Tunnel Wars: NFL Weeks 1 and 2

The athlete’s runway is back in full swing with weeks one and two now officially wrapped up. A lot of great looks have already hit the tunnel, prompting us for a great year of football and fashion. Here’s a look at my favorite outfits and the stats they put up with them. 

Week 1 Looks

Suits are in especially when they are taken directly from the runway. In this case, Travis Kelce pulled up to the week one matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers wearing a designer outfit from Kid Super. “The Face” is what instantly came to mind; the suit is highlighted by its Picasso-like stitching details. It makes you marvel at the craftsmanship of the brand. Kelce finished the outfit with black clogs, a black Bottega bag and a pair of narrow, rounded sunglasses. It was a great showing of personal style for the veteran tight end. With a good fit came a good performance on the field; he got into the endzone in the season opener. 

Staying in the AFC, which surprisingly had the majority of my favorite looks of week one, looking at the New York Jets’ lead back, Breece Hall. It was a week for statement pieces as he came in a beautiful graffiti print jacket. The jacket in question came from a high-end streetwear brand, Paly, based in California. He complemented the jacket with a pair of black shorts, white socks and black Bottega Veneta loafers. The loafers, along with the black frames, provided a preppy edge to the streetwear outfit. An outfit that was more casual than the Chiefs’ tight end but just as stylish. 

The year four running back did not disappoint when he stepped on the field either. Although the on-field drip was lacking in all honesty, his overall play was

excellent. Totaling 107 yards on 19 carries in a very narrow loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Finishing up week one looks with the most stylish position group in all of the league, the wide receivers. 

The debut of Stefon Diggs, who signed with New England this offseason, was highly anticipated. As one of the most stylish players in the league and a brand owner, there was a certain expectation for his first game. While he didn’t disappoint, his choice of a biker-esque look for the start of his 11th season was unexpected, yet stylish. 

Diggs wore a vintage black leather motorcycle jacket over a white tank top, blue straight-leg jeans, black biker boots and a paisley print bandana. Coming off an ACL tear last season, the wideout had a solid opening. Putting up just under 60 yards in six catches in their loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Finally, Ray-Ray Mcloud III, who I think takes the cake for best dressed in the league. A casual take on formal wear is the best way I can describe it, as he arrived at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In a double collared shirt from Maison Margiela, which tops Kelce’s jacket for the statement piece of the week. A brand known for its tailoring and great shaping of its garments did not miss on this shirt either. The pearl-white dress shirt looked like it merged with a suit jacket of the same color – including the collar, lapels and quarters. Something I hope to take from the Tampa native and add to my closet. To accessorize the shirt he wore a tie, that seamlessly blended into the button-up, made out of pearls. A moment that reminded me of Pharell’s Met Gala look on a smaller scale. Matched with black dress shorts, white slouch socks and the most superb pair of loafers. The coin bag loafers came from the brand No Idea. His performance on the field was just as solid; he finished the game with three catches, all for first downs, in their loss against the Buccaneers. 

Week 2 Looks

In the first week, the AFC dominated the tunnel wars, producing the majority of my favorite looks from the opening week of the season. Doing their best to make an early case for the best-dressed conference in the league. Well, it was a short-lived run as all my favorites for week two came from the NFC. 

Jalen Hurts, the star quarterback who leads the team, arrived in a brown monochromatic suit. A double-breasted blazer with deep black buttons to match his glasses and a classic pair of wing-tip oxfords. Underneath the blazer, he wore a brown button-up with a deep circle collar to show off his chains. Hurts walked out of the hotel looking like he was ready for another GQ photoshoot. Instead, he was headed to the rematch of Super Bowl LIX, where he would again outmatch Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The dual-threat quarterback had 101 yards through the air, 15 on the ground and a touchdown on the day. The connection between him and his star receiver, Brown, came alive in week two. Brown was just about a quarter of the passing attack for Hurts. He finished with five catches and 27 yards on the day, which is a considerable increase in usage after only one catch and target in week one.

The connection was clear from the moment they stepped out of the hotel as both men rocked beautiful suits to the game. Brown, who is another honorable mention from week 1, has been showing off his suit game so far this season. This time in all black like the Caped Crusader that watches over Gotham. He wore a non-collared, double-breasted Manière De Voir blazer, slacks with a slight flare and wing-tipped oxfords. The hint of color came from his Goyard luggage and jewelry shining around his neck. I never really considered Brown among the top-dressed receivers, but through the first two weeks, he has been on point. 

Moving quickly along to another receiver who also had a quieter week one and bounced back with a fantastic second week. Amon-Ra St. Brown, the all-pro wideout of the Detroit Lions, who, if you didn’t know was from California; you definitely know now after seeing his week two outfit. The first clue, though not a full tell, was that he was rocking the brand Elwood, which is based in Los Angeles. The biggest tell, in my eyes was the oversized selvage denim jorts paired with a pair of Adidas; Everything about the outfit was LA-coded. 

St. Brown was the only one this week to make it in something other than formal wear. The way he played with colors and just the swag of how he carried himself got him on the list. He topped his outfit with an absolutely stellar performance on the field. Going for 115 yards on 9 catches and to put a bow on it all, three touchdowns to help his team obliterate the Chicago Bears. 

The first two weeks provided a great look at what’s to come for the rest of the season. Athlete’s runway is in full effect, and with week 3 already in progress, it’s an even draw for who is the best-dressed conference.