After gaining approval from the NFL this offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals will wear their white alternate helmets with their white road uniforms during tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN).
League rules originally forced the Bengals to pair the white alternate helmets, which were introduced last season and worn in wins over the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, with their all-white Color Rush set.
Though this was hardly noticeable to the casual viewer, the Color Rush uniform matches their previous uniform design, whereas the current road set has a simplified striping pattern on the shoulders.
This marks the second time the NFL has relaxed its rules regarding second helmets since they went into effect in 2022, as the Carolina Panthers also changed the designation of their Color Rush uniforms in order to wear all-black with their black alternate helmets
In addition to wearing the white alternate helmets, which will return alongside the white road uniforms for the Dec. 4 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati has also whited out the logo and end zones at Paycor Stadium for tonight’s game.
The primary “B” logo at midfield and the wordmark and stripes in the end zones are actually sewn into the turf, so the Bengals have simply sprayed white paint over the orange in the already existing design.