What are Patriots wearing? New England debuting new uniforms Thursday

Currently riding a seven-game winning streak that is tied for the best in the NFL − as is their 8-2 record − the New England Patriots pretty clearly don’t need a nor’easter to suddenly blow in from the Atlantic Ocean in order to ground the New York Jets when they meet on ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Prime Video.

Yet ‘Nor’easter’ is going to be a theme for this contest regardless as the Pats, who are 13-point favorites, per BetMGM, become the fourth team this season to take the field in their new ‘Rivalries’ uniforms conceived by Nike. They are designed to pay homage to New England’s infamous weather, nautical history and proud football lineage.

What’s new about the Patriots’ ‘Rivalries’ uniforms?

The Pats’ new jerseys will feature a predominantly ‘Storm Blue’ colorway, which looks like something of a compromise between the club’s traditional blue muted by gray and is symbolic of the regional fog. A new ‘NE’ logo on the sleeves serves as a clean double entendre. Silver striping on the shoulders and pants is meant to represent beams from a lighthouse, like the one built into Gillette Stadium’s superstructure and also have an embedded netting pattern in honor of the area’s fishermen. Six red stars embroidered around the jersey’s neckline represent New England’s six states and the organization’s half-dozen (for now) Lombardi Trophies.

‘We Are All Patriots,’ famously proclaimed by owner Robert Kraft following the Patriots’ first Super Bowl win in 2002 − just months after the Sept. 11 attacks − is stitched inside the collar. The jersey numbers are perforated as a callback to the uniforms the Patriots used in the 1990s, when Drew Bledsoe was the quarterback and Bill Parcells the head coach. The matte white helmets and silver facemasks are a tribute to the snow and ice that typically blankets that part of the country in wintertime.

What are NFL ‘Rivalries’ uniforms by Nike?

Think of them as the football version of the sports apparel company’s NBA ‘City Edition’ uniforms or Major League Baseball’s ‘City Connect’ jerseys. Signaled during the NFL draft and unveiled in August, Nike has strived to create something that further strengthens NFL teams’ bonds to their unique civic environments. And, as “rivalries” would suggest, all of them will be worn in intra-divisional matchups.

‘The 2025 Rivalries uniforms will celebrate storied local traditions and unite fan communities with designs unique to select cities and teams,” Nike announced during the rollout.

‘The designs are rooted extensively in the legacies and inspirations true to each team, serving as authentic, competitive expressions of community pride while giving athletes and fans an opportunity to connect like never before.’

Which NFL teams have ‘Rivalries’ uniforms?

Eventually all of them. But for 2025, each team in the AFC East and NFC West is scheduled to wear its “Rivalries” unis one time this season. Two additional divisions will be added to the rotation in each of the next three seasons, and the “Rivalries” option then becomes part of a team’s closet for the following three years.