NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL London

Week 6 Picks

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Week 6 of the NFL is upon us, and it’s already starting to feel like this season is an episode of the retro cartoon ‘Wacky Races.’
Just when you think someone takes the lead, tragedy befalls them, accidents happen and Dirk Dastardly is no where in site.
What will this week in the NFL hold for us?

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull are both coming down from Canadian Thanksgiving celebrations, toasting fellow Canuck Chase Claypool who had one heck of a week 5, eh?
Who do they have for week 6? Listen to the podcast and find out.
Some of their top picks for this week include:

Redskins (1-4) vs Giants (0-5)
Giants -3  +43

How the heck are the 0-5 Giants favoured over a plucky Washington football team? The Giants have literally had their legs cut out from them this season, and haven’t really looked that convincing in any game. Their O-line blows, their D is porous, and they’ve blown more leads than a coked out 70s’ detective.
Still, Vegas has some hope for them against the tumultuous Washington team, Wade and Ryan do not however.
Ryan-Washington 30 Giants 24
Wade-Washington 21 Giants 17

Ravens (4-1) vs Eagles (1-3-1)
Ravens -7.5  +46.5

Philly played a tight game against a surprised Steelers team last week, almost walking away with the W. The Ravens laid a smackdown on the helpless Bengals in a relentless game for Joe Burrow.
Philly has been playing all out against every team, but they can only have so much gas left in the tank.
After seeing the Chiefs get humbled by the Raiders last week, Baltimore has to feel like they have a chance to get back into first place in the league.
Ryan thinks the Eagles can withstand all of the pressure Lamar Jackson piles on them, whereas Wade likes the Ravens to toss Philly back to the dumpster.
Ryan-Ravens 28 Eagles 21
Wade-Ravens 35 Eagles 20

Packers (4-0) vs Bucs (3-2)
Packers -1.5  +54

Aaron Rodgers vs Tom Brady in an epic match for the NFL ages, or aged depending on how you look at it. Rodgers has been playing like someone pissed in his Wheaties, while Brady has been playing like someone who ate a bowl of pissy Wheaties.
This game could either be a Pack blow-out, or TB12 orchestrating a takedown of the top team in the NFC North.
Tom Brady is 14-1 after a loss and being the underdog, so you have to appreciate his competitiveness.
Ryan sees the Packers outlasting the Bucs, where Wade likes Tommy Boy to give it to GB in a surprise. They have had 10 days to prepare, so a big loss would really hurt.
Ryan-Packers 30 Bucs 27
Wade-Bucs 28 Packers 26

Cardinals (3-2) vs Cowboys (2-3)
Cardinals -3.5  +54.5

Week 5 brought us the ankle break heard round the world, as we all took a knee for Dak’s safe recovery. We also held our stomachs at the thought of Alex Smith getting his leg mangled at the hands of Aaron Donald in front of his kids.
Dak is gone, and Andy Dalton is here to replace him..so that should be something. Andy lacks the rally ability of Dak, as well as movement, height, youth and vision. He does have a good support crew.
Kyler Murray has been inconsistent, but has a great cache of wide receivers to help him out against a hole ridden Dallas D.
Ryan thinks that the Cowboys will rally for Dak at home, but Wade thinks that the Cards will use this game to grab an easy win.
Ryan- Cowboys 30 Cardinals 27
Wade- Cardinals 30 Cowboys 27

Have a listen to the podcast and make sure that you share it with your friends, enemies, and inject it into any Facebook debate to change the conversation.

DraftKings

Do you like to play Fantasy NFL? Then join our DraftKings League and get into all the action. We have free and paid contests, so that you can play and make money while meeting new friends.
It’s free to join, and we often meet up in the UK for parties and good NFL times.
https://dkn.gs/r/kwxDR0JIokKPkA6cPjCtNA

Jaguars Leave London?

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The Jacksonville Jaguars contract with the NFL quietly ended this week, with many UK NFL fans wondering if this is the end of an era for the Jags in London.
The Jags have been playing regular season games in the capital since 2013, solidifying a new fan base, and fostering a reputation as the first potential UK franchise.
But then 2020 came along.

Will the Jaguars sign a new contract, or is this the end of the Florida/ UK NFL experiment? Let’s take a look at some of the factors involved in this.

Jacksonville

When the NFL first started hosting the Jaguars in London, their team was in a very different state of affairs. The stadium was a mess, the city was reeling from economic hardships, and the fan base was one of the lowest in the league.
Shad Khan injected much needed funds and energy into the franchise, and used international expansion as a way to not only drum up press, but also explore the potential of a European operation.
As the Jaguars continued to play London games, dissension was building at home. The new stadium with its shimmering pools was drawing bigger crowds, and the Jags themselves began to reach the NFL playoffs.
When the team announced that they would be playing two home games in London in 2020, local press and ardent fans rebelled, signalling that they wanted their home team home.
While the London games represented 11% of home ticket revenue, Jacksonville locals lobbied state and city government officials to help out.
They listened too, with plans to revitalise the downtown around the stadium, bringing in over $2 billion in salaries and over 10000 new jobs.
Urban Jacksonville would be a new ‘Shi Tpa Town’, so why would locals want to lose that momentum?

Khan

Shad Khan may be the 4th richest NFL owner, 66th richest person in America, but like many over the past few years, he’s taken a hit to his back pocket. He even recently has had to sell his 300 foot yacht the Kismet , which can be yours for a cool $166 million.
With xenophobia rampaging across America, you can see why he might just want to keep his nose down and focus on his franchise during an election year, and Trump-Mania spreading across Florida.
The impending noose of Brexit  is threatening to choke out international business opportunities, which has left many multinational companies to adopt a ‘wait and see’ policy when it comes to moving to the UK.
Wait til the dust has settled and see what kind of deals a desperate UK government is willing to offer.

Covid

Did you know that there was an a virus epidemic going on? No, it’s true. Although not much in the news, apparently some nasty bug has been disrupting our way of life.
Businesses hate surprises, and Covid 19 is one of the biggest viral-reveals we have had in our lifetime.
Like Brexit, no one wants to make long term plans when infections and rolling shut downs continue to affect and infect our way of life.
Until we have a vaccine or this nasty sucker under control, all UK-US sports matches will be put on hold.
Can you imagine if they had gone ahead with the London games, and had to postpone at the last minute?
It would be a logistical nightmare.

Tottenham

With the NFL and Tottenham stadium agreeing to a 10 year NFL deal, it doesn’t really make sense to negotiate separate matches with Wembley. If the league is all in this together, then maybe spreading out the games and structure doesn’t really fly in the face of the new normal.
The Spurs have spent a lot of time and money on the new stadium, and fan reaction has been wholly behind the new digs in favour of crusty old Wembley.
Tottenham have a massive vested interest in developing and hosting the games there, so the Jags could save a lot of time and money on working with the league as bubbles and lockdowns become part of the new NFL dynamic.

In the end Shad Khan might just want to take some time off and reflect on the London experiment. Covid has provided a timely opportunity to gauge the want of international expansion, with the need for keeping the home fans happy.
We (should) have NFL games in London in 2021, but with the way 2020 has been going, we need to learn to expect the worst.
That’s what Jets fans do.

 

New York Jokes

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The New York Jets have had such an abysmal season thus far, you wonder how far they can fall before they become full on jokes.
Adam Gase has all the Bill O’Brien like qualities to put his head on the chopping block, but for some reason he has hung on thus far.
Will this be the week of his demise.

Looking at Jets players, they have the same zest and zeal for the game as an 80 year old man working in an Amazon fulfilment centre. Frank Gore looks a shell of his former 40, 30 and 20 year old self, while Le’veon Bell sits and counts his Benjamins on the bench while he dreams about opening his own Chipotle.
Word is that Sam Darnold has reached out to movie star Bruce Willis this week to help him solve his ‘ghost-seeing’ problem.

It’s not just the state of New York that is having NFL performance issues this year, as Philly & Washington add to the overall ‘suck’ of the NFC East. This was a division that people feared in the 90s’, but just like frosted tips, things can fall out of fashion quickly.
Russell Wilson has more touchdowns that the collective quarterbacks in the NFC East combined.

Ambassador Woody Johnson seems oblivious to the whole situation. Granted an Ambassador can’t really step in as he performs his duties to the nation, but he might want to look to deport Adam Gase somewhere to stop the freefall of this once great team.
Curtis Martin would be spitting in his grave. Fortunately he’s not dead, so he just spits into social media.

It’s not even like they are ‘Tanking for Trevor’, as Sam Darnold was supposed to be the man of their salvation. Will the go 0-16 this year, or hope that the Corona-Fairy intervenes on their behalf?

Week 5 Preview

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It’s Week 5 in the NFL, so Wade and Ryan are here with another rousing podcast looking at all the games ahead.
It was a bit of a brutal week 4 for both guys, as Wade second guessed himself changing his picks last minute and dooming himself to a 6-9 record for the week. Ryan was a bit better at 7-9 for the week, consistent with his picks thus far this season.
Heading into week 5, Wade has a 35-26-1 record, and Ryan is battling a 24-37-1 record.
What does week 5 hold? Let’s take a look at some of their top picks.

Week 5 Picks

Panthers (2-2) Falcons (0-4)
Falcons -1.5  +54.5

The Falcons are favoured by 1.5 points, despite boasting no wins for the season thus far. The plucky Carolina team has been getting some nice wins and close games despite being without the best running back in the league. The Panthers defence has been playing solid every week and Teddy Bridgewater is starting to groove nicely into his role as starting QB.
Atlanta has been poor and porous, letting in more than a drunken doorman. They have tonnes of tools at their disposal, but despite Matt Ryans best efforts, their D continues to allow huge gains to wide receivers.
Ryan likes the Falcons to take their first win of the season, while Wade is calling for a Carolina upset.
Even more upsetting, if they win, they must sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ with their masks on.
Tragic.
Ryan-Falcons 24 Panthers 20
Wade-Panthers 31 Falcons 26

Eagles (1-2-1) vs Steelers (3-0)
Steelers -7  +44

Pittsburgh has benefitted from a Covid week off, while the Eagles are currently sitting in first place in the trash-tastical NFC East division.
Three games isn’t really enough to get a full grip on the Steelers, but they have looked pretty solid across the board. James Conner is ready to bust out for the rest of the season and establish himself as one of the premier running backs for the rest of the season.
The Eagles beat a depleted 49ers team last week under the helm of Nick Mullens, which isn’t saying much.
They have no real receivers, Carson Wentz is inconsistent, and they have relied on Myles Sanders to do all the dirty work. They have a fast front 4, but that will only get you so far.
Ryan likes the Eagles to cover a Steelers team that might not be fully focused, whereas Wade thinks that the battle of Pennsylvania will go to the hosts.
Ryan-Steelers 24 Eagles 20
Wade-Steelers 30 Eagles 18

Dolphins (1-3) 49ers (2-2)
49ers -8.5  +47

Jimmy G is back, and so is Raheem Mostert, but the team still doesn’t seem like it has all the pieces together to look like a contender.
Their defence is still full of holes, which was evident last week when the Eagles were able to move the ball down the field with ease.
No one expected much out of the Dolphins this year, but for some reason they have been close in most of their games. Miami has started with one of the toughest schedules in the league, and the games ahead should bode well for them. Most importantly, they’re having fun which is nice to see.
Ryan think that the 49ers are ready to romp over the Dolphins at home, but Wade has another plan…a Miami upset.
Ryan-49ers 23 Dolphins 20
Wade-Dolphins 23 49ers 20

DraftKings

One of the best ways to enjoy the NFL is to play along with Draftkings fantasy NFL. We have our own league called ‘NFL in London’ where we host loads of Sunday contests. Join the league and you can play every week for free or for paid contests. Our paid contests are modest, so you won’t be spending more than $5 to have some fun with new friends.
Enter here:
https://dkn.gs/r/kwxDR0JIokKPkA6cPjCtNA

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Canadian friends, hopefully you can get together with your friends and family.
If you’re in London, pop down to the Maple Leaf in Covent Garden which will be showing the NFL until 10pm.

Stay safe, and have a great week in the NFL.

 

New Week 5 Schedule

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It’s been a topsy-turvy week in the NFL, as they tweak the schedule due to Covid 19 tests. It turns out that those pesky Tennessee Titans were practising without masks, and in close contact throwing the whole damn mess into the air.
So what will happen Week 5 in the NFL?

Broncos vs Patriots
Tues Oct 13/ 12am GMT

Stefon Gilmore tested positive for Covid, so they dumped him in a trailer out back until he gets himself fixed. There was a picture of Stefon in week 4 hugging Patrick Mahomes after their loss, and you can only image that Bill Belichick ordered this to get some favourable games in the future.
This game was originally slated for Sunday, but has now been moved to Monday at 5pm EST, or 12am GMT.
Yes, this makes it tough for fans to watch the games in the UK, but given the amount of people being made redundant, late nights have become the new normal.

Bills vs Titans
Wed Oct 14/ 12am GMT

Damn those Titans and their dirty play. Sadly this could really come back to bite them in the butt, as they have had to lose one of their bye weeks as a result of the positive Corona test. If the Titans can’t play this game, then they will have to forfeit the game. This also sucks for Bills players, because they won’t get paid if Tennessee forfeits.
This also makes things even trickier for the Bills, as they were due to play the Chiefs on the following Thursday. That would mean that Buffalo would play on Tuesday night, then play the defending Super Bowl champions 2 nights later.
Luckily the NFL has said that the Week 6 TNF game would be moved to another time on Sunday.
It’s a good thing that fans aren’t being issued tickets, as we would be hearing from a whole whack of Karen’s and Ken’s moaning to speak to a manager.

Watch this space for more NFL news. We have no idea what will go down, but we will keep our finger on the button of all news and post it all here.
Imagine what this will be all like if the virus hits hard in the winter?
Eesh.