NFL in London

National Football League in London

bill belichick

TNF-Bucs vs Bears

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Thursday Night Football (TNF) is back for week 5, with an exciting matchup between Tom Brady and the Bucs versus Nick Foles and the Bears. This game could be very good, if Chicago bothers to deliver their a-game.

Most Thursday night football games have been a massive bore, and the hatred of these games is well documented by the players. These games are even tougher to watch in the UK, where the games start at 1:30am and finish around the time the tube opens. Unless you are a total diehard fan, a cokehead or a shift worker, these can be difficult to watch when you have a ‘life’.
Of course, it’s the age of Covid 19, who has the time to have a life?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady is 3-1 to start the season, despite an early beating by the Saints. In week 4, TB12 and crew looked human, as Justin Herbert was able to march down the field with ease, hitting numerous receivers & making the Bucs D look pedestrian. This is no easy feat, as the Bucs boast one of the best defensive lines in the league.
Brady was also on fire, throwing for 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers. Most of this action came in the second half, when the Bucs were able to catch their breath and mount an attack, even without Chris Godwin.
Chicago’s D will pose a new challenge for TB12, but after seeing what Philip Rivers was able to do last week against the Bears, Brady should have no problem picking holes in a secondary that got gashed in mid field passes.
OJ Howard will be out again, which means that pitiful Rob Gronkowski should be able to see more touches in this one. Gronk has been dropped by numerous fantasy teams, so the faith in the big man has waned over the past few weeks.
Both teams have only had 4 days to prepare, but you would have to give the edge to Tom & Bruce for being able to pull it together for this one.

Chicago Bears

The Bears are 3-1, but are they really. Pundits were quick to jump on the Bears as imposters, as the first 3 wins came from Mitch Trubisky rallies in the second half.
Nick Foles has done what Foles does. He is able to muster a comeback, but put him in a starting role, and he is inconsistent and awkward.
Perhaps the Bears should look at starting Mitch, then bringing in Foles in when the game starts to go awry. At least this way opposing defensives would have to prepare for two different quarterbacks, which is some advantage.
The Bucs have the best run D in the league right now, so Montgomery will be facing loads of walls in this one. Hopefully the Bears stop trying to use Cordarelle Patterson in a RB role up the middle. It has not worked once this season, and he ends up getting smashed into a wall of opposition. They have yet to effectively use him in a slant or option role, and should explore that before the dude gets busted.
Foles looked ineffective last week against the Colts, and missed on numerous easy passes.
If he can’t find room in a defence that was ripped apart by Justin Herbert last week, we will quickly find ourselves in a new quarterback controversy.

Prediction

The Bucs will establish themselves quickly, with Mike Evans swamping the hapless Bears with his size and speed. The Bears will continue to go 3 and out in their initial drives until they finally get some scores in the second half. By then, it will be too late.

Bucs 30 Bears 20

 

Passing Leaders-Week 4

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Dak Prescott might not be able to get all the W’s, but he certainly is racking up the yards heading into week 4. The cowboys have face some tough opposition, but Dak has been able to keep games close by torching weak midfields with his relentless attacks. He’s facing a tough Browns D this week, so we’ll see if he can hold onto number 1.

Josh Allen is more like ‘Josh Alien’ with his out of this world passing and runs. He needed to pull it all together last week to stop the Rams from ruining his parade. Josh will face the Raiders this week, which has enough holes for Allen to exploit.

Matt Ryan is on fire, too bad it’s like one of those bag of dog poo fires that gets all over you. Matty Ice has been connecting downfield, but not enough to give them the scores. He faces the Packers this week who are tough to pass against. Matty might drop this week.

Russell Wilson is the man, and he could have jumped higher up the rankings had DK Metcalf not been a silly-willy-nilly and let that ball get knocked out in the end zone. He will look to feast on a Miami D in week 4.

Patrick Mahomes might be only the 4th rated NFL player by his peers, but heading into week 4 he’s #5 in passing yards. He’s playing Bill Belichick and the Patriots this week, so let’s see if he can carve those stats even higher.

Who will have the best passing yards this week? Make sure you play along in our fantasy contests to win big.

 

Week 3 Results

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Well that was an explosive week 3 in the NFL. Most of the early games started off quite slowly with low scores on Sunday, and then the scoring happened. And boy did those touchdowns fly.
Atlanta suffered another humiliation, having blown more leads than a pitbull walker. Buffalo almost suffered the same fate, but were able to rebound thanks to the heroics of Josh Allen, and the Cowboys found another way to lose.
Wade was able to bounce back with a respectable 11-5, while Ryan was able to muster a 7-9 to round out the week.
Where did they go right? Where did they go wrong?

Wrong

Panthers 21 Chargers 16

Oh Carolina! The Panthers were 6.5 point underdogs in this match, and were able to take advantage of some sloppy turnovers to win this game. Even without Christian McCaffery, the Panthers were able to capitalise on Charger mistakes to hold on for the win. They also took advantage of a weak Los Angeles O-line to get to pretty boy Justin Herbert. Herbert looked good throwing for another 300 yard game, but if he can’t be protected, what’s the point?

Lions 26 Cardinals 23

Kyler Murray looked human as the Lions were able to put together some solid scoring drives to not let their lead slip away. In their first win in 11 months, the Lions were able to get some confidence back in holding the high scoring Cardinals at bay. In the end it was the Lions D who was able to do the job, snagging 3 turnovers to keep them in the game. The Lions play the Saints next week, so they will need to let that glow of the W fade away as they prepare for week 4 reality.

Right

Bengals 23 Eagles 23

The first tie of the year, and the Eagles should feel crappy about it. Despite being favoured by 6 points, they struggled against a plucky Joe Burrow, while Carson Wentz was booed by a crowd less stadium. Burrow was able to go 31 for 44 and 312 yards, which is pretty amazing considering his O line offers as much protection as crotchless panties. Wentz looked like he was the rookie, chucking INTs and plagued by ghosts like Sam Darnold. Both Wade & Ryan thought that Cinci would cover, and they sure did.

Steelers 28 Texans 21

Bill O’Brien might actually get fired this year, as his Texans are taking a beating at ever corner. The Steelers spent a good chunk of this game just trying to slow down DeShaun Watson, until they decided to change strategy and attack the end zone. The punishment was too much for the Texans who couldn’t keep up with Big Ben and co. There were times when it looked like Pittsburgh wouldn’t cover that 4 point favour, but they were able to calm down, focus and hold off a Texans team that is now 0-3.

Wade’s Wisdom

Bears 30 Falcons 26

Big Dick Nick is the Comeback King. Yes, that sounds like a channel on PornHub, but Foles gave Bears fan a chubby with his ability to rebound against the Falcons. Wade wasn’t going to bet against his Bears, and was confident that the Falcons would choke. If Atlanta had a PornHub channel, it would be ‘Choke me Daddy til I pass out.’ Trubisky had a fun little run, but when it came down to precision and leading the Bears up the field, it was Foles all the way.

Chiefs 34 Ravens 20

Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers seem to be building momentum this season, so it’s really hard to bet against them in key matches. Given that Lamar Jackson has never beaten Patty, Wade wasn’t keen on that happening on MNF. Lamar Jackson had his run shut down by the Chiefs fast and furious D, while Mahomes was just sublime in moving the ball down the field. Wade didn’t bet against Mahomes, either should you…yet.

 

MNF-Chiefs vs Ravens

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As if week 3 couldn’t get any more dramatic, now we have the epic Monday night match-up between Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, visiting Lamar Jackson at the Ravens. One of these teams will be 2-1 tomorrow, the other will be 3-0…who could it be.

UK NFL fans always get shafted on Monday nights, as the games don’t start until 1:20, and finish around 4:30am on a Tuesday morning. Unless you’re an insomniac, shift worker, or happen to be on cocaine, it is very unlikely you will get to watch these games in real time.
Of course we are in the middle of a global pandemic, so who the heck cares?

Lamar Jackson has yet to beat Mahomes, so you can imagine this is probably the top line of his vision board. Last year the Chiefs were able to smother him on D, as well as rely on PM to toss the ball all over the Ravens D. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they don’t have a lot of those key players back, so Patty might find himself being run down a few times throughout the game.

The Chiefs struggled against the Chargers last week, so it gave Baltimore and insight into how to beat Mahomes. Pressure the hell out of him. The Ravens have a superior D to the Chargers, so they should be able to mess up his mojo throughout the game.
The Chiefs have an advantage in the weapons at Mahomes’ disposal. Tyreek Hill should be able to find some space, and Kelce will be looking to grab first downs in key situations.

This is a tough game to predict, and I have gone back and forth on this one, especially after watching the crazy scores on Sunday. That being said, I still believe in the Chiefs more in this one after their scare in LA last week. This will be a back and forth scoring fiesta, but I think that the Chiefs will be able to rally and win this one. Even if they lose by 1 point, I like them to cover in this game.

Prediction
Chiefs 30 Ravens 27

DraftKings-Week 2 Picks

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It’s time to pick some Fantasy fellas for Week 2, after some of the amazing performances (& ridiculous injuries) in Week 1, I am a little more prepared for this week.
If you want to play along with us, join our DraftKings League ‘NFL in London’, it’s a fun group with free and paid contests to whet your fantasy appetite.
Join here:

https://dkn.gs/r/kwxDR0JIokKPkA6cPjCtNA

Here are some of my picks to look at for Week 2 in DraftKings.

QB

Aaron Rodgers $6900

After the smokeshow he laid on the Vikings, it’s hard to imagine Rodgers dropping his numbers against the Lions. After the Bears and Trubisky laid on multiple 4th quarter touchdowns last week, AR should have a good 4 TD game. Compared to Mahomes, he’s a pretty good value.

Josh Allen $6700

He can throw, he can run, he is the Buffalo chicken wing. Allen is facing the woeful Dolphins this week, which means that he should be able to feast on their dolphin meat like Cam Newton did last week. If Cam can run the fins ragged by using his feet, Allen will also look to have a pretty good ground day. Unlike Cam, Allen has some great receivers who will turn and burn the field all day. The only worry I have is Miami plays unusually well at home in September with humidity and hurricane season working to their advantage.

RBs

Nyheim Hines $5300

With Marlon Mack going down last week, Nyheim Hines & Jonathan Taylor jump up the ranks to 1 & 2. Look for Rivers to use them both effectively against the Vikings defence. Minnesota was weak against the run last week against the Packers, so look for this 1-2 punch of guys to punch the Vikes in the face. Hines should get a couple of short run TDs.

Todd Gurley $6100

Gurley was able to find success against the Seahawks last week, so he should be able to continue grabbing points against the Cowboys this week. Gurley is a great distraction for Matt Ryan as he can be used effectively on the run and in short passing situations.

Miles Sanders $6000

Will he play or will he stay now? Sanders practised this week fully, which is a good sign for any fantasy fans. The Eagles will need him against the fierce front of the Rams who threw Zeke around last week. He still might not be fully used, but if he is, he will be good value for short yard TDs.

WRs

Robby Anderson $5200

Anderson has his groove back thanks to Teddy B and the Panthers. He was wicked last week going 6/8 114 yards and a touchdown. The Bucs were torched by the Saints receivers last week, so Robby could get a few yards while Tampa figures out how to stop McCaffery.

Darius Slayton $5000

Slayton was on fire in Week 1 against the Steelers, going 6/9, 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he can get that against Pittsburgh, then the Bears will have to look out. They got burned hard by Stafford last week, and Slayton will carve them up if they don’t figure out how to stop him.

Davante Adams $8100

Rodgers number one guy will be his number one target against the Lions on Sunday, and he will be poised for another big performance. Even if they double team Adams, he still finds ways to make ridiculous catches. He had 156 yards and 2 TDs last week, he can probably top that this week.

TE

Tyley Higbee $4700

The big man on the Rams was an often target for Goff last week for some pretty nifty catches. He is bound to make some bigger plays against an Eagles team that struggles to contain good tight ends.

Zach Ertz $5600

And on the other side of the ball, the guy the Eagles will look to in short and long yard situations. Heck, Wentz will look for him all day. He’s a little pricier, but he’s sure to get at least one TD on Sunday.

DEF

Buccaneers $2900

Sure, they got torched by the Saints last week, but they were able to put some pressure on Brees to be able to stay in the game. The Panthers have a very weak O-line, so look for the Bucs D to get to Teddy B and disrupt some big plays.

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Enjoy your Sunday and let us know if you want to play in any of our Fantasy Leagues. The more the merrier!