Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is in the books. Over the course of five days, we saw epic comebacks, Aaron Rodgers talking smack to his old team, Malik Nabers already seeming to regret his team signing Russell Wilson—and, perhaps most importantly, a brand-new CBS scorebug.
The network decided to go out with the old and in with the new this weekend, debuting a shorter, more condensed version of their previous bug that took up nearly the entire bottom of the screen.
Here's a look:
A look at the new NFL scorebug CBS appears to be debuting today: pic.twitter.com/Es3goWeKtO
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) September 7, 2025
Crisp. Clear. Clean.
But where does it rank among the rest of the score keepers across the NFL? Why, I'm glad you asked. From streaming, to basic cable, to the World Wide Leader and a league-owned entity, here's your definitive rankings of all eight bugs across professional football:
8. Netflix
While I get wanting to include both the logo and the team's initials on the bug, the shape Netflix chose to get there took it way too far. Luckily, the next time we see this won't be until late December, when the world's top streaming service will host three games on Christmas Day.
7. YouTube
YouTube debuted its scorebug last Friday night during its first exclusive NFL broadcast featuring the Chiefs and the Chargers in Brazil, and it's fine—I guess?
While it kind of feels like a cheap, video game-style scoreboard, the real qualm I have is how big YouTube's branding is right smack dab in the middle of the bug. We get it, you have NFL rights. A simple logo, sans wordmark, would have sufficed.
6. Fox
While many would rank Fox's scorebug dead last due to it's transparency and floating graphics, the simplicity actually makes it unique.
Keep it simple, stupid! Numbers, logos, time outs, the game clock and play clock, down and distance. It's all a football fan needs.
5. ESPN
One of just two bugs remaining in the NFL that take up the entirety of the bottom of the screen, ESPN dons the above scoreboard every Monday night.
Like Fox, they keep it simple with just team logos, but also include some ESPNMNF branding—not nearly as ridiculous as YouTube's—and spread out the time, play clock, and down and distance throughout. It works.
4. Prime Video
Amazon has perfectly threaded the needle since debuting as the league's Thursday Night Football partner, keeping it straightforward with team logos while also adding depth through its shape and contrasting colors.
They've also uniquely placed the timeout indicators within the shape of the bug without making them obsolete. A nice touch.
3. NFL Network
While there's a little bit too much branding on the left for my liking, the NFL Network does a good job incorporating team initials, logos, and plenty of color to make their scorebug super easy to read.
I'm also a big fan of the font work. While there's a lot going on, it flows well—especially the itatics used for the down and distance.
2. NBC
NBC's scorebug has changed a handful of times over the last several years, with its most recent one being the best edition yet, thanks to its minimal design. From the greyed-out peacock logo to the subtle possession indicator, NBC nailed this.
Unfortunately, given that they're hosting the Super Bowl this year and debuted this current bug in 2022, there's a chance they switch things up once again next season.
1. CBS
Recency bias? Perhaps, but CBS takes the cake for the best current scorebug in the NFL.
Minimalism, plenty of color and depth, no branding, and a clean design all in one. No notes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the Current NFL Scorebugs for the 2025 Season.