When the New England Patriots take the field against the New Orleans Saints, they may look a tad unrecognizable in their uniform choice.
For the first time since 2017, the Patriots announced that they will be wearing white pants as part an all-white jersey combination. It’s been a rare occurrence, with the only time they’ve worn white pants in recent years having been with their red Pat Patriot throwbacks.
That 2017 game — a 19-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football — was memorable for a couple reasons. The Patriots got big efforts from Tom Brady (30/40, 303 yards, one touchdown) and Chris Hogan (eight receptions, 74 yards, one touchdown) and both teams sported their Color Rush jerseys, all while Tampa Bay’s kicker played just as big a role.
Future Patriot Nick Folk missed a trio of field goals in the losing effort for the Buccaneers, prompting Tony Romo to say on the broadcast, “Oh my goodness. It just continues around here,” referencing former Tampa Bay kicker Roberto Aguayo (who later had a cup of coffee with the Patriots).
“Yeah, I left points out there. We should’ve won that game 20-19,” Folk later said postgame. “This one’s on me.”
The Patriots were without star tight end Rob Gronkowski in the win, which led to a passionate speech from Bill Belichick in the locker room postgame.
“Nice job men,” the head coach said after the victory. “That’s really nice job. Short week. On the road. Coming down here, man, that’s a tough game to win. You did a good job of hanging in there, wasn’t easy. They fought their ass off, but so did you. We got to keep grinding, we got to keep working, we got to keep believing in each other. We got to keep playing hard. We got to keep playing hard.”
Historically, the Patriots wore white-on-white a lot more frequently than in recent years. Back in the 1970s, white pants were more common before the team rolled out an all-white AFL throwback in 2009.
Oct 11, 2009; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls an audible against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at Invesco Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The white pants mark the fourth different uniform combination that New England rolled out to start the 2025 season. The Patriots have worn blue-on-silver (Week 1 and 2), blue-on-blue (Week 4 and 5) and the Pat Patriot throwbacks (Week 3). Later in the season, the team will debut their Rivalries uniform, paying homage to the wild weather along the east coast.
New Orleans will match the Patriots’ uniform combo with their classic home jersey. The Saints have announced they’re wearing their home black jersey with black pants and socks.
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