NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL London

Week 2-TNF

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It’s the battle of Ohio, as the winless Browns host the winless Bengals in a ‘who is more shameful to our state’ game for the ages. Will you stay up late in the UK to watch this contest? Yeah, me either.

The Browns were smothered in week 1 by a rampaging Ravens squad who hit them with everything, leaving them bloodied and bruised. The Bengals stayed in tight with a off-kilter Chargers squad, eventually losing when their kicker pulled a hammy mid-kick and saw their chance at OT float away.
How will these two teams fair on TNF?

Bengals (0-1) vs Browns (0-1)
Line: Browns by 6
O/U: 43.5

Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield looked lost on Sunday, with the Ravens not only locking down the secondary, but also causing plenty of problems for his o-line. There were times that he looked like he was in control and marching down then field, then making horrible decisions to give up the ball. The Bengals won’t give Baker the same pressure he face on Sunday, but they won’t just roll over and play dead either. Cinci has a pretty good secondary, so they should cause further blockages & messes for OBJ and company. Where they might find success in moving the chains is using Chubb and Hunt to their full running and option potential. Chubb & Hunt. Sounds like either a great 80s cop duo or a cheesy 90s strip club.

Cincinnati Bengals

Oh so close for the Bengals last weekend, as they were able to keep pressure on Tyrod Taylor while avoiding a beating. There were times where Joe Burrow showed potential, and other times when he looked like he was running away from a schoolyard fight. It was his first NFL game, so not a bad result for his first go. The Bengals still suck though, and their O-line is porous and weak. Burrow will spend a lot of time running in this game if he isn’t able to get the ball off to some of his speedy receivers. The Bengals D should be able to keep the pressure on Baker, but stopping that running game will be much trickier.

Prediction: Browns will be looking to pump up their home crowd of puppets and cut-outs to take their first home win of the season. They will make some ugly plays, dumb calls and at times feed it right into the Bengals hands, but they should cover this spread. I won’t be watching this game live, but it should be good to catch up over a few coffees on Friday morning.
Browns 24 Bengals 17

Make sure you follow me on here, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for all my NFL picks.
I almost nailed the exact score last Thursday in my pick of the Chiefs, let’s see how I do this week.

 

Week 1 BBQ

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Where did you watch week 1 of the NFL? Normally we would be organising NFL viewing parties across London & the UK, but then a thing called 2020 happened.
With all the rules changing, with pubs closing early and fans wary of heading out in public, we opted to host our Week 1 viewing party at Wade’s house.

Wade was up early on Sunday morning, smoking 3 yummy briskets for 11 hours in time for kickoff. If that wasn’t enough, he also cooked 100 chicken wings for the NFL in London gang. Add to that homemade cheese dip, blue cheese dressing and loads of flavours, everyone went home a winner. (and with a doggy bag).

Thanks to the magic of NFL Gamepass, we were able to watch 4 games at once, with the inside and outside rocking the NFL for all fans in attendance. Everyone was safe distanced, and quite drunk once the night was over.

We will look to host more live NFL events in the future, but as of right now, it’s just too tricky to pull off. With the rules changing weekly in terms of fan attendance, and the potential of another lockdown or curfew looming, it’s a rather uphill battle for us at the moment. Bars would also rather not show the first 30 minutes of NFL games to satisfy Premier League fans in attendance. Who wants to miss the first quarter?

Watch this space, we’ll be back with more live events as the season continues.

Week 1 Results

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What a topsy turvy weekend in the NFL! Some of the biggest winners lost, and some of the teams that looked to live in Loserville for a long time actually showed some spunk. It was nice to have the game back & to feel a bit of normal again.

Picking Week 1 results against the spread can often be tough given all the time off, but 2020 has made that even more difficult by trashing the preseason and the growth/ injuries that go with it.
Wade & Ryan both took a stab at week 1, with Wade hitting out a respectable 10-5-1, while Ryan managed a more modest 4-11-1.

Let’s take a look at some of the games they got right/ wrong.

Seahawks 38 vs Falcons 25

Wade got this one wrong, siding with past numbers that have Pete Carroll not usually performing well in week 1 since 2013. Of course it was Russell Wilson who performed like a champ, spreading the ball to nine different receivers and running the ball a few times himself. Atlanta didn’t help themselves, dropping balls and getting costly penalties. Atlanta showed rally, but were also very inept on D. Ryan liked the Seahawks to cover, and they were able to do just that.

Bears 27 Lions 23

Who wrote off Trubisky? Wade and other Bears fans did, so it was surprising to see him launch a 4 TD push to overcome the pesky Lions. Mitch was off in the first half, hitting guys on the numbers who should have made some easy catches. Luckily for Bears fans, the biggest drop came in the 4th when the Lions dropped a huge catch which would have been a pretty gimme TD. Wade had the Bears to win, and they came out with a big one. Trubisky played pretty good.

LA Chargers 16 Bengals 13

Wade called a Bengals upset, giving them their first win of the season at home…and it almost happened. Another bad miss from a kicker on  Week 1 (have they all gotten worse) could have sent this game to OT, but alas the football Gods had other plans. Burrow looked good, and Tyrod looked marginal in this low scoring affair. Bengals should be proud of how they played, even if this did end in betting push.

LA Rams 20 Cowboys 17

Wade was a big believer in a Rams upset in this game, and they really came out pumping all cylinders. Goff was on fire, and Robert Woods was an easy target in a game that really underscored the D problems that Dallas has going forward. If the Rams can bully them around like this, then the Cowboys are up for a tough season of potential blowouts. CeeDee Lamb had a respectable first outing, but Zeke looked a bit flat, especially after Aaron Donald picked him up to hit Dak.

Bucs 23 Saints 34

This was the game that everyone was waiting for, and both Wade & Ryan predicted a 33-30 victory for TB12 and the Bucs. In hindsight, not a good call. Tom Brady was picked off 2 times and he couldn’t muster any offence in a game that showed that he still makes some pretty blinding errors. Brees didn’t play great, but looked a lot better than his 40 something counter. New Orleans also made a lot of costly defensive pass interference plays that gouged them for 100 yards+ in penalties. Everyone learned a valuable lesson in this one. The Bucs and Saints both look to roll next week.

Make sure you listen to our podcast so you can hear Wade & Ryan make all of their weekly picks. We will also be starting to promote venues across the UK who would be up for showing NFL games this season.
We know that this new rule of 6 will make things more difficult, but it’s better than a 9pm curfew which would essentially cancel the viewings for an entire season.

NFL..Assemble!

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Snap! The NFL is back and just in time, as this whole year has felt like Thanos has snapped us halfway back to reality.
Will the heroes of the gridiron save us from the banality of every day Covid life?
Hell yeah!

One NFL fan went the distance, using his editing skills to create superb hybrid of an NFL hype film, with an Avengers style trailer. (we don’t own any rights, just fans).

Always nice to see someone who is both an NFL Fan, and one heck of an editor.

If this doesn’t get you ripped for the season, maybe Thanos should have killed us all?

Week 1 Picks

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Praise to the NFL Gods! We’re back with the 2020 season, and Wade & Ryan couldn’t be happier.
This whole year has felt like a Cowboys vs Patriots Super Bowl, with screaming idiocy everywhere, but at least we can find comfort in the start of another year of football.
The guys might not be able to predict what the bloody hell is going to happen in the next 6 months, but at least they will steer you right in their NFL picks.

The first week of the NFL is always tricky to handicap, as there are so many unknown factors and new dynamics rolling off of training camp. 2020 is an even tougher year to predict, as the lack of preseason and physical preparation are all going to factor into some wild and crazy scores. Injuries will also be a major issue, as the lack of a preseason means some of these guys might be soft and brittle the first time someone plows into them.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull have done the research, looked at the tape, read a few fantasy magazines and are ready to prognosticate. Wade had a whopping 64% correct against the spread last season, while Ryan came in with 57% correct. Will Wade be able to repeat his wizardry this year? Let’s find out with some of their top picks.

TNF-Texans vs Chiefs (-9) +54.5

The reigning Super Bowl champs kick off the season at home against a foe they face early on in the playoffs last year. Despite trailing 24-0 to Deshaun and the Texans, Mahomes was able to rally his team to go all the way. So how much is changed the season?
Hopkins is gone, Cooks is in and the running game now rests in the hands of Duke Johnson.
The Chiefs have much of their magic back, although some of the blocking on the O line is weaker due to some trades and opt outs.
Both Wade & Ryan like the Chiefs to win here, although Ryan sees the Texans keeping this game closer, while Wade predicts a blowout in from of a smaller Chiefs crowd.
Wade-Chiefs 31 Texans 20
Ryan-Chiefs 31 Texans 28

Dolphins vs Patriots (-6.5) +43

This is the first time we see Bill Belichick without his Tommy Boy, so how will he react to his new NFL normal? He’ll be fine, as BB is known for his meticulous planning for any opponent. Cam will add a nice healthy dose of dip and dash to the offence, and old man Edelman will prove his worth in some quick cuts and short routes. Fitzmagic will need to find his magic wand, as many of his tools have either been traded or regressed in the offseason. Fitz will have some success, but the Patriots D is still one to be feared in the league. Ryan likes the Dolphins to cover, whereas Wade sees this as another beatdown.
Wade-Patriots 30 Dolphins 17
Ryan-Patriots 24 Dolphins 20

Seahawks (-2) vs Falcons +49

The Seahawks are out for a title this year, and many believe that this could be ‘their year’, but first they have to get through some tough competition. The Falcons have struggled with great talent and bad injuries in the past few years, and one wonders if Matt Ryan will ever make a trip back to the Super Bowl in his career. The dome might be lacking in fans, but there will be a lot of eyes on new acquisition Todd Gurley and whether he can stay healthy.
Ryan likes the Seahawks to rough up the Falcons, with Russell Wilson having an impressive day hitting Tyler Lockett.
Wade on the other hand is quick to point out the traditional slow start of the Seahawks, and Pete Carroll not covering the spread on Week 1 since 2014. He has Atlanta in an upset.
Wade-Falcons 30 Seahawks 28
Ryan-Seahawks 31 Falcons 21

For the rest of the predictions, have a listen to our podcast for all the games and scores.
How will the boys do this week?
Make sure you join us one weekend for an NFL event once all of this malarky is behind us.
Stay safe, stay sane, let’s go NFL!