Fans across the country eagerly awaited the reveal of the NFL schedule on Thursday night. For many of them, the joy of schedule release day comes in being able to book their trips to see their team play. For others, it’s all about the schedule release videos that hit social media.
All 32 teams in the NFL released a video this year, from the Lions with a 30-second all-business approach to the Eagles with a 13-minute chat between their players. Some videos were praised. Some were slammed. And of course the Chargers took the shots no one else was willing to take.
Let’s go through each team and what stood out about their schedule release.
AFC North
Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders is my quarterback
“I want my quarter back.” “Sorry, Shedeur is off this week.” That highlighted Cleveland’s Street Fighter CLE-themed schedule release video. How ironic if the Browns don’t start Sanders in favor of Deshaun Watson.
Baltimore Ravens: Crashing a wedding
Nothing says fall like weddings and football. Well, in the Baltimore Ravens case, they decided to have Zay Flowers crash a wedding of Baltimore fans and give every wedding participant a ticket to a game this year. And just when you’re patiently waiting for the full schedule to release, the credits roll with polaroid shots from the wedding. Well done.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Unflinchingly Yinzer
If you didn’t know what a “yinzer” was before the Steelers released their schedule on Thursday night, you do now. Everything about that schedule release screamed Pittsburgh and that type of authenticity should be applauded.
Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Jackson’s fumble
The ball drop reference as a clip of Lamar Jackson fumbling against the Bengals is … chef’s kiss. That’s the type of creativity and jabs you take at division rivals. Baltimore could very well be their biggest division rival and that game on New Year’s Eve could have a lot of playoff implications.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: It’s not so hard to be faithful after all
The ’90s called. They want their schedule release back.
— Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City decided to throw it back and go 90s with their schedule release, turning to the popular paid programming show, QVC (QVChiefs in this case). It featured subtle jabs and a nostalgic feel that seems to get lost in today’s modern era.
Los Angeles Chargers: Everything
Whew, this social media and multimedia team is so good! I watched five other videos before we finally got a Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini reference. It was a subtle message popup in the Halo and gaming-themed video. The Chargers never disappoint with their creative jabs and unique way of releasing their schedule.
Las Vegas Raiders: It’s beautiful Mr. Chainz
In a spin-off of Step Brothers, Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza go from enemies to best friends as the two will battle it out for the Week 1 starting job. Watching the Raiders’ release video, it almost feels like the signed Cousins strictly because Mendoza is a carbon copy of him.
Denver Broncos: Take a seat, Chiefs fan
It’s hard to choose between Aquib Talib’s chain “infomercial” or Denver’s reimagination of The Pitt, a hit TV show on HBO, working with a Steelers fan. Either way, Peyton Manning making yet another cameo on camera is the easiest way to get your viewership numbers up.
AFC South
Houston Texans: Brian Cushing’s bloody face
It was unique, but it wasn’t that great. Brian Cushing was a great addition (especially if you remember how animated he used to get during games). It’s a different twist than most teams and really wasn’t noteworthy. Hopefully their season will be better than this release video.
Indianapolis Colts: “We will not include Tyreek Hill in these videos”
You can never go wrong with a Simpsons themed schedule release. Finding all the perfect moments from the Simpsons to take jabs at your division foes (and the Cleveland Browns) is what the NFL schedule release hype is all about.
Tennessee Titans: McCauley Culkin as Joe Burrow
It’s so hard to choose a favorite but the Fernando Mendoza fake doppelganger and the Joe Burrow jab at using McCauley Caulkin for his picture are two of the top moments. This video was funny, it was entertaining, short and sweet. You never know who you’ll run into in Nashville!
Jacksonville Jaguars: Goodbye, Goldilocks
Did Trevor Lawrence really get his hair cut? That’s the only thing you’re asking yourself after watching the schedule release video. Is Lawrence, Chad Powers? I have no idea who the Jags are playing and when, but I do want to know if Lawrence getting a haircut for the schedule release was staged or not.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins: Rick Ross
Could you imagine if Rick Ross actually took over for Stephen Ross (Dolphins owner) for a day? Well the Miami Dolphins players couldn’t believe it. When they got pulled out of practice, saying that “Mr. Ross” wants to see them, every single one of them tensed up. That is until famous Miami rapper Rick Ross was behind the desk.
New York Jets: Color mixing
I’m sure you’ve seen those mesmerizing videos of all these exotic colors getting mixed to create more common colors. The Jets took that and created each NFL team on their schedule’s unique team color. I thought it would be boring. Yet, I still watched the entire video.
New England Patriots: Puppies!
The Patriots went a different route, leaning on the heart strings of fans using dogs. You can never go wrong with dogs … unless you’re a cat person, in which you might not like this video. Nothing too much to it, just good ol’ fashioned banter narrated over dogs fighting over stuffed animals of the Patriots’ opponents.
Buffalo Bills: A giant, swinging slimy chrysalis
If the schedule release is foreshadowing Buffalo’s season, yikes! It wasn’t exactly a riveting video, though the barbershop quartet tune was catchy. But when Josh Allen said he wants a giant, swinging slimy chrysalis in the release video, you oblige.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: A bye week joke, I guess
This was the most boring schedule release video I’ve ever been forced to watch. Jalen Hurts, Jordan Mailata, Saquan Barkley, Jordan Davis and Jihad Campbell opened envelopes and talked about the schedule. It was 13 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.
Davis introduced the bye week by asking, “What do you tell somebody when you’re leaving?” That’s fun, I guess.
Dallas Cowboys: A block of cheese being grated
Every second of the Cowboys’ 2:59 charades-inspired reveal was better than any single second of the Eagles’ 13-minute reveal. It was honestly healing.
I literally laughed out loud at the blocks of cheese being grated for the Week 6 matchup with the Packers.
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