Ranking the helmets of the NFL

The Cardinals have worn white helmets with gray face masks since the 1950s. While this made sense when they wore traditional-looking uniforms, the Cardinals had a chance to switch things up when they modernized their look. Instead, they bizarrely chose to keep their helmet design and just replaced the old Cardinal with the new Cardinal logo. The result is that it appears the team is wearing throwback helmets on modern uniforms, and it just looks weird.

The logo itself is fine. The problem here is the striping, which is starting to look outdated after being around for two decades now. The Broncos would definitely benefit from either a new striping pattern or an entirely new design in general.

The Titans finally gave themselves a much-needed face lift after sticking with the same helmet design since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, it didn't quite give them the boost they needed to escape from the cellar of these particular rankings, as a color change and a slight tweak simply wasn't good enough to leave the memories of the old helmet behind. 

This is another helmet that is suffering from the ailment of being trapped in the 1990s. Although the Ravens' helmet logo isn't bad at all, the striping pattern just screams "1990s," and they would look a lot better if they got rid of the stripes or went with a different design.

The navy face mask sticks out like a sore thumb on this helmet. It's an odd juxtaposition when you compare it to the bright gold lightning bolt on the helmet's white shell. As a result, it's one of the worst-looking helmets in the Chargers' history.

The Panthers may have a solid logo, but the helmet itself leaves much to be desired. It's a design that — like many of the helmets preceding this one in the rankings — is stuck in the 1990s and could benefit from an update.

If Washington ever decides to get rid of its current nickname and logo, it actually has a helmet in its catalog that the franchise could go back to using. In fact, the current helmet design isn't all that bad. It's just that the logo really holds the entire set back. 

The Patriots have become a model franchise (on the field, at least), but their helmets aren't exactly the model of visual perfection. The "Flying Elvis" logo isn't a thing of beauty, and it's the weakest part of a decent helmet design.

The sublimated feather design that serves as a helmet stripe is definitely unique, but the helmet is actually a slight downgrade over what the Seahawks wore just before they went to their current uniforms. It's not a bad helmet, but it could be better and the previous helmets are proof of this.

The Vikings have arguably the best uniforms in the NFL, but they mostly have the jerseys and pants to thank for that. The helmet itself isn't the best-looking helmet, with a random black face mask and a matte finish on the shell. However, it's not bad enough to take away from a very solid set of uniforms for Minnesota. 

Thank goodness the Jaguars decided to finally put their two-tone helmets in storage with the mothballs where they belong. The team went back to a simple all-black design, and there is no doubt that this is a gigantic upgrade over what they wore in recent years. 

There was a beautiful time from the 1960s until the 1980s in which the Falcons had red helmets. Those days ended as soon as the calendar entered into 1990, and the Falcons have worn all-black shells ever since. That design has endured through a major visual identity revamp as well. 

The Rams are an interesting case. Their primary helmet's look is with a white ram's horn and white facemask. However, the team will be taking advantage of the league loosening its rules on alternate uniforms by wearing its popular throwback uniforms for five games during the 2018 season. That means that the throwbacks have become their de facto home uniforms. Unfortunately, they will wear their regular helmets for the other nine games, which means this is their primary helmet and that's what has cost them a few spots in these rankings. 

The Chiefs struck gold with this design in the 1970s and haven't changed it since. There's nothing really strong about it, but there's nothing really bad about it either. It's a perfectly serviceable helmet for Kansas City.

Football fans with a keen eye may notice that the Dolphins have actually changed their helmet design ahead of the 2018 season. The thin navy blue helmet stripe has been eliminated, and the team is focusing more on the brilliant shades of aqua and orange. It's a pleasant change!

The Lions latest tweak to their helmet saw them fix a whole host of problems. They got rid of the black in their color scheme, they emphasized their lovely shades of blue and silver and they kept things simple. As a result, the Lions now have an impressive-looking lid. 

From the mid-1950s until today, one thing has remained consistent for the Colts — their uniforms. However, they've tweaked the helmets a bit over the years, and it's all had to do with their face masks. They've gone from gray, to white, to blue and back to gray. Either white or blue would work much better for the Colts. 

While the Browns promised to shake things up with their new uniforms, they mostly stayed consistent with their helmets. These are so plain that they're actually unique. The only fancy thing about these helmets is the sublimated design on the brown stripes. Other than that, this is as simple as simple gets, and that's not a bad thing.

The Giants are currently wearing helmets that are a near carbon copy of the helmets that they wore during the 1960s. That's a good thing since the Giants generally have good uniforms, but it's bad because they could benefit from a white face mask instead of going with a gray one. This is still a good-looking helmet, though.

The Texans entered the league with a solid visual identity, and that hasn't changed over the years. The team nearly went with a white helmet design but ultimately decided to go with the navy blue look. That ended up being the correct choice for Houston.

This is a combination of a great logo with a beautiful shade of gold. The only thing holding this helmet back from being higher on these particular rankings is the fact that they've gone with a gray face mask. A red face mask would work much better for the 49ers here.

This a simple-yet-effective helmet for a team that has simple-yet-effective uniforms. The wishbone-C logo has served the Bears well over the years, and this is one design that will probably never change when you consider how much the franchise of George Halas embraces its history.

This helmet is a rarity in that it's one of the only designs that spawned from the mid-1990s that has managed to stand the test of time. Granted, the helmet's design was born out of a tradition that started all the way back in the 1950s, but the fact that this particular look has managed to survive is a testament to how smart the original idea was in the first place.

When it comes to civic pride, the Saints have a perfect logo for their city. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol that's strongly associated with New Orleans, and it's proudly displayed on a very nice helmet. They've basically had the same helmet design for most of their existence as a football club, but the current design that they went to in 2000 is an undeniably great look.

Back in 1998, the Jets decided to modernize the identity that they had back when the franchise won its one and only Super Bowl. They haven't made any changes since, and they don't really need to. The Jets hit on a classic when they wore the first version of this helmet back in the 1960s and 1970s, and the modern version definitely has staying power.

The Raiders have sported the same exact helmet design since 1964. That is over 50 years of consistency right there. This helmet is the very embodiment of the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The logo is great, and the design is simple enough that it can look modern and still be considered a classic. Plus, with the way the Raiders value their history, they'll probably never switch from this design — even if they do switch cities again.

In 1962, the Steelers paid tribute to the steel industry by placing the Steelmark logo on the side of their then-yellow helmets. The next season, the team went to black shells and put the team's nickname in the logo. They went to black face masks in 1977, and that completed what is now one of the best-looking helmets in the NFL — even if the logo is on just one side of the helmet. 

Other than replacing the gray face mask with a green one in 1980, the Packers have basically had the same helmet design since 1961. It's a classic helmet, and the legendary Vince Lombardi actually loved this design so much that he tried to mimic it when he became coach of Washington. In addition to seeing the classic "G" logo adorning both the University of Georgia and Grambling State University football helmets, it's clear that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

Tampa Bay's uniforms are awful, but one thing that the Bucs did get right is their helmets. The main reason behind this is the fact that the primary logo is actually solid, and it's displayed in an extremely bold manner on the helmet. While some helmets suffer from logos that are too small, the Bucs have gone with a logo that covers nearly the entire side of the helmet. There's no mistaking what team you're dealing with when you take a look at this head gear.

When the Bengals adopted this helmet design in 1981, it was a huge shock to the football design system. It was a far cry from the plain orange helmets with the word "Bengals" plastered across the side. Instead, the Bengals had — and still have — the most unique helmet in the NFL, and the tiger stripe design is a stroke of genius that has stood the test of time.

The Bills have one of the best uniform and logo sets in the NFL, and that includes this helmet. After muddying up their identity in 2002, the Bills made everything right in 2011, and that included going back to white helmets. As a result, the Bills now wear a lid that has a throwback feel but fits right in with the modern NFL. 

The Cowboys' uniforms may be a mess from the neck down due to the all of the mismatching shades of silver and blue, but their helmet is actually perfect. This helmet is so iconic that you can show it to people who don't even watch football, and they know immediately what team wears it. Whether you love the Cowboys or hate them, there's no denying that this is one of the best helmets in the NFL, and it deserves its spot at the top of this list.