Detroit Lions will wear throwback uniforms for regular season finale
Allen Park — When the Detroit Lions unveiled their overhauled uniforms this offseason, one thing that largely went untouched was the team’s throwback combination.
But when the classic look didn’t make an anticipated appearance on Thanksgiving, some wondered if they’d be shelved this season. The popular UniWatch blog even posted a reader hypothesis mislabeled as a theory that there had been a mistake with the production of the uniforms.
That’s not the case. The throwbacks will make a 2024 appearance for the team’s season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
As it turns out, the final home game has been developing into as much of a tradition for the throwbacks as Thanksgiving. Since adding the look back to the rotation in 2017, this will be the third time the Lions have worn the classics for the final home game.
More relevant, it’s the third time in four years during the Dan Campbell era. That’s notable because the coach and team president Rod Wood select the uniform lineup before the season.
Further reading: How the Lions select their game day uniforms
The lone exception under Campbell was Thanksgiving last year. And the only time the Lions have worn throwbacks other than the holiday or the final home game since bringing them back in 2017 was a Week 4 matchup against Kansas City in 2019.
The only difference with the current throwbacks, compared to last year’s version, is an updated blue to match the more vibrant hue of the team’s other uniforms.
NFL guidelines limit teams to wearing alternative uniforms three times during the regular season and they're prohibited during the postseason. The Lions previously wore their black uniforms for a Week 4 primetime game against the Seattle Seahawks and last weekend against the Buffalo Bills.
The Week 18 matchup with the Vikings is tracking toward being critically important to the NFC North race and potentially the No. 1 seed in the conference. Both teams have a 12-2 record entering the home stretch, with the Lions holding all the relevant tie-breakers if they can gain an advantage in the standings ahead of the finale.
If the division or playoff seeding is on the line, the game will almost certainly be flexed into a primetime slot.
I disliked that saying that the clothes make the man. It's what's inside the clothes that really matters even if they are rags. I like the black uniforms quite well. Not sure about the throwbacks.