Ranking the 5 Detroit Lions uniforms from the 2017 season

This week, the SB Nation sites are discussing uniforms and mascots. The mothership previously ranked the best and worst NFL uniforms, two lists that did not include the Detroit Lions.

The Lions are in a bit of a unique position because they just made drastic changes to their uniform last season, and fans are still getting accustomed to the new look. Though the Lions unveiled four different uniforms during last offseason, they actually wore five combinations last season, pulling out the all-blue uniforms for a Sunday night contest against the Steelers.

So now that we’ve had at least a year to digest the new look, I’m going to rank the five Lions uniforms from the 2017, from favorite to least favorite.

1. Road uniforms

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Admittedly, I wasn’t on board with these uniforms when they were first unveiled at Ford Field. However, by the season’s end, I was fully on board. The blue pants, with the stripes on the side, perfectly complement the white jersey. The numbers are sleek and pop with the grey trim, adding just a hint of the Lions’ trilogy of colors.

Normally, I’m not a fan of white jerseys. They bore me. But every other piece of the Lions’ uniform works so well together that the appeal of white jerseys is finally clear to me.

2. All-blue uniforms

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not a fan of color rush, which will be painfully clear by the end of this list, but this just goes to show you the power of the blue pants. While it’s not my favorite look for the Lions, it worked, and it added excitement to a hyped Sunday Night Football contest. Unfortunately, they’ll be forever linked to that ugly game, but there’s only one way to shed that association: wear them again.

Side note: Can we please call these the “Tobias I’m Afraid I Just Blue Myself” uniforms?

3. Throwback uniforms

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

I love throwbacks. Historically, they’ve always been my favorite version of Lions uniforms. Regardless of the franchise’s poor history, I have pleasant associations with the uniforms. It reminds me of Thanksgiving. It reminds me of Barry. It reminds me of the Lions in the national spotlight.

But here’s the problem: the key to the throwback uniforms is that all-silver helmet. There is nothing that looks more old-school than the all-silver helmet. But because the Lions helmets went through such modern design changes, nothing about the throwbacks helmet look retro. The new, sleek design is painfully modern and just doesn’t fit in the “throwback” category.

It’s nobody’s fault because helmets obviously need to be continually updated for safety reasons, but it just saddens me that the true throwback look is no longer possible.

4. Home uniforms

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

I came into the preseason expecting to fall in love with these home unis more than anything else, but they quickly became the most problematic. The grey trim on the numbers does not provide enough contrast and it made it very difficult to read from the television broadcast angles.

You can fancy up logos and fonts and color combinations all you want, but if the uniforms don’t serve their basic function of identifying the team and players, it needs a redesign. It won’t take much to fix this problem, but they need to get it done.

5. All-grey color rush

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Sorry, I’m old. I don’t like these. Didn’t like them when they were released. Didn’t like them when the Lions owned the Bears in them. Nothing about this uniform pops, and nothing about it looks like the Lions to me. Grey is such a boring, muted color that creating an entire uniform out of it is like eating a mayonnaise sandwich.

At this point, you may as well just make it into an entire grey jumpsuit and throw on a mask over the face:

OH GOD, KILL IT.