NFL in London

National Football League in London

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Week 1 Picks

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The 2023 NFL season is finally here, as Ryan and Wade blow out a podcast with their Week 1 Picks.

So many great games going on this week, and the boys take the time to go through ALL of the games, offering some of their best advice this early on in the season.

Week 1 can be a crap shoot in the NFL, as teams try to figure out themselves, while trying best an opponent doing the same.

Which team will be set and balanced the best for the start of week 1?

To listen to the whole dang podcast, make sure that you click the link here to listen to it.

So which games are the guys most interested in, and which ones might be worth taking a look at for you betting value?
Let’s take a look at some of the best ones that Wade and Ryan like for Week 1 Picks.

Choice Picks

Texans at Ravens (-10) + 43.5

Lamar loves to light up week one historically, so the odds are that the Ravens might surpass the 10 points offered to them in the spread against the loveless Houston Texans.
CJ Stroud, Dameon Pearce and the tough Houston D might have an answer for the Ravens as they visit the set of ‘The Wire’, but will they be the right answers?
Ryan loves Lamar and Baltimore to stomp the bigness out of the Texans, and put up a solid and crushing domination of the visitors. He also likes Lamar to have a lovely fantasy day as well, with him spreading the ball around.
Wade is a little suspicious of the spread this early on, and 10 points has known to be a tough call having not seen either of these two teams.
While he does like the Baltimore Ravens to win, he thinks that the Texans might keep it close thanks to their reliance on the running game in the second half.
Ryan-Ravens 31 Texans 17
Wade-Ravens 30 Texans 23

Bengals (-2.5) vs Browns + 47

Cincy has just signed QB Joe Burrow to ‘big daddy bucks’, making him the highest paid quarterback on the planet (for now).
Will this influx of money, and the closeness of defeat last season propel the Bengals to the AFC top spot?
The Browns have no expectations this year, as pundits look beyond Deshaun Watson, perhaps the best running back in the game, and a D that features a still cagey Myles Garrett.
So why the hate when they dummied Cincinnati in a game last year?
Ryan likes the Browns to upset the Bengals, and sees Mixon getting nixon’d by that tough Cleveland D.
He likes the Browns in a field goal game.
Wade agrees with Ryan, which is weird to have their both shared upset so early on, but there you go.
Wade likes the Browns at home, and thinks that the Ohio fervour will take Cleveland to victory.
Ryan-Browns 24 Bengals 21
Wade-Browns 28 Bengals 24

Bucs at Vikings (-6) +45

How you like the Vikings this year? No, really.
Kirk Cousins and co. got rid of Dalvin Cook, but they still have that double J that crushes you as the best wide receiver right now.
Can the Vikings D answer back when they get shot down though?
Baker Mayfield is baking in Tampa, with a slew of star receivers who are under appreciated.
The Bucs defence has also been whittled away since the shine of Tommy left the stadium, and there are questions as to the durability of the whole team.
Ryan is taking the Vikings at home, and thinks that this should be a solid win against a shaky team, giving Minnesota that first push in the NFC North.
Wade is calling an upset here, plugging Baker and the boys to throw a monkey wrench into the Minnesota launch.
Sometimes you look ahead too much, and don’t see an opponent with nothing to lose right out of the gates.
That’s what could happen to Minnesota on Sunday.
Ryan-Vikings 24 Bucs 20
Wade-Bucs 21 Vikings 20
That’s it for our Week 1 Picks podcast, make sure that you listen in to the next one, where we lament how poorly we did.
Thanks for listening, and have a great week 1.

Best Places in London to Watch NFL

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Another season is about to kick off and reward us all with football greatness, but where are the Best Places in London to Watch NFL?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our list for 2023.

As a group who have been promoting and hosting live NFL viewing parties over the past 18 years across the capital, we have quite a bit of knowledge of the sport viewing landscape.

Any punter will tell you that after Covid, the whole bar and entertainment industry took a punch on the chin.
Independent pubs shuttered, quality staff found other work, and the price of pints continued to rise.

As promoters, we look to offer people the best value and service when it comes to hosting NFL nights.
Sure, we might hold things to a North American standard, but why shouldn’t we, when he have always attempted to deliver that threshold across all of our events.

So these are just our independent thoughts on almost 20 years of watching and promoting the NFL across the UK.

1. Home

Home?!?! What a lame answer to start this list off!

Well, not really if you’ve seen the price of a London pint recently, as they near ever closer to the £8 range.
When we first started promoting the NFL in London, pints were still in the £3 range, and pitchers were £10.
Those were the days!

It’s not just the crazy price of booze at London pubs and bars, but there is also the Rugby World Cup and Premier League to throw wrenches into the works of NFL viewing.
With many times and dates over-lapping with the NFL, UK-centric bars are more likely to NOT put on the NFL, with so many Sundays in contention.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will take place MOST Sundays until Week 7 of the NFL, with games airing between 4-10pm GMT.
If you’ve never experienced a RWC during the NFL season, then you’ll quickly find out that rugby trumps American football in the UK.
They might SAY they are showing NFL, and then bartender changes the channel.
Too bad.

With DAZN taking over from Gamepass, there also hasn’t been a commercial license on offer, which means it could be illegal for many bars and pubs to show the NFL, taking us back to 2013.

Independent pun chains have also been swallowed up over the past few years, gobbling up former sports bars, and then cutting costs, taste, and fun when they rebrand it into a corporate image.
Sadly these chains are very inflexible, and demand that promoters must increase attendance week on week.
Not worth it when half the customers have to pop over to McDonald’s because the food is so dire.

When’s the last time you threw a truly awesome, NFL party?

The best NFL nights are when you have hook a few devices up to Gamepass, and invite over some friends, foes, or just fellow fans you met on social media for a few bevies and a game.

You’ll not only save lots of money, but maybe make some new friends in the process!

2. Famous Three Kings

This Fulham sports bar has a legendary status in the city, as it always seems to be the ‘go to’ place for sports viewership.

Located in West London in the posh bit of town, the Famous Three Kings has been a perennial favourite for sports fans looking to stare at loads of TVs across a cavernous pub.

Although part of a large chain, the food isn’t as abysmal as those burgers with the pre-grilled marks on them that you find in some chains.

Like many London sports bars, it closes at 10pm on Sundays.

Find out more here.

https://www.crafted-social.co.uk/famous-three-kings-west-kensington

3. King Sports Bar-Empire Casino

Leicester Square has also changed in recent years, going from a glitzy West End destination, to a urine soaked playground for the drug addled and destitute.
Great place for a night out.

The King Sports Bar at the Empire Casino benefits from not only having loads of TVs on the go with NFL action, but also being open 24 hours for your viewing, and gambling pleasure.

NFL fans will be happy to have a place to watch the games, and be centrally located enough to be able to snag a night bus home.

The food is rather mediocre, which is why it’s good to have a lot of late-night food options to explore.

https://www.thecasinolsq.com/kings-sports-bar

4. Bodeans-Soho

Bodeans is the original Canadian BBQ joint, that has a long, and storied history in Soho.

Famous for their burnt ends, Bodeans also has two floors of TV action, with NFL and Saturday College Football on tap.
Speaking of on tap, they also have a ridiculously good selection of beer and top North American food.

Of all of the London pubs, Bodean’s has the best NFL food bar none.
However, they do close at 10pm, so you won’t be able to watch the late games.

https://bodeansbbq.com/soho/

5. Sports Bar-Marylebone

One of our OG locations back in 2008, the Sports Bar Marylebone found fame due it being across from the Landmark Hotel, where many of the teams, players and cheerleaders have stayed.
The fact that Jerry Rice could walk in, sit down beside you and order wings made it a crazy place to go.

Time has seen the Sports Bar & G bought by new owners, who dropped down the food quality, but marked up the prices, so authenticity is lacking in the food, and their pints have rocketed to top end London prices.

The bar does benefit from being on the train to Wembley, making it a good place to start and finish after the game.

https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/marylebone

There are loads of other places that say that they will show NFL, but will also refuse to put it on when people show up, or just turn it off at the whim of a manager.
We can’t recommend any of these places, as we have worked with many before, and they are horrible.

Promote Your Venue

If you’re a venue looking to promote your NFL nights, let us know!

 

NFC North Peek

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The 2023 NFL season is just around the corner, as the boys take an NFC North Peek.

Yes, Wade is biased as a Bears fan, but as you can see, he doesn’t have them romping all over this division.

How do the guys all see it playing out?

All you have to do is have a listen right here:

Among some of the other things the guys talk about in this podcast, are all the latest stuff as well.

NFL News

Chief Problems

The reigning champs are looking to repeat, but all isn’t well in the wigwam of Chiefs Kingdom.
Hold-out Chris Jones is willing to last out until Week 8, but that hasn’t stopped Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce from begging Jones to return to the fold.
Will the Chiefs have enough wide receivers ready to top the speed heavy AFC?
Ryan and Wade discuss this in detail in the podcast.

Evan Off

Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans is looking to get the word on whether the Bucs are going to bring him back after the final year of a 5 year, $81 millions contract.
Mike Evans is a constant 1000 yard gainer, so if Tampa doesn’t pick him up, it will be interesting who he could be paired with in a team looking to bust a nut into the playoffs.

Season Betting Tips

With the 2023 season about to begin, we all look at some of the cool betting options available as a savvy bettor.
It’s always worth throwing a few quid as to the ‘what ifs’ of the season, so we have a few in the podcast to consider.

Fewest Points Scored

Let’s bottom feed first, as we take a look at who could be the worst of the bunch when it comes to scoring the LEAST amount of points in the 2023 NFL season.
The obvious pick is to go with the Cardinals, but they could also just make it the James Connor game, and find ways to outlast their ‘doomed to be last’ moniker.
How about them Colts though? Starting a rookie QB can have its long term downsides, and Jim Irsay has already taken a toxic tone when it comes to how he sees his players. ‘Unless you’re a whale trapped, then I can’t help you. ‘
At +1100, Indy offers a good option as to being the floating turd left in the bowl.

Rushing Leader

Could Josh Jacobs repeat the title for rushing, or is it time to get your Chubb on?
Let’s take a look at some of the rushing options for 2023.
Derrick Henry pops up right away as a guy who might be emboldened with the arrival of D Hop, to make it their year in the AFC South bucket. With massive disrespect shown their way in the form of the Jaguars, Henry, Tanny, and D Hop could make for massive gains.
Bijan Robinson is a tasty option at +1200 to gain the most rushing yards, but can you really trust a rookie this year? With RBs seeing their stock falling, there is no way some of the old guard are going out to a young punk, but who knows? Gotta stay healthy!
Tony Pollard looks a ripe option at +1800 to take the rushing title, after shedding that Zeke weight that was hanging around his gains.
Pollard has the real chance to lead a Dallas squad that is loaded with talent, and with eyes on the Eagles in a dogfight of a division.
Those are just some of the bets we look at in the podcast, make sure that you listen to NFC North Peek, and make your own decisions.
Good luck in your fantasy drafts, and bring on the 2023 season!

AFC West Peek

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The preseason is finally done, as the boys take a look at the AFC West Peek in a hot new podcast.

The Chiefs look to rule the roost for yet another year, with their eyes on repeating as Super Bowl champs, but does anyone in this division look to stop them?
Wade and Ryan discuss it all in the latest podcast, if you want to have a listen, just click right here!

Among some of the other stuff that the guys discuss in this episode.

Trey Lanced

Talk about a butt-fumble, as the San Francisco 49ers traded away their ‘precious’ Trey Lance, in a deal that makes them look like total schmucks.
After tossing out first round drafts like candy to acquire Lance, they leveraged part of their future, and gave Miami plenty of weapons in whimpering trade with the Cowboys to put Lance out to pasture.
San Fran has been in the playoffs since acquiring Trey, yet he had zero impact on the team, nor on their wins.
The fact that they moved heaven and earth to acquire the 3rd ranked Lance, to then just dump him off to Jerry must sting the young man quite a bit.
All he has to do know is wait for Dak to go down.

Jacobing

Josh Jacobs finally gets paid, as the Las Vegas Raiders finally shifted some cash in the cushions to pay the man to a 1 year deal for close to $12 million.
As running backs around the league look for leverage in a age of RB-Hate, Josh is able to return to the Vegas fold, and put up some of the only yards that Jimmy G’s arm can’t reach.
Too bad the Raiders O-line is going to make it difficult for Jimmy and Josh.

Rodgers That

Aaron Rodgers did the impossible, and played in a preseason game this week for the first time in years.
Head coach Saleh wanted to get Aaron used to playing in his new home, and he quickly declared that the Jets are ‘ready to go.’
Too bad commercial directors didn’t get Rodgers to ‘warm up’ for some of the horrible commercials he’s been in, which is why he was probably cut from being the State Farm spokesman.
Want that Rodgers rate? Your screwed now cheesehead.

Jimmy G

Jimmy Graham was arrested a few weeks ago for appearing to be intoxicated in public, which later was determined to be a medical episode for the Saints TE.
Many fans were surprised to hear that Jimmy STILL plays for the Saints, after they brought the 36 year-old back to New Orleans for one last time.
Thankfully Jimmy has recovered, and the Saints must be happy with an ESPN prediction that gives them a 60%+ chance of making the playoffs this year.
Likely?

AFC West Peek

Wade and Ryan are also back with another prediction of an AFC Division, this time they turn their gaze to the West.
Mahomes and Reid have been a powerful tandem in the West, and with another Super Bowl ring on their fat fingers, it seems likely that they will once again look to dominate the division.
But what about the other teams that are looking to slug their way to the playoffs?
The Raiders are going to struggle this season, with the often-injured Jimmy G sure to only make 50% of the games this season.
Add to that problems on both sides of the line, and Vegas could find themselves ‘tanking for Caleb’ as the season wears on.
Russell Wilson will need some new recipes this season if he wants to feed hungry Broncos fans.
Sean Payton is going to have to turn this ship around, but can Russ even cook anymore, or has the hunger strike hit home?
The Chargers of LA are hoping that their recent signing of QB stud Justin Herbert will finally put them on track to start making repeat playoff appearances.
There’s a lot of age on that team, and it will be curious if Herbert can rally them for one last ride.

Promote NFL at Your Bar

Looking to promote the NFL at your bar or pub?
Get in touch and we can help you get regular bums in seats every week!

Promote Your NFL Nights

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Are you a UK pub, bar or club who is looking to promote your NFL nights?
Then reach out, and we can help you promote your weekly NFL showings to millions of fans across the UK and Europe.

At NFL in London, we know that having a good place to watch the games with your friends is key, as well as some good food, and reasonably priced drinks.
That’s why we’re offering bars and pubs the opportunity to promote your NFL evenings across our social profiles.

Big Reach

With a weekly reach of over 25M across Europe, our NFL in London socials are the perfect place to target NFL fans in the UK, as well to showcase your American football offerings for the fans.

Facebook has 26k+ Likes, and 20k Followers on our main page, with another 2k on our Groups.
X (Twitter) brings in 3.5k followers, with another 1.5k on Instagram.
Add in the 10k per month in website traffic, 30k per month in podcast listeners, and you can hit a huge swath of NFL fans across Great Britain.

Events

To help get the word out, we can also promote your weekly NFL viewing parties through our website, and Facebook pages, so that fans can seamlessly book a table at your location with ease.

By hosting these regular Sunday events, you’re demonstrating fans that you are committed to showing the games all season, and they don’t have to worry about coming for the 6pm matches, and cricket is on.

We’re also looking to work with like-minded bars for the 2023 London NFL games, so make sure you get in touch!

Commitment

We do ask from the bars we work with that there is a commitment to showing these NFL nights, and that you’re not going to advertise it, and then there’s no games.
That pisses off NFL fans, and happens too often.

Some of the questions we will have for venues includes:

  • Are you showing the NFL all season, or is this just a whim to get in fans?
  • How many games are you showing? How many TVs? How late are you open?
  • Are there any special deals for NFL fans across food, drink, seating etc?
  • Do you have DAZN, or are you showing just Sky games?

We want to help you deliver the best fan experience for NFL viewing, so let us help you finesse your NFL nights to make them more authentic.

Packaging

As much as we appreciate the massive pub chains asking for us to ‘help spread the word’, you’re making money off of this, so don’t expect free advertising.

You get what you pay for, and we’re happy to create bespoke packages for any bar or pub to help you pack your place with NFL fans, with prices starting from £5 per week.

Bigger packages can include more marquee level weekly promotions, appearances and ads on our podcasts, as well as dedicated spaces on our website to promote your location.

Subscribing bars will also be added to our weekly calendar, so that fans can directly access your venue and book themselves in.

We also have options to help promote the London NFL games, Thanksgiving, playoffs and the Super Bowl, as well as live podcast recordings with NFL celebrities live from your pub.

NFL in London frequently works with UK betting companies who like to do ‘pub takeovers’, and as such can your location get massive exposure and highly elevated NFL viewing events.

Get in Touch

So what are you waiting for?

If your bar or pub wants to promote your NFL nights, get in touch and we can work out a reasonable package to help get football bums in seats every week.

Are you committed to a great 2023 season?
We are!

Feel free to send us an email, at mapleyankeesports@gmail.com