Lions and Jaguars debut new local-themed helmets Sunday
Detroit and Jacksonville wear their first Rivalries uniforms against Minnesota and Indianapolis in Week 8.
By Luca Stewart ·
The NFL’s Rivalries uniform program expands to the NFC North and AFC South this weekend. Two home teams will wear their newly designed local-themed kits for the first time on Sunday.
The Detroit Lions face the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts at the same time on CBS. Both games mark the inaugural wearing of the specific uniforms for these franchises.
Detroit’s design centers on a theme called Defend the Den. The team wears a white jersey and white pants. The helmet is Honolulu blue. Nike created the look for the Lions. The decal texture includes carbon fiber patterns. The team said this design element symbolizes elite performance and connects to Detroit’s car and racing culture.
Jacksonville’s design focuses on Duval County. The Jaguars wear a white jersey with black pants. The helmet is teal, a color the franchise has not used on a helmet before. The back bumper of the helmet displays the word Duval. The front features the 904 area code. The font for the numbers draws from historic music venues and the southern rock influence in the city.
These are not the only teams to receive new Rivalries uniforms this season. The AFC South and NFC North divisions all unveiled their designs earlier this year. However, only the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers have worn theirs so far.
The Colts wore their kit in Week 3 during a win over the Houston Texans. The Packers debuted their look in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears. Green Bay won that game 31-7. Teams are 2-0 this season when wearing their Rivalries uniforms.
Each team wears the Rivalries uniform once per season. The team can keep the design in its rotation for the next three years. The program began in 2025 with the AFC East and NFC West. The AFC West and NFC East receive their uniforms in 2027. The AFC North and NFC South follow in 2028. All 32 teams will have debuted their looks by the end of 2028.
The next Rivalries games occur in Week 10 and Week 11. The Jaguars visit the Tennessee Titans on November 15. The Colts play the Houston Texans on November 19. The Lions travel to Minnesota on December 20. The Packers visit the Chicago Bears on December 25.
Source: CBS Sports
