Smell that in the air?
That’s freedom…a bit of petrol…and the return of the NFL.
It’s coming back to London again soon, and boy are we tickled.
So here are our predictions for the London 2022 Games.
Draft Days
The NFL Draft is now done and dusted, as teams watch the offseason to witness which one of these prospects burns and turns their own future after Las Vegas, making bad lifestyle choices that ultimately leads to leaving the game.
Or…they have a bright and lustrous future, without any incidents.
That’s the hope anyway.
The NFL Draft also heralds the beginning of the international adventure, as the league announces who will be headed across the shores to bring the beautiful game to hungry global audiences.
London gets 3 games, Germany gets one, as does Mexico.
So how does it all play out?
London Schedule
The NFL announced that they will be releasing the full international schedule on May 4th, 2022 (evening).
We will then get to know who will be making a passport application for the first time, so that they come visit us at either Tottenham or Wembley stadium(s) for an autumn jaunt.
Who will it be?
Well, we make our yearly predictions prior to the NFL officially announcing the REAL teams that will be visiting.
It’s a fun little exercise that helps build hope to those of us who haven’t seen our teams hit the UK in years.
And so without further adieu, we present our predictions for the 2022 London International Games.
Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday September 25th-Week 3
Wembley Stadium
Jacksonville is back (again), as they shed their Urban skin, and have returned with fresh faces and feelings as the Trevor Lawrence era has finally sputtered out of the gate.
As for the Jags home opponents this season, they face the following: Colts, Texans, Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Ravens, Cowboys, Giants.
Given that many of these teams have been here in the past few years, the most obvious team to come would be the New York Giants, who haven’t played in London since they beat the Rams in 2016.
The Ravens however last played in London in 2017, where they took a 44-7 blowout to the face.
There are rumblings and rumours out of Poe-town, that the dirty birds would once again be flocking our way.
We’ll jump on this rumour!
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
Sunday October 2, 2022-Week 4
Tottenham Stadium
Of all the rumours that have been circling as to who would most likely be playing, this game is the most solid to bet on.
Minnesota and New Orleans are scheduled to play each other this year, and reports out of Minneapolis point to the fact that the team is preparing for an international adventure for the 2022 season.
The miracle moments between these two teams are many, and it seems to be the most likely scenario for both teams.
As per the date, Week 4 has been persistent in both reports from New Orleans and the Vikes, so we will also double down on the intel we are getting stateside.
This will be a great game for fans of both teams, who last appeared on our shores in 2017, beating the Dolphins and Browns respectively.
We’re quite confident in this one.
Tennessee Titans vs Green Bay Packers
Sunday October 9th-Week 5
Tottenham Stadium
The Pack is finally making a trek to London, as British fans finally get a whiff of the mane of Aaron Rodgers and company.
Green Bay is the ONLY team to have NEVER made the trip to London, so this will be a massive game for all the cheeseheads here who have missed out on NFL action in the past.
As for the Packers home opponents, they have the Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Titans, & Rams.
While the LA Rams are rumoured to be another team playing in an international game, they are more likely to play the Arizona Cardinals in the Mexico City contest.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots are also an interesting possibility for Rodgers and the boys to play-since they haven’t been here since 2012, but the Titan in the room keeps popping up its head.
We like Tannehill and Tennessee as they combatant in the Packers contest, making their way to north London for week 5, in an exciting match.
Considerations
There are some other factors that we looked at in determining not only the teams, but the dates of the London games.
Ukraine is most likely still going to be burning in the autumn of 2022, and many Americans are not likely to travel as they believe that anywhere in Europe is a war zone.
London & European visitors dropped by 8% during the Gulf War, and plummeted after the terror attacks here. As long as Russia keeps acting like dicks, the situation in the area will be tenuous.
The World Cup will also play a factor in the scheduling of NFL games, as the league will want to avoid any clashes with ‘soccer’ for the end of the year.
Kicking off on November 21st in Qatar, the World Cup will overlap much of the NFL schedule, as many major games are happening on NFL Sundays.
Spain faces Germany on Sunday Nov 27th at 7pm GMT-running smack into the NFL for many fans who will be looking to catch the games.
Caveat
Once again, these are only guesses by our team.
We will all know the true teams heading our way when the NFL officially announces it next week.
