NFL in London

National Football League in London

Atlanta NFL London 2021

June Memes

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This is when the boredom and frustration of the NFL season sets in…hurry up and wait.

With the OTAs kicking off, and the drama around the league, sometimes it’s good to just appreciate an NFL laugh.
Which is why we give you some June Memes.

Memes never existed during our parents NFL years.
Sure, there might be a cheeky cartoon in Playboy one month, but never were we treated to technological and art editing moments that the memes of today bring us.

Of course there are some current memes that are killing it right now, so the ones to watch out for are….

Tom Brady Memes

TB12 has just learned how to use the graphics and social posts on his phone. Look out. Brady had some fun this week trashing his old pal Aaron Rodgers and his golfing partner Bryson DeChambeau.
Knowing how much golfer Brooks Koepka got pissed off at Bryson a few weeks ago, Tommy Boy took to his phone to show that he too can have some fun.
Brady having fun?
Look out league.

The rest of the best are below.
Obviously no one is as good as TB12 in creating memes, which means the rest of us should just quit.
Unless we can train Michael Jordan to create memes…then we have a chance.

May Memeries

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Can we get some NFL going? Please?
It’s only May, and we have a drenchingly wet summer ahead of us in Britain-but everyone is ready for some football.
To keep you satiated with NFL content, we bring you some May Memeries.

For those of you not based in the UK, it has been the coldest, wettest spring in over 40 years. The temperature rarely breaks 15c, the wind has been tossing pub marquees across the country, and we’re even wearing wellies to bed. (rubber boots for y’all)

It’s hard to find that football motivation sometimes, but with the October games only a few months away, it’s time to get off your ass and find some NFL inspiration.

London Game Update

We still have no idea what is going to happen here in the UK.
It must be frustrating for the 32 billionaires who own the teams to have to listen to elected officials who have no real ‘power’, but here we are.
A new variant is racing across the vaccinated in Britain, and stadium events are still a questionable activity.
We’re hoping that once the heat of the summer starts to burn away the malaise, (and virus) that we will have more information for you.
Both NFL games are still on, tickets are on sale, and people are getting ready for fun again.

Speaking of fun, here is a selection of memes from the past week to add a little laughter to your wet weekend.

That’s it for the memes from this week. We will be back with more NFL in London fun, as well as any news about the upcoming London games.

Make sure you follow us across social media for more information.

 

2021 Team Schedules

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The NFL has released the 2021 Team Schedules, and all signs point to football coming back.
Boy are we ready!

Much like every incarnation of the NFL, the release of the season schedule brings with it much pomp, circumstance, and privacy.
In years past, NFL season schedules were typed, printed, faxed, and usually made it to a 4×4 square on page 98 of the sports pages.

Oh how times have changed!
Teams are now adding a bit of pizzazz to the proceedings, with great graphics, poignant puns, and plenty of trash talk when targeting their opponents on twitter.

We’ve added some of the team schedules of all the NFL teams, so that you can plan your viewing excitement come September.

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo opens up their 2021 season with a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This should be a great test to open up the playoff chances of the Bills against a team that went 11-0 to start off the season.
The Bills end their season with the Jets, which is always nice for an easy ‘W’

Cleveland Browns

The Browns added some style to their 2021 Schedule release, with some throwback graphics and helmet overlays for their opponents.
Sadly for the Browns, their season starts with the Kansas City Chiefs, who gave the Browns a right kicking last time.
Fortunately, they end the season off with a game against the Bengals.

Carolina Panthers

Keeping it simple, the Carolina Panthers threw down the blue and black for their 2021 schedule. First up is Sam Darnold and his ‘ghosts’, as the Panthers face the New York Jets in an anticipated match-up. The Panthers also have a Boxing Day game against the Bucs, which should be exciting as well.
Sadly their last game of the season is also against the Bucs.

Chicago Bears

The Bears went all ‘Insta’ on their schedule release, with a simple image that looks like Jackson Pollock doodled all over the bottom of the page.
The Bears have one of the toughest schedules in the league for 2021, and an opening game against the LA Rams will certainly be a test.
Chicago also has to face the Vikings in weeks 15 and 18, which could have playoff implications.
Unless they totally suck.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are a team in need of direction, which shows in their 2021 schedule release. Plenty of space, but not a lot of info-fitting for this Denver team.
Denver still has that begging question ‘Are we getting Aaron Rodgers’, which could add to the team drama.
With a regular season game against the Kansas City Chiefs, an Aaron Rodgers led team could lead to an epic finale.

Green Bay Packers

Get your cheese-heads ready, we’re in for a wild ride Green Bay.
More drama than your mama, the Packers are watching their dirty laundry bounce around the neighbourhood.
Even if AR does return, what kind of toxicity will be in that locker room?
Fortunately for the Packers, their last game of the season is the Detroit Lions.

Indianapolis Colts

What can the Colts do this season? They have been ‘luckless’ as of late, with Phillip Rivers dribbling in the cup on the way to a lack lustre season.
They’ve got Carson Wentz, and the Seattle Seahawks as their first opponent.
The Colts finish their season with a divisional matchup with the Jags.
Are the Colts playoff bound this year?

There are 272 games across 18 weeks.
Some will be amazing.
Some you will only watch on catch-up the next day.
Isn’t it great to have the NFL back?

Wild Draft Predictions

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Life is like a box of chocolates.
Either it gets picked apart by your family, gives you diabetes, or is accidentally left in a car and melts into a goopy puddle.
The point being, you can never be too sure. 

Every year, the NFL Draft hits us with someone wild and wacky-and this year could be no different.
What kind of insane in the membrane trades, moves and hustles could happen in Cleveland this year?
That’s why we have our 2021 Wild Draft Predictions. 

In the NFL the crazier…the more entertaining. 

Pundits and prognosticators have all pulled their polls to make their sure thing bets.
But are they sure things?
Trevor Lawrence is first out and off to the Jaguars? Maybe.
https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nfl/draft-odds/
Kyle Pitts can play every position. Really?
The Bears will screw up the draft…ok, that’s possible. 

To honour the wackiness that is the NFL Draft, we have tallied a bunch of ‘out there’ predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft.
From fades to trades, bold calls to wild conjecture….we have it all for you.

So let’s get in with some of the most out there NFL predictions to cover our betting butts. 

1. Trevor Lawrence to the CFL

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? Well the NFL couldn’t.
After a blockbuster move to secure the XFL and partner it with the CFL, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes his biggest move by convincing Trevor Lawrence to eschew the NFL and head north young man.
Lawrence heads to Saskatchewan to train with the Roughriders, before taking over his own franchise the Newfoundland Nuggets. 

2. Justin Fields Forever

Rumours began to circulate that something was up with Justin Fields, and that perhaps he wasn’t what or whom he appeared to be.
On Draft Day that becomes apparent when the Zoom camera pans in on Fields and his family, only to reveal Colin Kaepernick.
As it turns out, Colin has kidnapped Fields and his family for one last shot at greatness.
Despite numerous blood transfusions and bone grafts Kaep once again fails to deliver for his team.
Fields is eventually released by Colin and the captors, but once again-the damage is already done. 

3. Manziel Mania

The NFL Draft is in Cleveland?
Johnny Manziel is ‘Mr Cleveland’!
Manziel decides to take his shot at crashing the 2021 NFL Draft to promote his new vaccine ‘Johnny Football’, aptly named as it is made from rendered pigskin.
To promote the event, Manziel hires idiot/dunce Jake Paul to deliver the vaccines to people by ‘punching it in their face.’
Paul uses the platform to announce his upcoming fight against the all of the patients in a children’s hospital.
If the children can beat him, he will give them a ‘shout-out’.

4. Jets get an 8 Ball

After years of bad draft picks, the New York Jets have let it slip that they have a new tool for drafting this year…the Magic 8 Ball.
Instead of using sports science, the Jets are opting to let magic be their guide to post season glory.
New head coach Robert Saleh will franticly shake the ball prior to each round to find their ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘maybe’s for 2021.
Unfortunately for Saleh, owner Woody Johnson likes the ‘pluck’ of the 8 ball and decides to fire all of his coaching staff to let it coach the Jets in 2022.
They make it to the AFC final. 

5. Ballin’ Bezos

Jeff Bezos is rolling in it.
From the billions he made from selling off Amazon shares, to his neighbours wife who he took just because he could…everything is rolling up JB!
Bezos goes full baller this NFL Draft when he rolls in without a team and announcing ‘I’m not leaving here without my own team.’
Jaws drop, wallets are rummaged and Bezos walks out with not one, but 2 NFL teams. 

Amazonian Jeff not only snags the Chargers for his trophy case, but also snags the Buffalo Bills ‘in case he wants wings.’
As he leaves, Bezos ‘makes it rain’ dolla bills, with images of Usher on every bill. 

Those are our bold predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft, what are yours?
Make sure you listen to our post Draft podcast this week to see how close we all were.

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!