NFL in London

National Football League in London

2023 Buffalo bills London

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.

DraftKings League

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The NFL season is ready to kick-off, so why not make it that much better by joining our DraftKings League?

You can play weekly and daily fantasy NFL football with our NFL in London group, and make your Sunday Fundays that much more exciting.

Even better, there is a chance you could win great prizes, cash or even tickets throughout the season.

To get started, all you have to do is join our DraftKings League right here:

https://dkn.gs/r/PlyNIb-gxkyPPwexAnbEFg

Sunday Funday

If you’re new to the whole ‘daily fantasy NFL’, then the best place to start is with one of our FREE contests, like the Sunday Funday that rolls over every week.

The great thing about free contests like this is that not only do you get a general feel for how fantasy and scheduling your lineups work, you don’t have to pay a damn thing, ’cause it’s free.

Free contests like this are also great because they give you a chance to practise with line-ups, as well as test them for some of the big money contests that happen to be floating around.

If you want to jump onto the Sunday Funday Free Contest, here’s the link for you to get involved!

https://www.draftkings.com/contest/draftteam/149834411

Buck a Chuck

If you want to try out contests, but you’re not too keen on losing money, then why not try out Buck a Chuck contests?

It’s only a dollar (or 70p) and worth it if you want to feel the rush of winning your first NFL Fantasy contest.

This one runs weekly as well, and has plenty of opportunities for you to get in the game.

Three Dolla Holla

If you want to up the game a little bit more, you can join in on our Three Dolla Holla contest, which is $3, and gives you plenty of options to win some cash during those NFL Sundays.

Search around in our League, and you’ll get invited to this Bad Boy every weekend.

Are you ready for some football?

Betting Sites

We often get asked, which are the best NFL betting sites in the UK?

To be honest, they are all quite horrible, as no one company seems to care, nor invest in any knowledge around the gaming.

We have seen some truly horrendous NFL options out there in the betting world, with Bet365 offering parlay game odds for a single game, but not allowing players to create their own parlays.
To William Hill’s dire NFL options to the laughable ability of the Paddy Power app.

Sometimes the best option is to find the bets you like on a US betting site, then head into a local betting shop, and see if one of the kids behind the counters will have some time to input the data for you.

Any UK betting companies, make sure you up your game!

 

NFC South-West Peek

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It’s only days before the season starts, so the boys crammed the rest of it into this NFC South-West Peek, with a look at how the teams fare in their respective divisions.

Ryan and Wade break down the two divisions, so that you don’t have to!
You’ve got a busy week ahead, when will you have time to break down divisions?

To listen to the whole lovely podcast, make sure that you click the link here to get all the goods.

The guys also wax on about the latest news, Fantasy and more in this one, including:

Fantasy

Have you finally got your fantasy team(s) sorted, or were you one of those weirdos who did their Fantasy Draft in July, making your team a whole big mess for 2023?
We get that you’re excited, just wait until they do squad cut-downs, ok?
Wade and Ryan look at some of their best picks for their teams, as well as rant about the necessity of having a great commissioner when things go wrong.

Hold Outs

The season is merely hours away for some teams, and yet they still haven’t solved some of their biggest player issues.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Jones seem no closer to an agreement, as Jones has doubled down on his desire to sit out until Week 8, taking on a whole smack-load of fines in the process.
With the Chiefs facing the plucky Detroit Lions on opening Thursday, it will be interesting to see how the team dynamic reacts to Jones being out.
Will KC still have that fire that won them a Super Bowl, or will the locker room suffer from his absence?
Same goes for ‘Mr Black and White’ Joey Bosa, whose demonstrative effect on the 49ers D can be seen in his dominant stats.
Without Bosa, the Niners struggle to get those breakthrough moments, as O lines don’t have to worry about double teaming him.
Add Panthers defensive player Brian Burns, and there is a trio if big D masters who can easily be playmakers of destiny for 2023.
Will they get paid?

Kupp’d

Remember when we talked about hosting your NFL Fantasy Draft too early, and grabbing some players that might not be so good when the season starts?
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is going to see a specialist this week, as his nagging hamstring has been causing more problems for him, affecting his ability to line up in Week 1.
More bad news for the Los Angeles Rams who seem like a broken box of toys since their Super Bowl win a few years ago.
If the Rams want any chance of getting ahead this season, they may just want to look at stripping the team for parts, and seeing what value they can get.

Bar it Up

Is your bar or pub looking to promote your NFL offerings?
Are you saying ‘no thanks’ to the Rugby World Cup, and ‘yes, please’ to showing ruckus NFL Sundays all season long?
If so, we can help!
With over 17 years of experience of hosting NFL parties across London and the UK, we can help promote your weekly NFL nights to the right audience, and with prices starting from £5/ week!
With a weekly reach of over 30million across all social platforms, let us help let fans know that you are in for showing some of the greatest NFL games during the 2023 season.
We can also help you promote the London games, Thanksgiving, the playoffs, and of course the Super Bowl!
Just reach out, tell us what you’re looking for, and we can see if we can help!

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!