Harrison Smith voted as the best safety in the NFL this season

Harrison Smith voted as the best safety in the NFL this season by Adam Patrick

It’s the bye week for Minnesota Vikings fans, which means it’s time to take a deep dive into a very important yet underrated aspect of football; the uniforms.

The NFL made a number of rule changes for the 2018 season but one that flew under the radar was their new uniform policy. The Minnesota Vikings and other teams around the league can now wear their alternate uniforms (including color rush and throwback) three times per season, up from just two times per season in years past.

Why does this matter? Because it’s FUN!

Between the unique touchdown celebrations and newfound freedom of jersey selection, it seems the organization infamously dubbed the “No Fun League” is making an effort to enhance the game-day experience for fans and players.

This season, a number of teams have been taking advantage of the new policy with the most notable being the Los Angeles Rams and the Miami Dolphins rocking their ridiculously appealing vintage throwbacks.

The Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers even went as far as releasing a “Jersey Schedule” to their fanbase this year, keeping them savvy to which uniform will be worn for each game. Multiple teams have also utilized their color rush jerseys in 2018, as we saw with the New Orleans Saints showing off their white-on-white combo in Week 8 against the Vikings.

The response from fanbases across the board seems to be overwhelmingly positive, and with good reason. People love variety and the element of surprise.

When your favorite football team steps on the field in new threads during a primetime or divisional game, it adds a level of excitement to an already important matchup.

The fans aren’t the only ones who love seeing teams switch up their aesthetic. This summer, Stefon Diggs tweeted at the Vikings lobbying for the all purple combo, with Kyle Rudolph responding by making a plea for white-on-white.

If Minnesota decides to pick up on the trend of jersey schedules and change up their look on the field, they can not only bring some more excitement to the fans at the stadium and those watching at home, but they can likely increase sales and awareness of their alternate jerseys by featuring them during key contests (which is a win for everyone involved).

With a couple of primetime divisional matchups on the horizon for the Vikings, there is no time like the present for the team to take the field in style.

Vikings fans, what uniforms would you like to see the team rock in future matchups? Reply in the comments or tweet @thevikingage on Twitter!