This past Thursday night the Green Bay Packers shocked the Detroit Lions – and probably themselves – when they bombed a 61-yard hail mary touchdown pass to win the game. There was controversy involved and the miracle at the end of the game wouldn’t have been possible without the 20-0 hole the Lions put the Packers in, but overall it was a truly special moment.

Unless you were a Lions fan. It was as perfect a pass and catch you could ever ask for on a hail mary play, as everything seemed to fall in place for Green Bay. Whether that helps the Packers get over their mid-season hump remains to be determined, but it was a special moment and easily the most exciting play we’ve ever seen during a TNF game. But was it the best hail mary play ever?

It’s tough to say, but NFL Network recently compiled their own list of what the top-10 NFL hail mary passes to end a game should look like. Some are old, some are new and some may not even belong on the list. Because of that, we narrowed it down to our favorite five. Let’s go over a few of them and then try to decide if this recent Packers miracle is the best ever, or if another is still king:

Flacco Foils Peyton

This one only came a few years ago and it truly was a miracle play, as Joe Flacco and the Ravens upended the Broncos on a deep ball that probably never should have happened. Denver’s safety was supposed to simply contain the play and stay behind the wide receiver, but he foolishly tried to make a play on the ball as if he were a fielder in baseball. That led to an easy touchdown with the pass floating right over his reach. That ended a fantastic first season back for Peyton Manning, who had spent the previous year out of football with a neck issue. It’s an even bigger miracle play when you consider the Ravens went on to win the Super Bowl that year.

Fail Mary

Green Bay was a part of another hail mary try, but they were the ones that got burned the last time in a loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. With time winding down, the Packers were clinging to a slim lead and seemed to have the ‘Hawks right where they wanted them. That didn’t end up being the case, as eventual Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson evaded pressure and uncorked a pass that would go down as one of the most controversial plays in NFL history. There are very mixed takes on what exactly happened, but Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate ended up being awarded a catch that was seemingly a simultaneous catch between him and Packers safety, M.D. Jennings. It was a wild and crazy finish that sparked a fiery rivalry between the two NFC foes and was the cherry on top of a rough go of it for the league’s replacement refs while the regular referees were on strike.

Brett is Brett

Vikings defense end Jared Allen was later quoted as hoping Brett Favre could “just be Brett one time” in his third game with the Minnesota Vikings after spending a long, storied career with the Green Bay Packers. The beauty of Favre’s play was that he stayed mostly in the pocket, slyly avoided a sack and then released a dart throw just before being knocked to the ground. Unlikely most hail mary attempts, Favre’s pass was more of a traditional throw, as he led an open recever streaking in the back of the end-zone. While Favre’s magical touch and ability to move around in the pocket were extremely key on this throw, the wide receiver was able to keep his feet in bounds when he came down with the ball, making it one of the more unlikely and spectacular hail mary passes. There was even added pressure in this one, as the 1-1 Minnesota Vikings could have suddenly been looking at a 1-2 start after a ton of hype was created during the summer about bringing Favre on board. On that one throw, Favre proved that he could still play and Minnesota built a strong foundation for a season that ended in the NFC title game.

The other plays NFL Network took a look at were surely impressive, but it’s tough to beat that crazy Seahawks/Packers “toucherception” or Joe Flacco taking down Manning in a playoff game. Perhaps we’ll forever be prisoner’s of the moment, but it’s awfully difficult not to pick Aaron Rodgers’ recent heroics atop the list.

Think one of the other plays deserves more credit and is the best hail mary pass ever? Let us know in the comments below!

The 2015 NFL season rages on in week 13, as we still have an undefeated team chasing perfection, as well as several key matchups. The season is slowly winding down and in the midst of some interesting playoff chases are some cool story-lines. Let’s break down the top five games we’ll want to be tuning into this weekend, all things considered:

Texas @ Bills

This matchup may have looked like a snooze fest only a few weeks ago, but the Bills desperately need a win to stay alive in the chase for one of the AFC’s two wild card spots, while J.J. Watt has fueled a surprise four-game winning streak. Just like that, the Texans have one of the best, most smothering defenses in the league and are tied for first place in the AFC South with a 6-5 record. A big road win this week, and Houston would be 7-5 and suddenly look like a potential Super Bowl contender. Even if they lose here, they’d still be in contention for their division and/or a wild card spot. This one means for more the Bills at home, but both sides will badly want to get this one so they can separate themselves from the pack. Perhaps the Bills will bust out those sweet all red custom football uniforms they rolled out three weeks ago during Nike’s Color Rush campaign. They probably won’t, but considering they’re 1-0 with them and 0-2 without them the past two weeks, they might want to consider it.

Jets @ Giants

The battle of New York ensues in week 13, as the Jets and Giants get together at the stadium they share. It’s a nice rarity for New York and NFL fans alike, as these two sides only face off once every four years. New York is in a good spot when it comes to the AFC wild card race, but probably can’t afford to lose at 6-5 if they’re serious about making a playoff run. The Giants have some wiggle room, but at just 5-6 they can’t fall too much further behind the Washington Redskins, who they split their season series with. The Giants may have the slight edge at home in this one, but it could be difficult for an under-performing G-Men defense to stop Chris Ivory and Brandon Marshall.

Chiefs @ Raiders

Fans get a huge AFC West battle this week, as the Chiefs shoot for their sixth win in a row, while the Raiders aim to get back to .500 with their second straight win. There is much more on line for Oakland, but the Chiefs could actually put themselves in position to threaten Denver at the top of the division. A sixth straight victory would get them to 7-5 and with a season split with the Broncos, KC could be a hot finish away from taking over the AFC West. Oakland may have something to say about that, though, as Derek Carr has been one of the best young passers in the league this year and Kansas City’s defense once again showed vulnerability to the pass last week. That being said, the Chiefs have been rather nasty on defense and will look to suffocate Oakland’s running game and force Carr to try to win the game with his arm. If Carr plays into KC’s hands and can’t take care of the ball, the Chiefs could slowly turn into one of the best stories in the league (if they aren’t already).

Colts @ Steelers

Another huge AFC showdown happens in Pittsburgh, as the Andrew Luck-less Colts take on the Steelers. This is a mammoth-sized game even without the injured Luck, as Matt Hasselbeck has been amazing as a fill-in starter and will look to go 5-0 while at the helm. The Steelers could make doing so difficult, as Ben Roethisberger runs one of the most potent offenses in the entire league and the Steelers tend to play their best ball at home, in general. It’s unlikely Hasselbeck stays undefeated, but Indy is 6-5 and playing for first place in the AFC South, so you just never know.

Seahawks @ Vikings

This might actually be the biggest game of the entire week, as the Vikings lead the NFC North at a stout 8-3 and Seattle remains in the thick of the NFC wild card chase at 6-5. The Seahawks haven’t been perfect in 2015 and even lost star tight end Jimmy Graham last week, but they still have the goods to make some noise and sneak into the playoffs down the stretch. They even have slim hopes of stealing the NFC West if they can win out (they face Arizona to end the regular season). Both teams will want this game and it’s easily the best NFC showdown of week 13. Adrian Peterson could have few running lanes to pick from against a stout Seattle front seven, but he’s been a total machine, so something may have to break there. On the flip side, Teddy Bridgewater’s ability to slice up a regressing Legion of Boom could be the key for the Vikes.

Like these five games? Got another one you’re excited to take in this weekend? Tell us in the comments below!

The NFL debuted their Color Rush campaign last week on Thursday Night Football, when the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills faced off while donning special color-on-color custom football uniforms. It was a cool marketing promotion for the league to spice up an often boring TNF stage, but it had a tiny hiccup. It didn’t consider the impact on folks that are colorblind.

Former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes actually tweeted out before the game that fans may have a tough time deciphering what’s going on during the game, as the Jets were wearing all green and the Bills were wearing all red uniforms. With red-green being the most popular type of colorblindness, Tynes’ observation didn’t just make sense, but it ended up being true.

Those who deal with colorblindness that took in the game voiced their displeasure, suggesting the game was “torture”. That would make sense, since to someone that is colorblind, it would be rather difficult to follow the game with players from both teams looking nearly identical. The only real difference would be uniform design and helmet logos. However, when players are piled up or smashing together, that logic goes out the window.

Luckily that’s not going to be an issue tonight and the NFL also plans on addressing it for the 2016 NFL season.

In week 11 the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars face off for another intense divisional clash, one that will be enhanced with Tennessee wearing bold powder blue uniforms and the Jaguars gold uniforms. It’s a color combination that will be far less difficult to deal with if you’re color blind, and fans should have no problem enjoying the game.

Titans and Jaguars fans, at least. Last week gave NFL fans a pretty intense game with a lot on the line, but tonight’s game, not so much. The Titans and Jaguars are both surprisingly (and sadly) still in the race for the awful AFC South, but both are well below .500 and don’t always play an exciting brand of football.

Both sides will at least be colorful tonight, however, and in at least one sense, easy to watch.

Like the new Color Rush promotion or flat out hate it? Tell us in the comments below!

The NFL has been known to crack down on a thing or two. It’s kind of what they do. They see something wrong and they correct it or configure rules and regulations to rectify anywhere they went wrong. That certainly hasn’t been a stance that has ignored uniforms and player apparel.

For the most part, the NFL is a pretty expressive league. From players wearing colors in their dreadlocks to using visors, arm and wrist bands, braces and the like, players are able to accessorize themselves to a certain degree. It’s not like the NBA, though. NFL accessories must have a reason and they have to fit under the league’s guidelines.

But should they? Should the league really have such a stranglehold over how players can express themselves, who they can pay homage to and when, and when products, people or charities they can promote on the field?

The league’s players are their own best friend when it comes to promotion their brand, but when a player tries to use his own brand to promote something or someone else for a better cause than mere financial gain, that’s not something we should be trying to discourage.

But that’s what is happening in pro football.

Years ago when Peyton Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts, he tried to pay homage to the late, great Johnny Unitas by wearing a pair of old school football cleats. The NFL said no.

In 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was fined for wearing the label “Ironhead” on his eye black as a tribute to his late father, former NFL running back, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

And just this season, Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, a public supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness, asked the league if he could wear “Find a Cure” on his eye black. Just like the NFL told Heyward no, so too, did they to Williams.

All good causes, all met with the strict guidelines of the league.

Players have been fined for the color or fashion of their cleats and other players tanking stands for or against off the field issues have been fined for doing so.

There is a fine line being created here, one where the league wants order and conformity, or it doesn’t want any attention that it’s not getting a piece of the action of. Digging deep into the semantics of rules and regulations isn’t our goal. Nor is questioning the NFL’s system as a whole. However, it’s worth wondering whether or not there can be special exemptions built into these rules – which by the way, are too harsh – so that players can show their support in the right way.

Should players be able to wear whatever they want whenever they want on the field? No, I’m not sure they should. But it’s not like we’re talking about custom football uniforms to the extreme, where players are covering the league or team logo or putting advertisements on their jerseys. No one is arguing for that, as it would open to the door to players wearing non-football materials, getting paid for branding or promoting questionable products, events or organizations.

But when we’re talking about paying respects, supporting a worthwhile cause and/or expressing one’s personality to the point where it’s helping far more than it’s hurting, it’s probably something to consider. After all, the NFL has long been a league that is high on getting more money and more viewers any way they can. Don’t you think making the game a little more colorful and a little more selfless would go a long way in accomplishing that? Let us know your take in the comments below.

Thursday Night Football is about to get a lot more…colorful? That’s right, folks, the NFL is pushing hard to amp up the excitement of their brand and they’re using the stage of nationally televised pro football games to do it. Thanks to the league’s deal ahead of the 2015 NFL season to assign TNF games to NFL Network and CBS, the game in the middle of the week that pretty much no one cared about is now seen more than ever. And to do so they’re having the teams playing on TNF for the next few weeks wearing special, custom NFL jerseys.

While the games themselves on Thursday can often be eye sores, whether they’re ugly, low-scoring defensive battles or mind-altering blowouts (see last night’s Patriots over Dolphins debacle), this custom football uniforms push definitely has our interest.

Okay, so we like football uniforms. You get it. But beyond our interest in them, they actually sound like all kinds of awesome.

That is, unless you’re not a fan of a lot of color or football color-on-color schemes. This writer personally is, as there’s nothing better than a bold colored jersey over a bold colored pair of pants. It just works, baby!

The possibilities would normally be endless, but we already know precisely what teams will be donning these Color Rush uniforms. Check out the Thursday Night Football schedule below and get excited. Oh, and tell us in the comments below what you think the uniforms will look like for the team of your choosing:

Nov. 12: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Nov. 19: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Nov. 26: Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys

Dec. 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams

If you think some of the NFL uniforms you see now are sweet, you have no idea. The folks over at Bleacher Report took some time recently to merge cool NBA uniforms and NFL uniforms to create, quite arguably, the slickest custom football uniforms we have ever seen. (That’s saying a lot because at Uniform Store we have designed some awesome uniforms ourselves.)

Not only are the football uniforms they came up with probably better than the current ones their respective NFL teams don, but they just might be the coolest uniforms we’ve ever seen.

They don’t exist, of course, but we love them and thought we’d share them with you. The entire photo list in all of its awesomeness can be seen here, but we thought we’d go the extra mile and rank them, too. There are 22 in all, which combine NFL teams with their city or state’s NBA brethren. The results are amazing, and these are the five we came away liking the most:

Cleveland Cavaliers + Cleveland Browns

Maybe its because just about anything beats what the Browns have been rolling out there, you know, ALWAYS. But these NBA uniforms are all kinds of sweet. The color on color scheme is always fun, but the design makes this work, as the Cavaliers logo can be seen as a tip of the hat to the Browns’ pro basketball counterpart, or it could also still represent the city of Cleveland. From the long sword down the side of the jersey and pants, to the sharp C’s on the shoulders, to the killer gold helmet with the “C” logo, this Browns uniform blows any other rendition out of the park. The only thing that would make it better is if LeBron James was wearing it and playing tight end next Sunday. We can dream.

Golden State Warriors + Oakland Raiders

This is another cool one because it doesn’t have to necessarily pertain to just the Warriors. This would be a sweet alternate jersey to pay homage to Golden State, while the blue on gold color scheme works beautifully. It’s even better than any Warriors uniforms we’ve seen, as the logo is very retro on the helmet and fits in nicely on the jersey, as well. More importantly, this jersey is cool without looking like it’s trying too hard to be modern. It even has an old fashioned feel to it, which rounds it out and makes it one of the best NFL mashup jerseys in the list.

Milwaukee Bucks + Green Bay Packers

Perhaps I am fond of this jersey for two reasons: I’m from Wisconsin and the Packers have had the same look for what seems like forever. Green Bay’s “G” logo is a tad stale and they could probably consider working together a more interesting alternate. Taking on the look of their Milwaukee brothers wouldn’t be a bad idea, as the deer antler logo on the helmet still applies to the state of Wisconsin (there really are a ton of deer there), while the green and red combo works together nicely. It doesn’t scream “Packers” to you, but in the name of alternate football uniforms, maybe that’s a good thing.

New York Knicks + New York Giants

The Giants are another team with a tired logo and a color scheme that has lost some luster. It’s arguable if it ever had any, too, while the “logo” is just the letters N and Y. So, switching it up so a weird orange and blue uniform could really go a long way to spice things up in the Big Apple. Going full knickerbockers may not be totally ideal, but this all orange jersey actually looks fantastic, while the helmet is a cool blue with the Knicks logo piecing it all together. I love the helmet and the blue/orange, but this would be even better if they ditched the Knicks logo and kept it more basic with something more specific to New York. Still, this one is the right amount of edgy and all kinds of cool and deserves to be in this list.

Indiana Pacers + Indianapolis Colts

I know the Colts haven’t looked very good in 2015, but perhaps Indy fans would forgive them if they wore uniforms like we see in the link above. The Pacers logo looks infinitely better in these NFL uniforms, while the blue, yellow and white really makes the whole thing pop. It looks a little like the California uniform at the college football level, but I’m okay with a little resemblance. If anything, a small amount of familiarity makes it more accessible.

Okay, so we didn’t “rank” them, but can you blame us? For one, even narrowing it down to a list of five was a bit of a beating. We definitely left a few out that we liked a lot, and ranking these five killer NBA/NFL uniforms just isn’t happening. Got the ranking figured out or think we left a good one out of the top 5? Tell us in the comments below!

*photo credit – dailysnark.com

Prepare to be surprised. Not insanely surprised, but surprised, nonetheless. NFLShop.com tracks their top NFL jersey sales and last week we all saw that Tom Brady leads the way at the quarterback position and overall. Not shocking. Rob Gronkowski leads the way for the tight end position when it comes to jersey sales. Also, not shocking.

But that’s not what we found surprising about the top tight end jerseys this past week. Gronk makes total sense as #1. He’s the best tight end in the league playing for what looks to still be the best team in the league. Jimmy Graham making the list isn’t surprising either. Graham not being in second place, however, is somewhat surprising. And that’s not the only shocker. Check out the top 5 tight end lineup in regards to NFL jerseys sold through the first two weeks of NFL games:

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Jason Witten

3. Jimmy Graham

4. Vernon Davis

5. Heath Miller

Witten at 2? Davis and Miller even being on this list? That’s where the jaws start-a-droppin’. Why? For one, Graham is the second best tight end in the league. Him getting traded to the Seattle Seahawks was YUGE news and we’re sure a plethora of custom football uniforms were born from that trade even before you could buy the official Jimmy Graham Seahawks jersey.

Witten is a mild draw and plays for one of the most beloved teams in the nation in the Dallas Cowboys, but come on. He’s no longer even a top-5 player at the position. And even if you do make a convincing case to keep him in the top-three – let alone above Graham – how do you explain a regressing Davis and the plodding Miller?

Those three guys having their jerseys sold as they have means rising stars like Travis Kelce and Tyler Eifert got totally hosed when it comes to their fans expressing their loyalty. Others that are definitely deserving are Chicago’s Martellus Bennett, Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz, Detroit’s Eric Ebron, Miami’s Jordan Cameron, Jacksonville’s Julius Thomas, Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph and Washington’s Jordan Reed – among others.

Either we’ll soon start seeing some of those guys pop up the ranks in the coming weeks, or they’re just not as popular as we all thought. Who do you think is the biggest surprise on the list – or off of it? Let us know in the comments!

If there was any doubt that Tom Brady still pulled some serious weight in the NFL at age 37, it’s now a thing of the past. Brady has the highest selling NFL jersey through the league’s first few weeks according to NFLShop.com, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

On top of all the New England Patriots fans wanting a brand new Tom Brady jersey, there are sure to be numerous fans latching on the bandwagon thanks to the Pats winning the Super Bowl last year. That, and Tom Brady’s current ridiculous run through the first three games naturally makes him one of the more talked about figures in one of the most popular sports in the world.

Record Pace?

Brady hasn’t just been good or solid, either. He’s been flat out elite. His early tear he’s been on (9 touchdowns to zero interceptions) has Patriots and normal NFL fans alike thinking back to his crazy 2007 run where he tossed 50 touchdowns and New England went undefeated during the regular season. No one is predicting Brady will throw 50 scores again or the Pats will run the table, but there is at least no denying that Brady still is a huge figure in the landscape of pro football. His jersey sales say so.

Of course, as awesome as Brady is and as much of a hit as Tom Brady’s #12 jerseys are, he’s not the only NFL player who is seeing their jersey fly off the rack (or the internet).

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

Brady is the top overall player and quarterback, but Aaron Rodgers, Marcus Mariota, Russell Wilson and the now-injured Tony Romo round out the top-five at the quarterback position. At running back? None other than Aussie, Jarryd Hayne.

No, that’s not a misprint or some crazy fan’s personal take on custom football uniforms. That’s actually 49ers running back and special team, Jarryd Hayne. He’s a bruising runner and former rugby star who impressed during preseason play and ended up making the team. Naturally, every rugby fan and Australia native probably went online and purchased his Niners jersey right after they found out he made the final roster.

The names aren’t crazy from there, as NFL stars like J.J. Watt, Julio Jones and Rob Gronkowski dominate headlines – and jersey sales. It will be interesting to track how NFL jersey sales trend throughout the year, but for now it looks like fans have it right: Brady is one of the best players in the league, and it makes a good amount of sense that he has the most popular NFL apparel.

Think someone else should be the top NFL uniform seller? Tell us in the comments below!