The 5 best NFL schedule release videos

The release of the NFL schedule is one of the most drawn-out, over-hyped things in the sports calendar, but lately teams have been making it fun by releasing incredibly elaborate schedule hype videos.

We’ve seen great ones in the past, but nothing like 2020. Kudos to these teams for making us legitimately laugh — a feat almost impossible for any team marketing campaign.

No. 1: Detroit Lions, “Animal Crossing”

Admittedly I’m biased because I’ve been playing a stupid amount of Animal Crossing: New Horizons during stay-at-home orders, but this one really hit everything you could want. Anyone who has played the game understands the amount of work it took not only to set up the scenarios, but edit the video to change text, art and music — all while feeling in place inside the world.

I also deeply identified with the concept of burying a bear in a deep hole thanks to my own personal feud my bear islander, Pinky.

No. 2: Carolina Panthers, “Bored in the house.”

Rather than a single, hyper-cohesive theme like the Lions, the Panthers went for a broader approach to how we’re all handing being stuck in the house. This really struck a chord and was meme-filled enough that we’ll remember in for a while.

No. 3: Denver Broncos, “Full House”

If you make a Full House parody and do it even slightly well you’re going to rank high on my list. Those are the rules.

No. 4: Tennessee Titans, “Titan Man.”

This might have taken the most work in the entire league. Animating everything is a difficult enough task, but nailing the 80s Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic is tough to pull off, and the Titans aced it.

No. 5: Jacksonville Jaguars, “2007 internet”

I hate this so much I grew to like it. Sometimes you have to appreciate the hits when it comes to old-school meme culture.