NFL
By: Randall Slifer
The Schedule Release Video Day came and went quickly, as all football fans cling on to any important day until 1:00 hits week 1 on the regular season. The Schedule release videos are a fun way for the team’s media department to have fun with it, and I enjoy the work everyone puts into their videos. Let’s rank this year’s video releases from 32 to 1 and see how takes the gold medal this year:
32.) Browns – Cleveland Browns went the full AI treatment with a “time-slowed” theme with their mascot. It was lazy, and uninspiring. Cleveland decided to post a thread that matched the video release, but it did not help. I was destined to put the Eagles here until I saw this video.
31.) Eagles – Gloat much? I understand that you can do it, and that’s fair. Their video was liked only by Philadelphia Eagles fans, and they probably loved it. I am not an Eagles fan.
30.) Dolphins – The Miami Dolphins also went with AI. AI can be visually appealing, and it comes with all the fun things that AI offers. These videos just seem poorly thought out and, again, uninspiring.
29.) Jaguars – I was hoping for a twist on the Ashton Hall routine, but it was almost a part two and repetitive. A little bit more open satire could have gone a long way with this video release.
28.) Texans – The Texans had a post stating that you could “play” their schedule, which led to a website that required inputting your information, causing confusion. They then posted a video of a Budweiser “wazzuppppp” themed video starring Houston legends, which was a fun watch. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience after clicking on the website.
27.) Bengals – Bengals fans, was it good? I liked the setup as the camera rolled, but the video fell short of expectations. I read that there were inside jokes, so this may be for Bengals’ eyes only. As I am not a Bengals fan, this was a subpar release video.
26.) Colts – Colts had an okay concept. Guessing who plays what week randomly is difficult. They could have added twists to it to make it more engaging, but it was a fun watch.
25.) Packers – Green Bay wins the most obscure release video of the year. There is always one that is random and out there, to say the least. A very wild watch overall, but it kept you engaged throughout.
24.) Cardinals – Arizona had a hype video created by current linebacker Mack Wilson. It was a great hype video, and very cool; he is involved in both the music industry and the NFL. The song was not for me, and hype videos are for fans of your team.
23.) Cowboys – Cowboys had a good, unique approach to their schedule release. They had a golf outing and hid the opponents while they golfed. It all seemed organic, which is why it got a notch on the good side. Good overall release.
22.) Rams – The news conference with Brenda Song was a lot of fun. Brenda Song is great, and there was some good comedy and actors mixed into the segment.
21.) Lions – The Lions had a cool drone approach through the city of Detroit, with matchup helmets set as landmarks in Detroit. This is another release video that is most enjoyable when you’re a fan of the team, and not as much from the outside looking in. I respect those videos because they should be about your local fans, but I cannot rank them from their fans’ perspective!
20.) Jets – Jets had a visually appealing release, with a picture zooming in to open up its own world. Very cool graphics, and it was a traditional video where the opponents are showcased throughout.
19.) Raiders – The Raiders had a clever video featuring many commercials combined into one release video. It’s always great to see Ashton Jeanty, and Jackson Powers-Johnson is a hilarious individual. The Raiders had a dig at the Giants, and I’m not sure what it exactly was, but I liked it.
18.) Panthers – The Panthers video release was fun and clever. Xavier Legette is a national treasure, and his part was fantastic. The video concept overstayed its length with two additional confessions, and although it started well, it ultimately ended on an average note. Overall decent video release.
17.) Patriots – The Patriots had a competition to see who could make an egg land without breaking, hosted by Joshua Dobbs. I love the Patriots using Dobb’s Aerospace degree in the video, and the ideas were very clever. Pop Douglas stole the show, which is why it’s close to the top 20.
16.) Vikings – Vikings had fans get tattoos on their bodies of the schedule, which had cool art portraying each team as soft. The art was clever, but I could not figure out whether they were actually real tattoos. The reason the Vikings made it into the top 20 was that their video was brief and under two minutes long. Some of these videos were over six minutes!
15.) Bears – The Bears release was good, and I have some biases in it. New Girl is an underrated sitcom, and I love that they used characters from that show. The ‘no questions asked’ segment is always a funny one, and the New Girl crew does it right.
14.) 49ers – There are a lot of videos coming up that hit my demographic well. They reached into their 90s bag and found a variety of things that 30- to 50-year-olds enjoy. As someone born in 1987, I am compelled to like everything related to the Oregon Trail. I happen to love everything related to the Oregon Trail, so this makes the top 15. Here were some questionable decisions in that video. It doesn’t matter what the message is; you put the Cardinals in the cage!
13.) Steelers – I really liked how the Steelers incorporated their team’s opponents into their video. When it came to trolling the other teams at full face value (not hidden gems), I believe they did the best out of the other videos.
12.) Bills – Bills had a clever twist in their schedule release video, which discussed AI, leading to a connection with Allen Iverson. The Bills used their new partners in the Buffalo Bills’ front office, especially Vince Carter, to make this happen—clever, quick, and fun.
11.) Giants – Giants used a dating show to troll and bring out their opponents by stereotyping each city as a human being. It was an excellent troll on some fan bases, while others did not deliver. Overall, a clever idea, and the giants continue to ascend!
10.) Chiefs – The Chiefs did a great job with their video, utilizing the show Cash Cab. Cash Cab is a timeless show that will never die. Adding the @PublicPoolPod was a great addition as well. Good Job, Kansas City, you made me say something good about you!
9.) Broncos – Broncos had an incredibly interesting approach, and I loved it. I could honestly watch kids fall off sheep for an hour straight and not get bored. Hats off to the marketing or creative person who came up with that idea.
8.) Commanders – Commanders hit that nostalgia button with Rollercoaster Tycoon. I think two to three generations can appreciate Rollercoaster Tycoon, and they had some great digs at Kansas City and Philadelphia.
7.) Buccaneers – Buccaneers had Jon Gruden unbox the schedule with mementos or objects that told a story. Everyone connects Jon Gruden with Chucky, but I think he is more of an Adult Swim cartoon character, to me. He would best fit as a character on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Boy, can he deliver, though.
6.) Ravens – Ravens had a full-on Severance-themed release schedule. I am in the camp where Severance could be a top 10 show of all time by the time it’s over, so biases are included here. They incorporated some actual lines from the show and delivered them very well. Well done, Baltimore. See you Sunday Night.
5.) Seahawks – Seahawks had a good theme that hit my type of humor. It had a random, quick “Robot Chicken’ feeling to their video. The video had some good humor and comedy and was a very enjoyable watch.
4.) Saints – Saints hit a home run using the Key & Peele sketch. It was solely dependent on Rob Kazi pulling off the character, and he absolutely nailed it. Well done, Rob Kazi.
3.) Titans – Titans had a good schedule release video by making a parody out of a drug commercial. Everything was very clever, with comedic tones, and was easily among the top three releases this year. There were a couple of knocks on it that made me put it at number three. Shane Gillis recently performed a similar sketch on SNL, which I believe influenced the choice of the video. A little too soon, in my opinion. The second one is unfortunate for the Titans. They created a perfect schedule release video in 2023, and it remains unbeaten.
2.) Chargers – Always one of the best ones. You could spend a whole day watching the Chargers’ video release to find all the easter eggs they drop in their video. I appreciate everything their social media does for the release video. They had Sauce Gardener going to see Sinners, while showing the fight at Starbucks. My favorites were Cooper Dejean and Reed Blankenship, who stood out so much at their Super Bowl parade. Well done as usual, Chargers.
1.) Falcons – If you’re going to reference Mario Kart 64, then you’ll be in the top 10 to start. Mario Kart 64 is one of the greatest games ever created, and Atlanta did the game justice with a great video. I would be remiss to point out that they gave the Patriots two separate digs with Belichek and Deflate Gate. It is impressive to try to keep Deflate Gate still alive, as well. All in all, Mario Kart 64 reigns supreme and takes the gold medal for the 2025 schedule release video!
What was your favorite schedule release video? Let me know in the comments or reach out to me on X/Bluesky @RandallSlifer and get in on the conversation! Go Bills!
