NFL schedule video rankings: Chargers ride anime to back-to-back titles in social media Super Bowl
NFL schedule release day is upon us. Now more than ever, that means it's time for every NFL social media account duking it out for our attention and praise.
The day has quickly become the social media Super Bowl for NFL teams, with increasingly high production values and concepts raising from trendy to esoteric. After a bumper crop last year, Thursday more than delivered, even if there were a few missteps along the way.
For starters, we had multiple teams each do a video built around artificial intelligence (Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), TikTok (Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons) and Arian Foster's claim the NFL is scripted (New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars). Most of those videos didn't make the top here, nor did ideas like "Lamar Jackson talking to a camera with hype music" or "Kyler Murray playing catch."
Some teams, however, went above and beyond. Here are our 10 favorites from around the NFL, with honorable mention to the Dallas Cowboys' Yellowstone fanfest.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
This all comes down to execution (and not whining about a certain 2019 pass interference call like the Saints did). The Jaguars had a lot of fun with one of the NFL's top memes of last season.
2023 Schedule Release
You can’t write this stuff... or can you?@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/UKDuwtpfBB— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) May 12, 2023
9. Minnesota Vikings
Who doesn't love a good one-take drone video? There's not much to add here, just a solid video all around.
122 days until Week 1
Enjoy The Ride pic.twitter.com/UZgsYsbygF— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 12, 2023
8. New England Patriots
It shouldn't surprise you the Patriots would rather talk about their former players than the roster on tap for this year, but Devin McCourty does a good job here and it's nice to see Tom Brady coming home.
Welcome to the Patriots retirement house, @devinmccourty. pic.twitter.com/DKPmnDezWA
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 12, 2023
7. Denver Broncos
Who doesn't love "The Office"? People who are no longer living in 2009.
We kid. This is a perfectly fine, if a little dated, effort featuring "Office" cast member Angela Kinsey with cameos from Kate Flannery and Creed Bratton. Congrats to whichever Office fan on the team finally got their way this year.
✨ Let the party planning commence ✨
Conference room, five minutes.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲: 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 pic.twitter.com/zM7SaMSd08— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 12, 2023
6. Indianapolis Colts
There is nothing wrong with a simple video with two guys sitting at a table, as long they do something fun. The Colts' food guessing game, featuring DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, certainly qualifies.
Bon Appétit. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/HZYbf9jScz
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 12, 2023
5. Buffalo Bills
The Bills were responsible for last year's weirdest (but not worst) video, and this one is a fun follow-up with some of the best player acting work in the league.
Our 2023 schedule is making dreams come true.
📺: Schedule Release | 8PM on @NFLNetwork and @NFL+ pic.twitter.com/HYDf6tBXbD— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 12, 2023
4. Chicago Bears
"The Bear" is excellent television and the Bears deserve full credit for taking advantage of the award-winning show that takes place in their city. It's fun, it's fresh, it's local and it doesn't overstay its welcome like some other videos (the Colts' alone weighs in at nine-and-a-half minutes). Excellent work.
Schedule release? Yes, Chef. pic.twitter.com/y967k2402T
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 12, 2023
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
You can expect at least a few teams to go meta every year, but the difference here is the Steelers actually did a good job with this snappy 50s-style school film featuring tight end Zach Gentry. Extra credit for calling out the multiple artificial intelligence videos, but we have to dock points for being a "just throw the schedule in at the end" video.
A schedule release video about making schedule release videos ft Zach Gentry. Enjoy.
📺: Schedule release coverage on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/qAl7RsOPvE— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 12, 2023
2. Tennessee Titans
This video was so good, you have to wonder why the Titans bothered making another one, featuring Keith Urban.
The North Carolina Tigers, the Boston Bobcats, the Red Stallions, Chester Cheeto, Lightning McQueen. Just incredible stuff.
We asked people on Broadway to help us with our 2023 schedule release. 🤣
📺: 2023 Schedule Release on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/31LsUUDn3O— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) May 12, 2023
1. Los Angeles Chargers
Hoo boy.
Look, we didn't want to reward the Chargers for recycling the idea from last year's league-best video, but the key thing here is the NFL's top social media team kept things fresh.
And by fresh, we mean a complete Howitzer of disrespect, featuring jokes about the Lions' gambling suspensions, the Cowboys' social media team throwing Dak Prescott under the bus and the Bills' Super Bowl struggles.
Will this win any awards for innovation? No. Did this video have the breakneck pace of last year? No. Has the Chargers' on-field success justified their social team's haymakers? No. And yet, the Chargers once again delivered on exactly what a schedule release video should be, and they still do it better than anyone.
should we REALLY make our schedule release video an anime AGAIN?
yes yes yesyes
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yes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/z7qyNGyWHp— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 12, 2023
We'll see how it plays out next year. Hopefully, the Chargers have a new idea by then.