Ravens to debut ‘Purple Rising’ helmets against Bengals

It's time for purple to rise.

After two weeks of practice, the Ravens' new "Purple Rising" helmets are ready for game time. They will make their debut in the Ravens' "Thursday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The alternate helmets were revealed on June 18 and are a matte, metallic purple. They have two dull gold talon claw marks across the top and face masks of the same color. The Ravens' front-facing bird logo stares out from the side.

The helmets will be paired with the Ravens' "Color Rush" uniforms, which means the players will be dressed in purple from head to toe (or ankle, depending on the individual player's shoe selection). The jerseys are purple with gold numbers and white piping.

The "Color Rush" uniforms paired with the "Purple Rising" helmets were voted the second-worst uniform combination in Ravens history by The Baltimore Banner staff this offseason, with only the purple jersey-gold pants combination ranking worse. The all-black jersey finished first, and the black jersey-purple pants combination came in second.

However, multiple staffers said the newest look might grow on them when they see it in person.

The helmets themselves are much less bright in person than they appear in the Ravens' social media posts. The purple, in particular, is a different shade than Ravens fans have seen in the past. Its hue leans more red than blue and it's less saturated.

After receiving feedback from fans, the Ravens said they leaned into the gold because fans liked the gold numbers on the jerseys. Then they chose the metallic purple because the combination popped, according to senior vice president of marketing Brad Downs.

ESPN reported in June that the Ravens will wear the helmets for just one game this season, but there is potential they will wear them more often in the future.

The Ravens requested that fans wear purple to M&T Bank Stadium.