NFL in London

National Football League in London

Atlanta Falcons

Week 5 Preview

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Welcome to London NFL!
We couldn’t be happier to have you, as the Atlanta Falcons and NY Jets touch down in the capital for a Sunday Funday match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Who’s going to win? What else is there to do in London? Who wins all the games Sunday?
All these questions answered and are, in this punchy podcast we call the Week 5 Preview.

London Game

The Jets and Falcons will face off at 2:30pm GMT (that’s 6:30am in California!), in an epic showdown at Tottenham stadium in north London.

Make sure that you double check all the rules, travel schedule and that you have your tickets before going!

If you show up with no vaccinations, carrying a garbage bag of your stuff, chances are you’re not going to have the best day.
Remember there are other people who also want to watch the game, so think about those people around you as well!

London Parties

We are throwing pre and after parties at the Sports Bar & Grill Clapham, Old Street, as well as the Princess Alex in Crouch End.

Clapham and the Alex will be open until 1am, while Old Street will keep the party rocking until 4am.

Book your table now from our events page.

Jets (1-3) vs Falcons (2-2)  +46

Yes, we have never had a set of winning teams play in a London game, but who cares? We have actual games here, so stop yer bitching.

Fortunately for the Jets, they finally won a game, after an inspired victory over the Titans. These emotions should carry them high into the sky for their flight across the pond.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons have another season of woe ahead of them, as the injury bug made an early visit to the team this season.
Kyle Pitts has yet to emerge as the big catch sensation that Atlanta envisioned, being needed more to shore up that patchy O line instead.

Ryan admitted on the podcast that he was ‘done’ betting on the Falcons, which leaves him no choice to bet on the Jets. He thinks that they will put out some inspiring play en route to a tight, tight victory.

Wade is big on Atlanta, as they seem to be the marginally better of the two struggling teams.
New York may have blown their celebration load last week, toasting their meagre victory like it would be their only win of the season. Experience wins in this low scoring game.

Ryan- Jets 24 Falcons 23
Wade- Falcons 24 Jets 20

Other games that the guys look at in this podcast.

Broncos (3-1) vs Steelers (1-3) -1  +40.5

The air is starting to leak out of Big Ben, as the Steelers slip further away from salvaging a rough season.
Their O line is atrocious, giving no one zero time to do anything.

Denver has quietly jumped to a 3-1 record off the back of an inspired defence, and mobile Teddy Bridgewater.
With Teddy down, it’s time for old man Drew Lock to return to face a patchy Pittsburgh D.

Ryan thinks that this is an easy, AFC get right game for the Steelers, as they stave off the bucking Broncos at home.

Wade doesn’t think that the fall from grace is down yet, with another batch of odd losses in the Pittsburgh future.
Drew Lock will be able to dink and dunk to get some plays off, while the running game will give the Steelers constant problems.

Ryan-Steelers 17 Broncos 13
Wade- Broncos 21 Steelers 18

If you want to hear the rest of our picks, listen to the whole podcast, you never know what tickles your fancy here.

Sports Bar & Grill Clapham is showing the Wilder vs Fury fight on Saturday night if you’re looking for a place to watch it.

Hope to see you Sunday night at one of our 3 fabulous NFL parties in London.

Stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the game!

London Calling Atlanta

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The NFL is returning to London!
Fans will be allowed back in stadiums, a new 17 week season awaits, and Covid has been traded to the Jets for future considerations.
Everything is getting back to normal right?
Uh, sure.
We don’t know a lot, but we do know that London is calling Atlanta for a 2021 game.
So who are they playing? When? Where? What’s the deal-lio, yo?
We’ll try to break it down for you, as London is calling you Atlanta!

International Games

In your face world! The NFL is coming for you!
American football fans around the globe were giddy like kids at Christmas, after the league announced that we can expect more NFL International games over the next few years.
London’s Tottenham stadium will be the first to host a game in 2021, with more venues and teams to be rolled out later this year.
All 32 teams will have to play at least 1 international game once over the next eight years.
According to the league it will look for  “up to four neutral-site games per year in a country outside the United States will focus initially on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. In addition, interested clubs can continue to volunteer to play home games internationally, as is currently the case.”
When the games will be played and where is anyone’s guess, but we can make some inferences based on previous outings.

Canada

Canada has previously hosted NFL regular season games, and they did not go well.
Given that Toronto is only a 90 minute journey to Buffalo, it was assumed that Canuckleheaded fans would fill up the stadiums with maple pride.
They did not.
Toronto is a fickle city, and one Ernest Hemingway once described as a ‘fistulated asshole.’
If the Blue Jays are doing well, the Maple Leafs show a semblance of pulse, or a waft of warm air hits Ontario in October, Canadians make other plans.
Previous NFL games were beset by fan apathy, low turn out, snarky broadcasters, and truly bad playing conditions.
The Rogers Centre/ Skydome is a decaying downtown edifice whose turf has ruined more professional athletes careers than a Kardashian.
The Rogers family themselves are snarky snake billionaires with a grasp on the throat of Canadian media, and none too pleased with the NFL for turning down previous franchise opportunities.
If Canada does host NFL games, they will need to not be held in Toronto or Vancouver, where fans already have a taste of ‘American sports.’


South America

When the NFL says ‘South America’, we assume that the NFL means ‘Mexico’, given that Mexico has hosted previous NFL games.
Although Mexico is considered to be in North America, you can forgive sports fans for not giving a hoot about geography.
It’s highly unlikely that South America would host anything other than a vaccination drive, as Covid has torn through the region like Derek Henry playing ‘Red Rover.’
One can’t imagine Argentina, Peru or Brazil hosting a regular season NFL game given the security, testing, and kidnapping threats that exist in those regions.
Previous Mexico City NFL games have been well attended, but also fraught with peril.
These games cost the NFL the most in safety and security of ANY NFL game, not to mention the flurry of items tossed on the the field and hundreds of laser pointers aimed at QBs eyes.
Only the Raiders seem to do well in Mexico, which is fitting.

Europe

To Americans, Europe is a big country.
Not only did they save it in WW2, but they also kicked the Germans out of it.
They might be totally insulted to learn that not only IS Germany IN Europe, but that the Germans may actually host an NFL game.
Germany has a massive NFL fanbase, and it truly is their time to host a game.
American football has been a popular sport in the country since American GI’s were stationed there after the war. The game grew in appeal, and Germany boasts one of the best American football development program on the continent.
The only issue that might interfere is time. With a 6 hour gap between the states, a 1pm EST game wouldn’t kickoff until 7pm in Germany, making it a bit of a later prospect.
The games will still be awesome, and it will be great to see what Germany can offer as hosts.

UK

The UK has established itself as the de-facto home of the NFL outside of Europe, so what’s changed?
Covid obviously, but there is also a Wembley issue.
The Jacksonville Jaguars contract with Wembley has expired, and they also lost their pitch for a new downtown stadium. Will Khan take out his wrath, or find a new way?
By all accounts Wembley is keen to reopen the NFL despite Tottenham making the stadium push for future games.
Other stadiums that host Liverpool and Manchester United are also keen to refit their homes to potentially fit the NFL in for future years.
While the NFL may never establish another franchise in the UK, we may start to see games hosted around the country, as well as Scotland and Ireland in the mix.

With the big game announced for 2021, loads of questions have emerged.
When will the Falcons being playing at Tottenham, and who?
We have our thoughts here.

Which Sunday?

October 2021 has 5 potential Sundays to offer as one of the London games.
Previously, the NFL has tried to keep the International Games earlier in the season to balance out the byes, and fit the games within the busy hosting schedule of the city of London.
October 2021 has Sunday October 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31st as options for the London games, with each Sunday having a 20% chance of hosting the game.
With Week 1 of the NFL due to begin on Sun Sept 12th, that would make October 3rd part of the Week 4 schedule. Given Covid, rules, travel and more this might be more unlikely.
One of the biggest factors in choosing the date of the London game is time.
Clocks ‘fall back’ in October, with the US and UK having a gap of about a week when the clocks are only 4 hours apart.
The NFL has capitalised on this in the past, as this hour means a huge difference to the body clocks, and broadcast clocks of international timings.
UK clocks change on Sun Oct 31st, and US clocks on Sun Nov 7th. This means that there would be only a 4 hour gap on the 31st, making it the most likely date to host a game.
Sunday October 31st is Week 8 in the NFL, which is a tad late for a UK game, so we are not keen on it, especially with Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) set to take over central London less than a week later.
Prediction: Sunday October 17th (Week 6)

Atlanta Opponent

The Atlanta Falcons will be playing a ‘non-divisional’ opponent for their 2021 game, which means that there are only 5 teams that they could potentially play.
These teams are Detroit, New England, NY Jets, Washington or Philly, each with an even 20% chance of being chosen.
Detroit last visited London in 2015, where they took an epic beating at the hands of Alex Smith and the Chiefs. The Lions aren’t really an international fan draw, and with so many changes in the organisation, an unlikely pairing for this match.
Washington is rebuilding not only as a team, but also as a franchise. With owner Dan Snyder under the microscope for being a bit naughty, it’s unlikely that the league would want him to travel internationally, where the foreign press would be keen to address his ‘reputation’.
The Eagles were only here in 2018, with Carson Wentz carving out a win over the hapless Jaguars. Very doubtful that they would be back here again this soon.
New York Jets and New England Patriots are the other teams that could be London bound.
Jets owner (and former UK Ambassador-Woody Johnson) is back home & working in the vaccine factory, so he might be inclined to not let his team back to his former home. The Jets last played in London in 2015, beating the Dolphins in a Wembley stinker.
Bill Belichick and the boys haven’t played in London since 2015, when a guy named Tom Brady was still at QB.
The Patriots have shed a lot of weight, personnel and allure as of late, with the team missing their first playoffs in decades.
Given that they are the only team with ‘England’ in their name, they would be odds on favourites to make the crowds happy, and sell tickets.
Boston is the closest US city to fly to London, so that 5 hours might seem like nothing compared to West coast jaunts.
After all, who wouldn’t want a Super Bowl matchup in England?
Let’s do it!
Prediction: New England Patriots

Full Prediction

We think the 2021 NFL London will be…the Atlanta Falcons hosting the New England Patriots at Wembley on Sunday October 17th, 2021

In closing, we have no idea what is really going to happen.
Covid is still on the field, and despite vaccine efforts, we still don’t know what the NFL could look like for this season.
Commissioner Goodell has promised that we will have ‘100% capacity’ at all stadiums, but that could be about as accurate as our predictions.

Watch this space as we will have full details on who is playing the Atlanta Falcons here as soon as we know it.  London is calling Atlanta!

TNF-Falcons vs Panthers

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Let’s take a stroll down to the dirty south, as the filthy Falcons visit the poo-stained Panthers in what should be another Thursday Night Game.
None of these teams would ever have expected to start the 2020 season only to be out of it halfway through.
Here we are on a dark, dank Thursday to see this one through, luckily most UK fans will be in bed.

Falcons (1-6) vs Panthers (3-4)
Panthers -3  + 49

Falcons

The Falcons have allowed more come from behinds than a tramp-stamp, boasting some of the most embarrassing scores thus far this season. Despite Matt Ryan throwing up hundreds of yards every game, Atlanta has looked like a hot mess in every aspect thus far.
Their O-line is as porous as a tea bag, their D is shot, and have so many injuries that they should qualify for benefits.
Last week against the Lions was a debacle, as Gurley did the one thing Matt Ryan asked him not to do…score a TD.
Fortunately for them however, they are starting to get some of their team mates back, including Old Faithful Julio Jones.
The last time these teams played a few weeks ago, the Falcons lost 23-26, but that doesn’t seem likely again this week.

Panthers

Carolina started the season out by losing the top running back in the game, only to string some wins together despite the key injury. Teddy Bridgewater looked good, Mike Davis was a nice surprise, and Robby Anderson and DJ Moore were suddenly fantasy studs…then they started to lose.
The Panthers have struggled recently, as their defence hasn’t been able to keep up with other teams that are scoring at will.
Christian McCaffery is still out, which means the Panthers will struggle once again against an Atlanta team who finally won a game in week 6.
Carolina is in free fall, and they are going to need some healthy returners if they want to even think at making a playoff run.

Prediction

Atlanta will be pissed from losing last week when they were favoured to win 99%-1% with 60 seconds left in the game. Todd Gurley should have a bounce back game, and Ridley will score at least 1 TD.
Not worth staying up for, but will be a great game to catch up on with your coffee on Friday morning.

Falcons 26 Panthers 23

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Karen Falcon

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What happens when you anger a Karen from Atlanta? She burns all her Falcons gear and gives you an ear full that’s what.

The Falcons are off to an atrocious season, and have been victim to more cumbacks than Jenna Jameson in the 90s. Matty Ice has been playing well, despite the fact his team continues to be crippled by injuries.

Not sure why someone would spend thousands on merch only to toss it into the flames a short time later. Don’t hate the players, hate the game.

The Falcons should bounce back in week 4 when they face the…Packers. Really, the Packers? Yeah-they’re going to be 0-4 next week.
Get your jerseys ready Atlanta, red and black might be burning on Monday morning.

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!