Last year, the NFL introduced a new idea to make Thursday Night Football at least visually more attractive: Color Rush. The concept was to design alternative uniforms to exclusively wear during Thursday's games.
Only a select few teams wore Color Rush-jerseys last season. The New England Patriots were not one of them, as they played their lone Thurday night matchup – a week 8 blowout victory over the visiting Miami Dolphins – in their standard home navy-silver combination.
This year, however, is different. All 32 NFL teams will play their Thursday night games in Color Rush uniforms – and the Patriots' were unveiled today. They look as follows:
Our first new jersey since 2003. Introducing the #Patriots #ColorRush uniform.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 13, 2016
Want it? https://t.co/Gb1OmrWY4f pic.twitter.com/Nuuj2UloH6
New England will wear the uniform in two weeks, on September 22, when the team gets a visit from former offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and his Houston Texans. It is the first time since 2003 that the team will wear a new look. One, that will look similar to the all-blue outfit the team wore in 2002.
While Color Rush is a neat idea and makes Thursday Night a little more exciting, the question remains whether or not a more traditional approach – like "Throwback Thursday" – would have been more popular.