National Football League in London
There’s nothing funny about this Corona virus…unless you are really looking for some laughs…and we are.
Corona and the Lockdown is no joke though, so listen to the authorities, stay inside & think of others!
Luckily ‘The Draw Play’ has come up with all of the NFL logos reimagined if they were under Corona lockdown. Anything about sports…humour and the NFL, we’re in.
Have a look, a laugh, and stay safe!
Patriots vs Dolphins at Tottenham? 2012 was the last time they came. It’s possible.
We have changed our predictions for the 2020 London games based on some recent info and projections for the season after CBA.
The Dolphins are coming, but who will they host. There’s a 1/8 chance, but the factors that mitigate who comes lead us to believe…it will be the Patriots!
Who will be playing in London in the four international matches of 2020?
We know a few teams thus far, but who will actually make it across the pond to entertain us hungry fans in this new decade?
Short answer-we don’t know yet.
There is much speculation as to who will come, and when you add in rumours, schedule confirmations, attendance and mitigating factors like who HAS to play here, we can come up with some pretty close projections.
There has been a pattern to when, who, and how teams are allocated to our fair city, so we have come up with our predictions of the London 2020 NFL International series.
NFL in London fan guesses.
Corona virus is also going to have a massive impact on the game going into 2020, especially if the NFLPA is realistically protective of their clan.
Please know that this not official (don’t sue us NFL), we are just having some fun, backed by some factish ideas. Feel free to comment of make your own conjectures.
The NFL is scheduled for four London matches in 2020. Once again, these would be divided equally between Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.
In the past the London dates have been held earlier in the season, between weeks 4-9, so as not to affect the US based schedule, travel, weather, holidays and fall attendance.
UK dates are also done in consideration of English Football and Champions League commitments for various clubs, who might need the stadiums as the season and Leagues move on in the autumn.
Previous London hosting have broken up the 4 weeks, which means a double/ double weekend within September, October and November.
It’s tough to book out the city of London with so much going on, as well as hosting parties for a month straight.
Previous NFL UK events involved blocking Trafalgar Square, closing Regent street were great, but the security landscape has changed in scope and costs.
They will probably look to book Regent street again in late September, as it is also a good way to sell Gamepass.
Daylight Savings
The NFL has also taken advantage of the daylights savings time difference between the UK and US, which occurs on Oct 25th & Nov 1st this year.
This means only a 4 hour difference which is more manageable for TV and travel & quite negligible for the players once they are in the UK.
2020 Schedule
NFL games will most likely start on Sunday September 13th, as the 10th is listed as the first Thursday, even though that would mean week 17 hits 2021.
It would mean that we would be looking at weeks 3-9, with London getting weeks 3, 4, 7 & 8.
Our prediction is Sun September 27th, October 4th, 25th, and November 2nd for London to host games at Tottenham & Wembley respectively.
The Falcons name has been confirmed by Arthur ‘Blankity’ Blank as being a London player in 2020. He acknowledged in an interview that they were playing the Broncos, which is confirmed by various other sources in Denver.
With this AFC/ NFC matchup in the books, there will mostly be divisional matchups after this, as to not get owners knickers in knots.
Given that this one is the first confirmed, it will most likely be the first as they have had to alert their season ticket owners that London is in the works, so book now.
The Broncos haven’t been here since 2010, and the Falcons since 2014, so it makes sense since both of their home attendance records have been slow.
We predict that this will be the first game in week 3 at Tottenham.
Miami is in for a London home game as of Feb 2020.
That settles the debate on the last home team, so it’s only a matter of looking at their home schedule projection & who hasn’t been here recently.
Miami hosts their division rivals as well as the Chargers, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks & Bengals.
All of these teams have been here recently, save the Chiefs.
There is no way the SuperBowl champs are risking a repeat on an Atlantic journey.
New England Patriots haven’t been here since 2012 the Bills in 2015. The Bills have stadium issues, but the Pats might look to spin the story to the continent.
It’s their turn.
Don’t forget, it’s also about who has a stadium problem, attendance problem, or fan problem. And if Tom Brady leaves, they have a problem.
What if one of the reasons for his hold out is having to go to London?
While the players aren’t keen on it, it’s amazing for the game-but try selling that during the CBA when owners want you to work another week of body damage for the same pay.
Give ’em weed, give ’em London.
The Patriots would make the most sense if the Brady era ends, Bostonians would be shell shocked & less likely to watch their team lose to a second rate QB.
It will be an AFC East rival, but who?
We predict Patriots vs Dolphins week 4 at Tottenham.
Jacksonville has officially confirmed that they will play back to back London ‘home’ games to make ticket money. They were a hot sale a year ago, but somehow fell down the stinkhole once again.
Fans will be looking for some Minshew Mania or any kind of miracle to turn this team around again.
Sadly, the best hype the team had last year was on the Netflix series ‘The Good Place’.
The Jags are going to play at Wembley. They always have, and despite the bidding to buy it being stalled/ killed/ murmured, he has a tie to the place and it is his home stand.
Jacksonville has usually played the last of the London games, and will probably do the same this year.
Hopefully by the end of October they will have chalked up some wins.
We know that they have to play the Steelers and the Bears at home, which leaves 6 home games potentially for London.
Those 6 include: Texans, Colts, Titans, Browns, Dolphins & Lions.
The Texans & Titans were recently here, so that rules them out.
Miami has been announced as an international team in either London or Mexico, but it would seem logical Miami would go to Mexico given the massive Latino fanbase.
Cleveland was also here a few years ago, and it might be a tough sell to the players given the ego and salary stipulations.
That leaves us with the Colts and the Lions, both of whom are also struggling.
The Lions have been rumoured in local press, which smells like a Michigan scoop.
Indy is still reeling from losing Andrew Luck, so they might need a year or two to get the star power buzzing again.
Detroit has November issues with Thanksgiving, so we see them as the last of the games to give them a break before the schedule gets nutty at home.
The Colts will most likely pile in the week before, as they lack the star power to challenge playing a London game, & their young squad might be keen to get their Europe on.
We predict Colts vs Jags week 7, and the Lions vs Jags week 8 at Wembley.
The 2019-2020 is officially over, and what a wonderful way to end the season.
SuperBowl 54 will go down as one of the best ever, with a heroic comeback by QB Patrick Mahomes, whose poise and calm outshone his years in an epic battle.
A fantastic job by the Kansas City Chiefs, and their whole organisation for owning the AFC and using the ‘comeback’ to their advantage.
Every time you saw them down, it was like watching Hulk Hogan of the 80s’ simmering as he takes the blows, only to explode with a phenomenal leg-drop of the opposition.
The San Francisco 49ers displayed an awesome presence throughout the whole season. From being a losing team the year before, they gouged their way through offences and used their legs to power through hapless D’s.
They almost had it. It was close. You could smell it. Amazing.
Congrats to both teams, the fans, and of course the NFL for giving us this great game of entertainment every Sunday.
We will be looking to do big things in London in 2020, please get in touch.
What happens when you get ‘paid’? What kinds of things would you buy.
If you’re an NFL player who signs a ridiculous contract, pretty much anything you want.
Because the best budget comes from youth!
Just kidding, young people make horrible decisions.
In this video, Dwayne Haskins freaks down how he spent all of his money.
The biggest thing he wasted his cake on was a $250k Bentley.
Remember when Bentley’s were only driven by rich, old people?
Not anymore!
Seriously, paying cash for a car that price? That is just crazy!
Couldn’t you lease it? What about a Toyota? Or just really nice Ubers?
Someone needs to help these kids with their cash!
He’s baaaaccck! Ryan Cull has returned from Canada and ready to dish some NFL news with Wade.
The boys didn’t watch the SuperBowl together, so they sit down & discuss the game and how different it is to watch it between the UK and Canada.
They also talk about chicken wings..a lot!
Aside from the big game, the guys talk about how the 2019/2020 season went down, and all the changes going forward.
They also talk about the potential match-ups for the 2020 London games, now that Miami has been confirmed as a London host city in the fall. Who else could be coming, and when will they be here? The boys have their speculations.
Wade & Ryan also dive into the Tom Brady free agency predictions. Will TB12 move somewhere else, or is he just yanking the chains of the Pats.
Other free agents are also bantered around, including Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton and Phillip Rivers. Where do these guys end up?
Listen to the podcast, and share it with your friends. After all, a podcast is one of the few things you can share with your friends these days that doesn’t require a mask.
Enjoy
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.
SuperBowl 54 is finally here, & what an epic match-up. NFL fans can all unite that the 2 teams that made it thus far are truly deserving, and will provide one heck of a match-up.
Wade McElwain is joined by Chapman Maddox, a Falcons fan and expat who is a big supporter of all things NFL & UK.
They chat about the game, the potential, and some prop bets you might want to take a look at.
Who do you have to win this one? It’s a tight contest. The Chiefs are favoured by -1 & in some cases as high as -5, but can they justify this line? They have come from behind from their past games, while the Niners have barely thrown the ball because they don’t have to.
Are we overlooking San Fran.
Wade says yes, Chapman says no.
In this podcast the guys discuss.
Who is better between Mahomes & Jimmy G? Mahomes, obviously. Jimmy hasn’t been pressured into throwing yet, so this could be the game where he lights it up MVP style. What if he went off. Mahomes is favoured for MVP, but if the 49ers shut him down it might be a slow night.
San Fran has a triple headed monster of running backs, while the Chiefs have forgettable backs since Hunt. Sure they can score, but it’s off the legs & brains of Mahomes. The 49ers have the best shut down front in the game. 49ers at will.
Kelce vs Kittle. It’s the battle of the K’s and TE’s as these two will look to rip open the helps secondary with size & speed. Kelce is solid, but Kittle is a mystery. He hasn’t been used as of late, because he wasn’t needed. Look for Kittle to score first on a sneaky play.
San Fran has the edge D wise, but the Chiefs have made great strides to turn it up as of late. The 49ers will be too tight here, and their secondary gives them the edge across the board. Sherman is a pick machine, and he could have more than one if the game gets long.
Listen to the podcast, subscribe, share, name your child after it.
We will have more content up throughout the week.
Join us Sunday at the Long Acre for SuperBowl Sunday. See you then.
London is not an NFL city. Sure, we are fortunate enough to get 4 amazing games each year, but when it comes to watching and supporting the NFL at venues across the city-you will be hard pressed to find a good venue that is consistent.
Sadly, many of the sports bars (if you can call them that) and pubs shut early on Sunday nights, and even if they do show the NFL it will be without sound and after the footie has finished.
We have struggled to find good venues in the city that offer 1) a true NFL experience 2) good viewing with sound 3) open late 4) close to tubes/transit 5) good food and drink 6) not too expensive 7) truly care about NFL fans.
You would be surprised how tough it is, especially number 7.
Why? Big pub chains want you in, but they don’t really care to offer you a selection of games or listen to the fans.
It’s a work in progress, but it takes time.
Luckily, we have a great venue cracking on for the playoffs in the Long Acre in central London.
Recently refurbished with loads of TVs and amazing sound, it is one of the few places open late and willing to get late licenses.
Which is why we are very happy to be able to show the games this Sunday, with a late license going until the wee hours.
You can settle in and watch both games with sound.
We are charging a nominal amount for tickets to cover the license and security, but you get a great deal as a result.
The bar will be open until 4am, so that you can catch the end of the NFC Championship match.
We will also be showing the Super Bowl here as well.
There are LOADS of venues showing the Super Bowl in London this year, but ask yourself ‘do they ever show the NFL throughout the season?’
If the answer is ‘No’, ask yourself what kind of experience will they be putting on?
Probably one where they take advantage of you, grab your money and don’t offer anything of entertainment or sporting value.
Shame, shame, shame.
Join us for authentic NFL in London fun.
See you Sunday!
And just like that, the season is over. Holy crap that went quickly! We barely had a chance to get to love/ loathe our teams this season.
So now, there are 12 hopeful teams heading into the playoffs, with the Eagles being the most hopeful of all.
The only thing that really seems to make this NFL season more bearable is memes.
That’s right, we have curated some of the funniest memes from the deepest/ darkest web for your pleasure, and compiled them into a post to tickle your ribs.
Crack on in and enjoy!
Where are you watching the NFL games this weekend?
Join us in central London as we host some great NFL viewing parties, courtesy of BetRegal.
We will be shacking up with the Long Acre pub in Covent Garden to host some Wildcard NFL parties until the wee hours.
On Saturday night, we will be offering tickets to the event to guarantee entry?
Why?
Well, it’s Saturday night in central London, and we want to ensure that your NFL viewing experience isn’t interrupted by non-NFL fans.
To do that, we need to secure a late license, so that we can also show the Titans vs Patriots game which will end around 4:30am.
Long Acre is offering a welcome beer offer and seat, so that you can make sure that you have a place to watch the games.
Looking for food and a ticket? Then grab one here, so that you and your mates can grab a table.
https://www.designmynight.com//london/bars/leicester-square/the-long-acre/nfl-wildcard-saturday
On Sunday, it will be a first come, first sit.
We will also offer preferential seating to people who want to book a group ahead of time, so that you aren’t waiting out in the cold.
Get in touch via this site if you want to snag a table for you and your crew.
There will also be a BetRegal table for anyone who wants to be on the game.
Just sign up via our BetRegal offer, and you will be given a seat at the table, as well as a welcome beer to thank you for playing.
There will be enhanced betting offers on the day as well.
Look forward to seeing you all this weekend.
Greetings from Canada, where the games are a reasonable 5 hrs behind the U.K.
As I sit in a WildWings bar, scoffing some of the 101 flavours of chicken wings, I am struck by the crazy 1st game scores. Loads of teams are playing out of their heads, while others are trying to steady theirs.
Upon looking at the scores & spreads I have adjusted some of my 4pm game picks.
This game first came up as a 3 point spread, then rocketed to 9. The Texans are sitting loads of players, so you can see why. 9 points though? That’s just a bit much for my taste given how low these first game scores have been. I can’t see them making it that high. Texans cover.
The Redskins have been like herpes this season, infecting & itching the opposition. The Cowboys need a win, but 13 points against a team who has been getting under the skin of every team? Doubtful. Heck, they might even win. Redskins cover.
Go Daniel go! These two teams have had a wild season with each other, & this game will be the same. But remember the adage that ‘a team that needs to win, rarely does.’ Giants will make this game tough. Giants cover.
The Ravens will barely care about this game as they want to stay healthy. The Steelers want to go out with a bang, boom & happy ending. They will be motivated to finish 9-7 for the season & they should. Steelers win.
Make your bets on BetRegal, & see how you do with my picks.
Put down a tenner on these & make a nifty £124.90!
Good luck!