As we get set for the start of football season and the Arizona Cardinals' inevitable march to a Super Bowl victory, there's one thing that has me genuinely excited about the NFL in 2022. The return of second helmets! The NFL has removed its rule requiring teams to use the same helmet shell for every game. Which meant no throwback uniforms. Now that the rule is gone, however, Pat the Patriot and Bucco Bruce are back!
While we'll have to wait until 2023 for Bucco Bruce to make his return (as well as the Eagles' Kelly green), 13 teams will take advantage of the rule change and wear a second helmet this season. The only criteria were that they couldn't create a new logo for the second helmet. It had to be something that they've worn at some point in their history. Which still led to plenty of variations!
There are really two camps when it came to the second helmets. Teams either did a reverse/third color to match their color rush uniforms or brought back a throwback design. Most of them are downright awesome! Others are, well, not. Here's how I rank them from 13-1...
13. Chicago Bears: No. Just no. Maybe it's because the Bears' helmet is so iconic. Or maybe it's because the orange-on-orange look is just plain ugly. Whatever it is, these are a massive miss for me.
12. New York Jets: If the Jets were going to jump on the second helmet bandwagon, going back to their 1980s logo would've been much better! Instead they opted for a black helmet to go with their black uniforms, which already seemed out of place on a team whose color is green. Although, the one thing I will say in their favor is that they're better than when they wore the New York Titans throwbacks (and, yes, that's Brett Favre playing quarterback in them)!
11. Washington Commanders: When the NFL starts allowing second helmets again the same year you launch an entire franchise rebrand, including a second helmet in the uniform set right off the bat makes complete sense. While the black would look weird if they still had their old name, I don't mind them for the "Commanders." The logo in front is a unique element, too, but I'll have to see it on the field before I decide if I think it works or not.
10. New Orleans Saints: Throughout their history, the Saints have only ever worn a gold helmet. That'll change this season when they introduce the reverse version with a gold logo on a black helmet. That part looks fine, but what's with all the fleurs-de-lis going down the middle?
9. Arizona Cardinals: Believe it or not, Arizona is the only NFC team with a white helmet. The Cardinals have had an all-black third uniform for a while, though, so it makes sense that they'd introduce a black version of the helmet to go with it. I'd actually kinda like to see how they'd look in a red helmet too!
8. New York Giants: I have mixed feelings about these. On the one hand, this is the Giants logo that I remember seeing Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms wear as I was growing up, so it'll be wonderful to go back to those glory days of the Super Bowl championship years! I'm confused, though, because there's no reason why the Giants needed to wait until now to introduce the throwback look. Their regular helmet isn't too much different, so they easily could've swapped one logo for the other the way the Broncos did when they wore their orange throwbacks for that game against the Chargers a few years ago.
7. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys' silver helmet with a blue star is one of the iconic looks in the entire NFL. Still, the white throwback they'll wear against the Giants on Thanksgiving is a classic in its own right. And it's easy to see why! For some reason, Dallas will wear this helmet with both the throwback design and the current version of their logo this season, but the throwback is definitely better.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: We'll get the return of the iconic Kelly green made famous by Reggie White and Randall Cunningham next season, but the alternate helmet the Eagles will give us in 2022 aren't too bad either! I've always liked their black jersey, and the black helmet looks just as sharp! (Unlike the Jets, the NFL's other primarily-green team, whose black uniforms don't make any sense and are ugly.)
5. Cincinnati Bengals: To be honest, when it was first unveiled, I wasn't as blown away by the Bengals' white tiger helmet as some others. But it's grown on me. To the point where I think it's one of the better alternate looks. Is it as good as their regular orange helmet? No. The total lack of orange actually drops them down a peg. Is it a look I'm excited to see on the field, though? Yes! (Plus, white tigers are really cool!)
4. Carolina Panthers: When the Panthers came into the league, I thought they would/should have black helmets. Now, nearly 30 years after their debut, they finally will! And, I must say, they're well worth the wait! Could they use a little more color? Maybe. But otherwise, I have absolutely no complaints.
3. Houston Texans: Call me crazy, but I think these look really sharp! I may be in the minority, but I love the Texans' "Battle Red" jerseys, and I'm just as big a fan of the "Battle Red" helmet! They've only worn the navy since coming into the league, so this look is quite a departure for them. It totally works though!
2. Atlanta Falcons: You know how all those baseball teams (the Blue Jays, the Brewers, the Padres, the Astros) have gone back to an updated version of their classic logo in recent years and fans absolutely ate it up?! That's exactly what the Falcons are doing here. And, like the baseball teams, they've hit a home run! Extra credit for one little detail, too. The original version of this uniform didn't have gold. They've added it on the stripe, acknowledging Georgia Tech, to go with the red-and-black of the University of Georgia.
1. New England Patriots: Pat the Patriot lives! There's only one throwback uniform that possibly could've topped this, and we won't see Bucco Bruce and the creamsicles until the 2023 season. So it's the Patriots' red uniforms that claim the No. 1 spot. And, frankly, it's not even close. I'm not advocating Pat the Patriot's full-time return, but it'll be so nice to see him again moving forward!
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