqua - 46% vs. (4) Chargers color rush - 54%
If there is a uniform in this bracket that rivals the Chargers' powder blue uniform in terms of social media clout, it's the Dolphins' aqua throwback uniform. Miami wore this uniform twice during the 2020 season, and it gained popularity when head coach Brian Flores said that he prefers it to the team's current primary home uniform. The old-school Dolphins logo, which features a Dolphin wearing a football helmet, is arguably the best part of Miami's throwback ensemble. The new Dolphin is less detailed and not wearing a helmet, creating a sleeker but far less fun logo.
REGIONAL RESULTS
HOME REGION
Sweet 16 Results
(1) Chargers Powder Blue - 77% vs. (12) Jaguars Teal - 23%
(6) 49ers Red - 43% vs. (7) Vikings Purple - 57%
Elite Eight Matchup
(1) Chargers Powder Blue vs. (7) Vikings Purple
The Chargers' powder blue uniform steamrolled both the Cardinals' red uniform, Ravens' purple uniform and Jaguars' teal uniform in a few polls on an Instagram story. Now in the Home Region final, the Chargers faced their toughest competition yet.
People LOVE the Vikings' uniforms. Maybe it's the fact that purple and yellow are complementary colors. Purple is only worn by one other NFL team (the Ravens), so the color is immediately identifiable. The stylized numerals and horned helmet also make this uniform unique and, at the very least, memorable. Minnesota's white uniform got knocked off in the Road Region last round.
ROAD REGION
Sweet 16 Results
(1) Colts White - 51% vs. (13) Saints White - 49%
(10) Bills White - 55% vs. (11) Vikings White - 45%
Elite Eight Matchup
(1) Colts White vs (10) Bills White
When it comes to road uniforms, it's tough to stand out. Almost everyone wears white. The Colts, however, may wear white the best. Ever since Johnny Unitas wore it to victory in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, the uniform has been attached at the hip to greatness. Maybe it's the all-white look (helmet, jersey and pants), but quarterbacks just look clean in this get up. From Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck to Philip Rivers… Now we'll see whether Carson Wentz can maintain this uniform's fresh reputation.
The Colts, however, just barely edged out a victory over the 13-seed Saints white uniform in the Sweet 16. Now they face another long shot with a ton of momentum in the 10-seed Bills white uniform. People seem to really like Buffalo's red (as evidenced by the Alternate Region results). Having that secondary color as an accent may help the Bills pull off an upset against a Colts uniform that only features blue and white.
ALTERNATE REGION
Sweet 16 Results
(4) Chargers Color Rush - 64% vs. (16) Falcons Gradient - 36%
(6) Bills Color Rush - 63% vs. (10) Panthers "Panther" Blue - 37%
Elite Eight Matchup
(4) Chargers Color Rush vs (6) Bills Color Rush
This uniform is the only one the Chargers wear with this exact shade of blue, so it feels special any time they wear it. As always, the lightning bolts and yellow accents (especially on the face mask) are absolutely electric.
The NFL's color rush initiative seems to have been worthwhile, as it has produced the two finalists in the Alternate Region. You might remember the controversy from 2015, when the Bills first debuted their all-red uniforms against the Jets' all-green color rush uniforms in a Thursday Night Football game that was deemed "complete torture" for the color-blind. Luckily for the Bills, that unfortunate matchup hasn't stunted the love for their uniform. People must value the boldness, as not every team is willing to dress out from head to toe in their alternate color.
THROWBACK REGION
Sweet 16 Results
(1) Dolphins Aqua - 61% vs. (5) Patriots AFL - 39%
(2) Eagles Kelly Green - 42% vs. (3) Buccaneers Creamsicle - 58%
Elite Eight Matchup
(1) Dolphins Aqua vs. (3) Buccaneers Creamsicle
If there is a uniform in this bracket that rivals the Chargers' powder blue uniform in terms of social media clout, it's the Dolphins' aqua throwback uniform. Miami wore this uniform twice during the 2020 season, and it gained popularity when head coach Brian Flores said that he prefers it to the team's current primary home uniform. The old-school Dolphins logo, which features a Dolphin wearing a football helmet, is arguably the best part of Miami's throwback ensemble. The new Dolphin is less detailed and not wearing a helmet, creating a sleeker but far less fun logo.
The Buccaneers creamsicle uniform pulled out a very tough victory over an Eagles kelly green uniform that is widely respected. Perhaps it has enough momentum to pull off an upset over the Dolphins in the final of the Throwback Region. Even if this is the end of the road for the Bucs, the NFL needs to change the rule it made in 2013 that now prevents teams from wearing more than one helmet shell color in a given season. These threads are too beautiful to keep them rotting in a storage locker somewhere.
