NFL in London

National Football League in London

callum squires

The Picks Six

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Okay… well… let’s call that an inauspicious start. In the debut week of this column, my week 6 picks were… largely disappointing. My overall week predictions (9-5) salvaged my tips which did not have a particularly impressive showing. Largely, the blame for this falls squarely at the feet of two teams: The New England Patriots, who inexplicably made the beaten up Denver Broncos look like the ‘85 Bears, and the Cleveland Browns who… ugh… Browns-d it right up against the Steelers. Should I have seen that coming? Probably. Anyway, new week, new me! Let’s go again. Redemption starts here. Same concept: Six sections, including sure things, longshot punts and a prediction for every game. 

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The 1st and Goal from the 1. (Season Record: 1-1)

So somehow went 1-1 last week on this. Shoutout the Dolphins for doing what they were supposed to, even when Cam was too incompetent to do his job… 

Okay. Simple things. That’s what we’re looking for here. So… Who is the worst team in the NFL? Gang Green: The 0-6 New York Jets. And who are said Jets playing this week? Oh, the Bills of Buffalo? With one Joshua Allen at Quarterback? He who has a rocket arm and legs that carry his big sturdy frame forward at alarming speed and momentum? I like him. He wasn’t good against the Chiefs – but we’ll blame the conditions a bit – so I expect Josh to bounce back big here. The Jets are firmly planted in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. The Bills win this game. ZERO doubt.

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The 45yd Field Goal (Season Record: 0-1)

This line should be posted all over the Cowboys’ locker room walls. The UTTER disrespect… Dallas are ONE POINT favourites against the 1-4, very average, lacking in any real talent beyond Terry McLaurin and Chase Young Washington Football Team. Yeah, I get it: The Cowboys were awful on Monday. Dalton didn’t sling it like we were expecting (see, my over losing), Zeke’s hands have been replaced with sticks of butter, and their defense couldn’t stop a team of referees from picking up a first down. BUT this is still the Dallas Cowboys offense. Zeke will not keep putting the ball on the ground. The Cowboys should run (and throw) all over this team. Dallas Cowboys -1.0. Yes please.

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The Hail Mary (Season Record: 0-1)

So we need a long shot, or at least big odds for this one. There aren’t many underdogs I like on the board this week, so I’m sticking to heavily backing a favourite I love. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, but the Jets are AWFUL. Even with Sam Darnold back, they’re not good enough to put a fight up against the Bills. The Bills defense held up quite respectably against the Chiefs passing attack, and Frank Gore is not going to run through the Bills like Clyde Edwards-Helaire did. Josh Allen will sling it, the Bills will score points. I like the Bills to win every quarter at 7/1. 

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The Over (Season Record: 0-1)

Oooooooh there could be some points scored this weekend… lots of tasty matchups which I can see disintegrating into shootouts and garbage time touchdowns. So I’m gonna rattle off a few here:

Browns vs Bengals – Over 50.5

Well, Baker HAS to bounce back. The Browns really need this game, but a scrappy Cincinnati team (who pushed the Colts close last week) can put up some resistance. The Browns have been quietly very good on offense aside from in their two lopsided losses. I don’t think they lose this game; I think they score 30+ on a below-par Bengals defense. Joe Burrow is good enough and determined enough to keep himself in the game – despite the absence of Joe Mixon. Points. 

Lions vs Falcons – Over 55.0

Yep, the line is high, but Stafford and Ryan could very legitimately shred each other’s DBs all afternoon long. D’Andre Swift has started to break out a little bit, and Gurley and Hurst are providing a nice compliment to Atlanta’s stacked WR room. It’s high, but I think it’ll get there. 

Seahawks vs Cardinals – Over 56.0

Another high line, but the newly-flexed Sunday Night Football matchup is one of the most electric of the weekend. Russ gets back in the kitchen, ready to cook after his bye week. Kyler is fast becoming the one rival to Lamar’s title of biggest dual threat Quarterback. Hopkins, Kirk and Fitz vs Lockett, Moore and Metcalf. Carson vs Drake. Carroll vs Kingsbury. Nobody on the field will want to defend. 28 points each has been almost a guarantee for these two teams so far. Let’s keep that run going. 

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The Parlay (Winning Parlays: 0/1, Winning Legs: 3/5) 

Browns -3.0

I know. I know. I know. We took Cleveland last week, and they burned us. I know. BUT this is a new week, and much less formidable defense for Baker to throw against. The Browns torched the Bengals earlier this season and I think a Cleveland win by a TD or more is likely. 

Panthers +7.0

Now, I do think the Saints win this game, but Teddy Bridge is good enough to keep it close. 7 points feels like a lot for a Saints team who – whilst coming off a bye – are missing their top two WRs to injury and the COVID-list. I expect a heavy dose of Alvin Kamara and Mike Davis respectively. Tight game, Saints win, Panthers cover the 7 points. 

Cowboys -1.0

See above… this line feels fraudulent. The Cowboys comeback story arc starts here. 

Bills -10.0

Yuuuuuuup, it’s a lot of points. How many did the Jets lose by last week? 24!? 24 to 0!? Against the Dolphins!? Okay, ha, yeah, definitely Bills -10.0.

Patriots -2.0

Bill is angry. Cam is angry. Stephon is angry. The whole of Boston is angry. The Patriots conspired to lose a game where their opposition didn’t score a Touchdown… HUUUUUH!? Yup. Somehow, that’s what happened. But this is the perfect bounce back game. Bill gets to shut down the guy he traded away. I don’t believe Jimmy G is good enough to beat the team who had earmarked him as the heir to TB12. They traded him for a reason. Shanahan will have some plans cooked up, but I think the Niners are still too injury ravaged to hand the Patriots another loss. 

£10 on this parlay pays about £235 depending on your bookmaker.

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The Full English (Season Record: 9-5)

Bills vs Jets – Bills

Panthers vs Saints – Saints

Browns vs Bengals – Browns

Washington vs Cowboys – Cowboys

Lions vs Falcons – Falcons

Packers vs Texans – Packers

Steelers vs Titans – Steelers (But this is such a toss up, won’t be at all surprised if Tennessee win)

Buccaneers vs Raiders – Buccaneers (piss off please Covid… I want to watch this game)

Jaguars vs Chargers – Chargers

Chiefs vs Broncos – Chiefs

49ers vs Patriots – Patriots

Seahawks vs Cardinals – Seahawks

Bears vs Rams – Rams 

Enjoy your week 7! As ever, I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter & Instagram. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see me discuss or suggest picks for… Come chat and tell me why I’m wrong and your team is going to win this week. Jets fans need not contact me. Cheers.

All lines accurate as of 11pm Friday.

-Callum Squires is a British writer and former college athlete in America

The Picks Six

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Yo! Welcome to the first edition of The Picks Six. This is a new concept, so bare with me whilst I figure it out. But each week I’m gonna give 6 types of picks or tips for the upcoming slate of games. Each category is a little different; some are sure fire “this is definitely going to happen,” and some are long shots “this is a bit of a dream but it’s plausible at least.” Like for example last week. I thought the Dolphins had a great shot at upsetting the 49ers. And they did. Wish I’d started this column last week now… We’ll keep track of how I do in each category so you can know which ones to trust and which ones to laugh at. 

Anyway… for us Brits, this week’s Sky Sports Slate of games is absolutely electric. Steelers vs Browns, Buccaneers vs Packers, Rams vs 49ers (ehhhh okay not great), Bills vs Chiefs AND Cardinals vs Cowboys? 4 out of 5 are legitimately must see. But if I can avoid watching Jimmy G I will absolutely do so, so let’s just pretend that game isn’t happening for the rest of this article? Cool! Let’s get stuck into my picks. 

1) The 1st and Goal from the One 

This is my lock of the week. A sure fire winner surely. 

I’m very tempted to pick the Panthers to beat the (extremely fraudulent, sorry not sorry Wade) 4-1 Bears, but I’m not quite as confident in that as a couple other options this weekend. It’s two AFC East teams, and I just cannot see any way they lose this weekend. I’m talking about the Patriots and the Dolphins. New England have seemingly survived Cam’s corona scare… and he’s back this week to face the fairly unfortunate Broncos, who have been decimated by injuries and then this week had the story of Melvin Gordon getting a DUI. It’s not been great for Denver, and I don’t think their luck changes on Sunday. Belichick can see a glimmer of light at the top of the AFC East after the Bills lost on Tuesday night. I’m taking the Patriots to win in comfortable fashion. BUT – as a bonus for the first week of this column, I’m also taking the Dolphins, who face the newly LeVeon Bell-less Jets. Adam Gase man… where do you even start? Probably best to make this quick. Brian Flores has the Dolphins playing great football and winning games. The Jets are absolutely horrific. I feel (for once) very confident that my Fins get their 3rd win of the season on Sunday.

2) The 45yd Field Goal (around even odds)

This is my mid-range, toss up of the week. 

So my pick is going to Green to beat Tampa in the matchup I’ve dubbed “battle of the bays.” I’m sure that’s copyrighted by someone else but hey, it sounds good. Tommy B has been up and down since relocating to Florida, and AA Rod is in the middle of his “how dare you not rank me in the top 10 of the NFL 100” revenge tour. It’s hard for me to understand why the Packers are ONLY favoured by a solitary point here coming off a Bye last week. I know the Buccaneers defense is tasty, but Aaron Jones and the (hopefully) returning healthy Davante Adams are too electrifying to stop, and they’ll both benefit from having the other in the lineup. Let’s go for Green Bay -1.0.

3). The Hail Mary (4/1 or longer)

This is my shot from half field. Unlikely, but you never know. 

The AFC North is fast confirming itself to be – alongside the NFC West – the best division in Football. The Ravens, Steelers AND (surprisingly) Browns are all proving themselves to be playoff calibration teams, with potential SuperBowl aspirations. Big Ben’s comeback player of the year campaign is off to a flyer, and rookie WR Chase Claypool set the Fantasy Football world on fire last week with 45 points in his 4TD demolition of the Eagles. Cleveland faced their toughest defense (since the Ravens in week 1) and dismantled the Colts with relative ease. Baker looked good, Kareem Hunt is running like he did in Kansas City, and OBJ has maybe got his mojo back. I’m so excited for this matchup. BUT I think this really means a lot to the Browns. They’re used to getting eviscerated by Pittsburgh and, after the “contentious” ending to last season’s second matchup (you know, the one with the attempted murder??), I think Myles Garrett will be out for… errr… sacks!? Cleveland are the underdogs but if they can get the run game going they can limit the Steelers’ time of possession. Ben will always air it out to try and catch up but I think the Browns have enough to not only upset the Steelers but win by a wider margin than expected.

We’re gonna go Cleveland Browns to win by 7-12 points. 

4) The Over

I like points. Sue me. Give me 45-44 over 17-14 every day. I’m a Big XII guy. Points points points. Throw the ball. So, I’m using this section to look at the points totals and pick an over that I like. 

Cardinals @ Cowboys – Over 55.0

Yeah, it’s a high line, but this has “shootout” written all over it. I love the Cardinals. I absolutely love them. They’re so exciting. Kyler is a speed demon. Hopkins is – for me – the best receiver in the league. Their run game has struggled but we all know Kenyan Drake could just turn it on one week and blow people away again. And then you’ve got Dallas. Firstly, get well soon Dak. Secondly, Andy Dalton is… not Dak Prescott, but has a better set of weapons in Dallas than he EVER had in Cincinnati. Lamb, Cooper & Gallup can cause Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals DBs a lot of issues, creating space for Zeke between the tackles, especially now Chandler Jones is done for the year. But Kyler and Hopkins will feast on a suspect Cowboys secondary that made the Giants look like an offensive powerhouse at times last week. I’m excited to see these two offenses beat up on the defenses on Monday Night. 

5) The Parlay

A little 5 team accumulator for the people. 

Titans -3.5 (how are Tennessee, who are 4-0, only -3.5 against a 1-4 Houston team?!)

Dolphins -10.0 (yeah, it’s A LOT of points for the Dolphins and Fitzmagic to cover… BUT… I mean… have you SEEN the Jets?)

Patriots -9.5 (Cam’s back, and the Broncos are broken. Even if Drew Lock plays, the New England defense is nasty enough to give him nightmares)

Browns +3.5 (I think they win outright, but the FG + a half point here makes this feel like a safe bet)

Lions -3.0 (Golladay back, Sacksonville ain’t what it used to be, Lions managed to beat the Cardinals – a GOOD team – earlier this year. I trust Stafford to win this game)

£10 on this pays about £260 depending on your Bookmaker.

6) The Full English

This is just gonna be my straight up, nice and simple, prediction for who wins every single game each week. We’ll keep a rolling total and win % for me and hopefully it’ll be a number significantly higher than 50…

ATL vs MIN – Atlanta

BAL vs PHI – Ravens

CHI vs CAR – Panthers

CIN vs IND – Colts

CLE vs PIT – Browns

DEN vs NE – Patriots

DET vs JAX – Lions

HOU vs TEN – Titans

WAS vs NYG – Giants

NYJ vs MIA – Dolphins

GB vs TB – Packers

LAR vs SF – Rams

KC vs BUF – Chiefs

ARI vs DAL – Cardinals

And that’s it! Can’t wait to get absolutely none of these right this week. Hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts. Fingers crossed you come back next week. I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter and Instagram if you wanna chat further. Have a good one!

All Lines and Totals accurate as of Friday 16th October at 15:00. 

Callum Squires is a London based writer, Dolphins fan and regular contributor to NFL in London. 

SuperBowl Review Podcast

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The SuperBowl is done and dusted, congratulations to the Chiefs, Kansas City, the state of Missouri, and of course Patrick Mahomes. They defeated the 49ers in epic style, and made for one of the more entertaining SuperBowl’s in the Tom Brady era.

Our podcast is back after a wee break from everything NFL. Wade is joined by our very own Brit Callum Squires as we jump back into all things NFL.

In this episode the guys talk about all of the big issues in the NFL at the moment, including:

SuperBowl 54. What happened in the game, what were the refs doing, and what a machine Patrick Mahomes is.

Tom Brady. What’s up with this dick-tease? Is he really going to leave bean town, or is he just testing the waters to see what the Pats will do?

Drew Brees. Db is back with the Saints for another year. What does the team need to do to excel at the next level.

Taysom Hill. If Drew is back, what about Taysom? Should be looking at a starting role somewhere else, or should be a happy back-up?

Phillip Rivers- 9 kids and fired from his job. Where’s a good River to flow?

Myles Garrett. He’s back, and immediately calling ‘racism’ again. Is this going to hurt the team?

Please make sure you listen, like, share and love this podcast.

Our thoughts go out to our buddy Ryan Cull, who is back in Canada taking care of family business. Can’t wait to have you back bro. You are missed.

 

Rodgers Lover

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This might be the last article I ever get to write for NFL in London because – WARNING – I’m going to say some nice things about Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. I assume many of you will know that Wade, the boss of this here domain, is a huge Chicago Bears fan. Therefore I am walking on eggshells at best by setting out my stall here and saying I’m going to be positive about the Cheeseheads from Wisconsin… but stick with me.

Sunday Night’s win over the Chiefs wasn’t perfect from the Packers’ perspective, but perhaps that’s what made it all the more impressive. The Chiefs often maligned defense was able to pressure and worry Rodgers, and the usually assured scrambler was hit and sacked at a significantly higher rate than the norm, suggesting the Packers’ O-Line protection needs a little bit of work done to it. But Rodgers was able to use his backfield weapons to great effect. Aaron Jones (I love you) & Jamaal Williams (I don’t love you, STOP taking fantasy points away from my Aaron) both found the endzone twice, and ensured that the team bereft of it’s one truly elite receiver – Davante Adams – still managed to score 31 points in one of the NFL’s most intimidating “home field advantage” stadiums. Jones, especially, is a true livewire, as exhibited on his two huge plays in Arrowhead. The pace he showed to break away from the Chiefs’ secondary will terrify most defenses around the league, and when you have Aaron Rodgers making INSANE plays – like the “heave and hope,” over the shoulder pass to Williams in the very back corner of the endzone – you always have more than a chance.

Rodgers has only one black mark on his surefire Hall of Fame resume. He’s only got one title. ONE. Playing for Titletown. The 2010 run to Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers was fairly magical, with the Packers winning 3 road games against the Eagles, the Falcons and the (sorry Wade) aforementioned Bears, en route to the Lombardi Trophy. But that’s been it. Not just one title. One Super Bowl APPEARANCE for Rodgers. Yep. It’s amazing. Admittedly, he’s not always had the best pieces around him, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but the closest he’s come to glory since 2010 is getting blown out in the NFC Championship game in 2016 by Atlanta. Yes, he’s a two-time League MVP, but only having one Super Bowl win, when you’re considered by SOME to be the greatest Quarterback of all time… It doesn’t quite feel right.

On the other hand, there’s another guy out there who is widely considered the GOAT, who seems to be blazing his annual trail straight back to the Super Bowl in his search for his SEVENTH Championship and the destruction of the planet as we know it. Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr & The New England Patriots. Brady’s run is almost the antithesis of Rodgers’. Brady has usually been supported by a solid team, whilst Rodgers has often had to make more than the sum of the parts around him. Brady can also be glad for the elite coaching staff he’s always had alongside him, and therefore the ability to be good enough in the regular season to almost guarantee home field advantage for his yearly hunt for gold. Since 2008, Brady has played in just THREE true road playoff games. Interestingly, he has a 1-2 record in those games, with the only win being that travesty against the Chiefs last year. And before I hear ONE COMPLAINT from Patriots’ fans, that pre-snap penalty saved you and was an absolute travesty. Ugh. So he’s actually beatable if you can drag him away from Foxborough. He’s just too good to let that happen often. Ugh again. Anyway, basically Brady hasn’t even had to be that good this year so far because the Patriots defense is absolutely mauling all teams unlucky enough to be put in front of them. Seriously, “lambs to the slaughter” comes to mind every time I watch a team try to score against them. But the point is, Brady is rolling towards another AFC Championship game, without really breaking much of a sweat.

But IF the Patriots make it to the big one again this year… could it be Rodgers waiting for him? The NFC is seemingly stacked with very viable teams, but Green Bay – who for once have a defense to support Rodgers – could be the one. We’ve only ever seen Rodgers vs Brady twice (1 win each for the record, don’t all great things come in threes?!), but wouldn’t it be poetic to see these two face off for the biggest prize in North America? There would be a LOT of conflicted people who wouldn’t know who to cheer for… but it might just end up being that way. What a spectacle it would be. Maybe Brady vs Rodgers on the biggest stage in American sports is what we truly deserve… Or worse… maybe it’s what we all secretly want.

Callum Squires
@callumjdsquires

MNF

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Monday Night Football

I’d like to apologise. I’d like to formally apologise. I’d like to formally apologise to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and the entire New England Patriots organisation. I’d like to formally apologise to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and the entire New England Patriots organisation for having the gaul to believe that for one second the Jets might have stood a chance in last night’s game.

New England

I mean… wow. That defence is nasty. It pains me to compliment the Patriots: I’m a Dolphins fan. How could I possibly like them? They murder my team every year, and are pretty much the only reason why I’ll likely not see the Dolphins make the playoffs in the next 50 years, until Belichick finally retires having won 24 Super Bowls and building a new dynasty with Tom Brady’s son Benjamin at Quarterback. I can’t cheer for them. But I can’t argue with greatness. If anything exemplified the Patriots mean streak it was Bill Belichick using NFL rules loopholes to run a whole extra 90 seconds off the clock up 33-0 and smirking about it when the Jets allowed him to do so but declining the penalties the Patriots had committed. They are stone cold killers. They suffocated the Bills into submission and made a talented young quarterback look like he was 6 years old and throwing the football for the first time. And then I wake up this morning and they’ve added Mohamed Sanu to their already impressively deep and varied receiving corps. However, I do think talk of a 16-0 record is a little premature – they have a significantly tougher second half of the season schedule – and the Ravens, Cowboys, Texans & Chiefs could all rest this defence in very different ways. However it isn’t outrageous to suggest already that the road to the AFC Championship will absolutely run through New England. 

NY Jets

Let’s talk about the Jets. I actually thought their defence played relatively well. Brady was finding holes in their zones, but wasn’t lighting them up. The New England defence won them that game. Okay, fine, they had some help. Sam Darnold was bad. Really bad. When you throw four interceptions and lose a fumble, it’s never gonna be a good night, but when you’re wearing a mic and admit to “seeing ghosts” you’re reeeeeeally in trouble then. The memes, the tweets, the mockery… oh Sam. I’d stake a rather large amount of money that a lot of Jaguars fans (the Jets’ week 8 opponent) turn up wearing bedsheets with eye holes cut out of them. And on the weekend before Halloween as well; spooky and topical, you’re welcome Duval. 

But, in the interest of fairness, let’s say some nice things about the Jets… Errrrr, LeVeon Bell was good! The lone bright spot in an otherwise terrible offensive display. He was his usual patient self, waiting for the right time to scythe through the defence. In stark contrast with Melvin Gordon’s current form, Bell’s holdout doesn’t seem to have curtailed his ability to be a playmaker. Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder are good receivers who will have better nights against people not named Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. You just beat the Cowboys! That’s no walk in the park. Furthermore, just as the Patriots schedule worsens, the Jets looks more favourable! Jags, Dolphins, Giants, Washington, Oakland, Bengals & Dolphins again are their next 7 games. I’m gonna boldly predict the Jets win… at least 5 of those!? Miami twice, Washington and Cincinnati seem like free wins right now, and you’d have to hope Jamal Adams and Quinnen Williams could get one of Andy Dalton, Daniel Jones or Gardner Minshew to turn the ball over a few times. It’ll be too late for them to make a playoff push this season, but at least the future is brighter for the Jets. Darnold, Bell, Anderson, Crowder, young and exciting Tight End Herndon is back next week too… that’s a decent offense, and the defensive side is growing stronger too.

The only problem is, the Patriots aren’t going anywhere. And they might just be getting better.

Callum Squires
@callumjdsquires