NFL schedule release: The 8 teams that won the Social Media Super Bowl … and the 4 that lost

NFL players prepare for the Super Bowl. NFL social media teams prepare for schedule release day.

In what has become an annual tradition, all 32 teams released their 2026 schedules on Thursday in a social media battle royale. It used to be a relatively humble procedure, but production values have increased every year.

This year saw movie parodies, celebrity cameos, animations and an alleged haircut for Trevor Lawrence (we’re pretty sure that was a wig in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ video). Some teams massively missed the mark, but overall it was a fun group.

Here are the winners and the losers of the Social Media Super Bowl.

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Winner: Indianapolis Colts

If there was a loser in last year’s schedule release, it was the Colts, who posted a Minecraft-inspired video and then deleted it because A) the Los Angeles Chargers did the exact same thing, B) unlike L.A., Indianapolis didn’t get permission from Microsoft and C) a joke about then-Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was found to be in bad taste.

The Colts found redemption this year with a pitch-perfect Simpsons-themed video, which includes Bart Simpson writing “We will not include Tyreek Hill in these videos.” And they do appear to have received permission from Disney, another supremely litigious corporation, this time.

If you’re a Simpsons fan, this was the clear winner.

Winner: Los Angeles Chargers

Yes, yes, the Chargers did a good schedule release video. Come collect your prize.

The masters of the high-effort animation, the Chargers have done anime, “The Sims,” and “Minecraft,” all chock full of digs at their future opponents. This year was no different, with “Halo” as the star of the show.

It’s worth noting this was the only team brave enough to mock the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel scandal.

Loser: Detroit Lions

There’s one every year. The Lions decided they’re too cool for the schedule release race, so theirs is just had head coach Dan Campbell pinning the schedule to a corkboard.

So cool.

Winner: Atlanta Falcons

We normally dock teams when their video is simply a skit with the schedule tacked on at the end, but not if it’s a good skit.

The Falcons accomplished that this year with a pitch-perfect “This is SportsCenter” parody that poked fun at, among other things, Matt Ryan’s front office inexperience and the pronunciation of Bijan Robinson’s name.

Winner: Carolina Panthers

We’ve seen stuff like this before, but it always hits. When in doubt, just take something representing your opponents and blow it up (or sic a bunch of puppies on it).

Loser: Tennessee Titans

The Titans had a huge hit a few years ago with their video of Nashville pedestrians, who aren’t NFL fans, being asked to name teams based on their logos. It was gold.

This year, they decided to do something similar, but way creepier: approaching random passersby with a passing resemblance to figures from each team. There was a … varying level of enthusiasm from the participants.

We don’t know who needs to hear this, but walking up to strangers with a camera is rarely a good idea.

Winner: Las Vegas Raiders

Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza aren’t going to win any acting awards, but placing the pair in a “Step Brothers” parody was brilliant. The classic “veteran QB and top pick” situation can be awkward (see Cousins’ last NFL stop), but this was a nice way to subvert that.

Winner: New York Giants

When you have Jameis Winston in the building, sometimes you just let him cook. Or draw.

Remember those Titans videos where they guess the team names? This is how you evolve on that.

Winner: New York Jets

We would love to know how the Jets social media department landed on paint-mixing for their scheduled release, but this was both fun and oddly calming.

Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Here goes the award for best production value, with a full-bore “Baywatch” intro parody.

Losers: Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers

Look, half of the NFC West isn’t here only because they clearly used AI to make these videos. It’s because they used AI to make something that was still incredibly boring. This is the stuff you do when the brainstorming session goes nowhere.