LOOK: Falcons to wear iconic red helmet as part of throwback uniform for three games in 2023 NFL season

The Falcons wore their red helmets for one game last season, and the look was so popular that the team has decided to bring the helmet back for THREE games in 2023. 

For a 10-year period, the Falcons didn’t get to wear their iconic red helmets a single time due to the NFL’s one helmet policy, but now that the league has rescinded the rule, the Falcons are embracing the fact that they’re once again allowed to wear red. 

The Falcons’ red helmets will make their debut in Week 2 (Sept. 17) against the Packers. The helmets will then make their return in a Week 6 game (Oct. 15) against the Commanders followed by a Week 12 game (Nov. 26) against the Saints. 

The Falcons wore their red helmets as part of a throwback uniform for their Week 6 game against the San Francisco 49ers last year. That game marked the first time since November 2012 that the Falcons have worn a red helmet. And it’s no surprise that the Falcons are bringing the helmet back considering that they pulled off a huge upset against the 49ers last year, beating them 28-14. 

In case you missed it last year, here’s what the new helmet looks like: 

The red helmet is a close replica of what the Falcons wore from 1966 to 1969. The new red helmet not only features a grey facemask, but it also has three different colored stripes going down the middle: white, black and gold. According to the Falcons, the helmet’s color scheme was designed to represent the two major colleges in the state: Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.

For their game against the 49ers, the Falcons paired their red helmet with a black 1966 throwback uniform that they’ve worn before. Here’s what the combo looked like against San Francisco: 

The Falcons actually wore their red helmets for 23 years (1966 to 1989) before making the switch to a black helmet in 1990. Despite the switch, the red helmets were still popular, so the Falcons started wearing them as part of a throwback uniform in 2009. 

From 2009 to 2012, the Falcons wore the red helmets twice per season. However, that tradition ended heading into the 2013 season after the NFL implemented a one-helmet rule, which meant that teams had to stick with one helmet color for the entire season. 

The NFL rescinded the helmet rule in 2021 and when that happened, the league announced that teams would be free to wear an alternate helmet starting with the 2022 season, which is why the Falcons — and all other teams — are now allowed to wear an alternate helmet.