NFL in London

National Football League in London

Dallas Cowboys

Best Places in London to Watch NFL

by

Another season is about to kick off and reward us all with football greatness, but where are the Best Places in London to Watch NFL?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our list for 2023.

As a group who have been promoting and hosting live NFL viewing parties over the past 18 years across the capital, we have quite a bit of knowledge of the sport viewing landscape.

Any punter will tell you that after Covid, the whole bar and entertainment industry took a punch on the chin.
Independent pubs shuttered, quality staff found other work, and the price of pints continued to rise.

As promoters, we look to offer people the best value and service when it comes to hosting NFL nights.
Sure, we might hold things to a North American standard, but why shouldn’t we, when he have always attempted to deliver that threshold across all of our events.

So these are just our independent thoughts on almost 20 years of watching and promoting the NFL across the UK.

1. Home

Home?!?! What a lame answer to start this list off!

Well, not really if you’ve seen the price of a London pint recently, as they near ever closer to the £8 range.
When we first started promoting the NFL in London, pints were still in the £3 range, and pitchers were £10.
Those were the days!

It’s not just the crazy price of booze at London pubs and bars, but there is also the Rugby World Cup and Premier League to throw wrenches into the works of NFL viewing.
With many times and dates over-lapping with the NFL, UK-centric bars are more likely to NOT put on the NFL, with so many Sundays in contention.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will take place MOST Sundays until Week 7 of the NFL, with games airing between 4-10pm GMT.
If you’ve never experienced a RWC during the NFL season, then you’ll quickly find out that rugby trumps American football in the UK.
They might SAY they are showing NFL, and then bartender changes the channel.
Too bad.

With DAZN taking over from Gamepass, there also hasn’t been a commercial license on offer, which means it could be illegal for many bars and pubs to show the NFL, taking us back to 2013.

Independent pun chains have also been swallowed up over the past few years, gobbling up former sports bars, and then cutting costs, taste, and fun when they rebrand it into a corporate image.
Sadly these chains are very inflexible, and demand that promoters must increase attendance week on week.
Not worth it when half the customers have to pop over to McDonald’s because the food is so dire.

When’s the last time you threw a truly awesome, NFL party?

The best NFL nights are when you have hook a few devices up to Gamepass, and invite over some friends, foes, or just fellow fans you met on social media for a few bevies and a game.

You’ll not only save lots of money, but maybe make some new friends in the process!

2. Famous Three Kings

This Fulham sports bar has a legendary status in the city, as it always seems to be the ‘go to’ place for sports viewership.

Located in West London in the posh bit of town, the Famous Three Kings has been a perennial favourite for sports fans looking to stare at loads of TVs across a cavernous pub.

Although part of a large chain, the food isn’t as abysmal as those burgers with the pre-grilled marks on them that you find in some chains.

Like many London sports bars, it closes at 10pm on Sundays.

Find out more here.

https://www.crafted-social.co.uk/famous-three-kings-west-kensington

3. King Sports Bar-Empire Casino

Leicester Square has also changed in recent years, going from a glitzy West End destination, to a urine soaked playground for the drug addled and destitute.
Great place for a night out.

The King Sports Bar at the Empire Casino benefits from not only having loads of TVs on the go with NFL action, but also being open 24 hours for your viewing, and gambling pleasure.

NFL fans will be happy to have a place to watch the games, and be centrally located enough to be able to snag a night bus home.

The food is rather mediocre, which is why it’s good to have a lot of late-night food options to explore.

https://www.thecasinolsq.com/kings-sports-bar

4. Bodeans-Soho

Bodeans is the original Canadian BBQ joint, that has a long, and storied history in Soho.

Famous for their burnt ends, Bodeans also has two floors of TV action, with NFL and Saturday College Football on tap.
Speaking of on tap, they also have a ridiculously good selection of beer and top North American food.

Of all of the London pubs, Bodean’s has the best NFL food bar none.
However, they do close at 10pm, so you won’t be able to watch the late games.

https://bodeansbbq.com/soho/

5. Sports Bar-Marylebone

One of our OG locations back in 2008, the Sports Bar Marylebone found fame due it being across from the Landmark Hotel, where many of the teams, players and cheerleaders have stayed.
The fact that Jerry Rice could walk in, sit down beside you and order wings made it a crazy place to go.

Time has seen the Sports Bar & G bought by new owners, who dropped down the food quality, but marked up the prices, so authenticity is lacking in the food, and their pints have rocketed to top end London prices.

The bar does benefit from being on the train to Wembley, making it a good place to start and finish after the game.

https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/marylebone

There are loads of other places that say that they will show NFL, but will also refuse to put it on when people show up, or just turn it off at the whim of a manager.
We can’t recommend any of these places, as we have worked with many before, and they are horrible.

Promote Your Venue

If you’re a venue looking to promote your NFL nights, let us know!

 

AFC South Peek

by

Preseason rumbles have already started, as we unload our AFC South Peek podcast this week, as well as popping in on some NFL news.

Wade and Ryan are back this week for another fun-filled podcast, where we look at the AFC South Peek predictions into how the teams might rank this season.
The guys haven’t done their predictions for records just yet, this is just a look at how it all could lay out.

If you want to listen to the full podcast, make sure that you grab it all right here.

As for the rest of the NFL news the guys chat about.

Dalvin Cook

It’s finally settled, star running back Dalvin Cook has finally agreed to terms with the New York Jets, giving Aaron Rodgers an even more valuable asset this season to pip for the AFC East division winner.

Cook brings with him loads of experience and break-through ability, but his age and lack of a self O line might hamper his efforts this season if the Jets don’t fix this glaring problem.
With all that, the Jets now have a multi-pronged running game with the fast outside speed of Hall, and the bust right through you style of Dalvin.
It’s all or nothing New York for two more years.

Redskins

Native American groups have raised over 100,000 signatures in their effort to get Washington to revert the name back to the Washington Redskins.
Despite the efforts of many white people to cancel the name, NAGA and many native groups point to the original context of the Redskins name, and that it is complimentary rather than racist.
What do you think? Should Washington oblige by the many natives who see it as a legacy to their struggles, or should they change it to something more contemporary?

Feed Zeke

Somebody finally fed Ezekiel Elliot, and it didn’t take a Food Network marathon to make it happen.
The New England Patriots have come to terms to bring Zeke into the Pats fold, and give them even more opportunities to not use Mac Jones this season.
Zeke will split carries with Stevenson, robbing fantasy owners of those precious goal line gobbles that Zeke is famous for.
The Patriots are in for an interesting season, with both Ryan and Wade pegging the Pats to finish last in their division.
Does Bill Belichick have something sneaky up his sleeves this season to even the score in the AFC East, or will they need their D to avoid being a laughing stock?

AFC South Peek

The former dumpster fire that was the AFC South is no more, as that title has passed to their cousins in the NFC South.
The AFC South still offers a hot holy mess of garbage, as the Colts have gone full Toxic-Britney, with Irsay drunkenly tossing out hurt like a currency.
He’ll fly a whale across the world, but screw JT and all he’s done for us!
The Texans have also been plagued by inner-toxicity, with many stars fleeing Houston like the franchise had bed bugs.
With some smart coaching changes and finally learning from their past draft errors, the Texans might actually win some games this season.
Tunsil and Pierce are shining lights for a team that always has a way of beating divisional punks at home.
The Titans might have swallowed too much Ozempic, as their stomachs and size have shrunk as of late.
Ryan Tannehill would have been shot in the back of the head at Indy by now, but Tennessee figures to get another year out of the old guy.
With a weakened O-line, is it really going to give D-Hopkins that space he needs to get a ball downfield?
Jacksonville Jaguars seem to have finally matured into the dominant force in the division.
The Urban Meyer year behind them, Pederson has taken this squad into a potentially difficult playoff opponent with a team that is tough across both sides.
Trevor Lawrence finally gets to unbox Calvin Ridley, and Etienne should have another decent year being that stout line.
Well if you can guess it, Wade and Ryan both agreed that the AFC South will follow:
1-Jaguars 2-Titans 3-Texans 4-Colts
That’s it for our AFC South Peek, make sure you listen to the podcast and reach out!

AFC North Peek

by

The season is nearly upon us, as Ryan and Wade throw up a little podcast with an AFC North Peek.
Who will top this tough division?

Wade & Ryan also look at all the top NFL news going on in the league, and in your fantasy circles.

If you want to hear the full podcast, just have a listen here:

Some of the things that the guys hit on in this episode includes:

Preseason Koolaid

The NFL preseason games are finally here, and people are losing their minds!
Folks in the UK are struggling with their Gamepass/ DAZN woes, those in the US are watching stadium blackout, and every other fan is screaming ‘what about my fantasy team?!!?’
Worst of all are those ardent fans who watch one preseason games of 3 stringers, and suddenly proclaim that they’re team is now going to ‘win it all.’
‘Bro, it was Jordan Love against some bums. Most of them will be gone in 3 weeks.’
Doesn’t matter to this who believe, which is why this the best time of the year to snag them into a big season bet.
You think the Cowboys are going to win it all? How much?
After all, the best part about the preseason is being able to circle back months later to remind a friend about their August proclamation.
That’s a good Tik Tok.

Running Drama

Suddenly it sucks to be a running back in the NFL.

Gone are the highlight thrills of being an AP, or the shirt-term forgets about how dominating Dalvin Cook and Derick Henry could be.
The RBs of 2023 are all looking at league minimum contracts on teams that have spent all of their cash, and are just hoping that they can get a committee of bodies to throw on the pile.
Sound more like the Wagner unit?

Hamlin Hits It

Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin was finally back on the field and tossing hits, since his near fatal cardiac arrest in January.
Hamlin was admittedly nervous when he took to the field, with a bodily reminder that a tough hit can even stop your heart.
Fans will be anxiously watching all season as players on the cusp of re-injury put themselves back on the line again.
Let’s hope we never have to see what happened to Damar on the field again.

Pederson Problems

The Jacksonville Jaguars were all smiles when head coach Doug Pederson was able to use nepotism to bring his boy Josh onto the team earlier this year.
Although Josh had spent most of his career playing tight end, he was slotted to the enviable role of long snapper for the Jags preseason game last week.
All did not go well for young Pederson who overshot his mark, and send the ball flying away.
Is this an allegory for Pederson’s NFL career?
Perhaps. Odds are that Josh will be cut by the end of preseason.

AFC North Peek

Ryan and Wade also make their predictions for the standings in the highly touted AFC North.
The Bengals will be looking to go that step further this year, but don’t count out the feisty Ravens with Lamar, and the confident Browns with Deshaun back at the helm.
Ryan has the division going as such:
1. Ravens 2. Steelers 3. Bengals 4. Browns
He’s big on Lamar and Baltimore winning the whole thing, with the Steelers also making a run for a playoff spot.
Wade sees the AFC North looking like:
1. Bengals 2. Ravens 3. Browns 4. Steelers
Joe Burrow can’t be counted out in a year where they really need to get to the show, but the Steelers are not going to be as good as everyone predicts.
Which order do you have them in? Let us know!

May Daze

by

Wow this spring seems to drag on forever! When is the NFL back? Is it training camp yet? All of these questions might be answered in this May Daze podcast.

As the weeks trudge on, it’s still almost 4 months to go before the NFL season kicks off again.
Just as a comparison, you can still build half a human in that time, although some religious folks might dispute the timeline.

To help you get through the doldrums, we have a podcast to help get you through the week, as Wade and Ryan wax on about all the nonsense that it is filling their heads as of late.
Make sure you get a listen to it here.

Among some of the things that the guys discuss in this podcast includes:

London Games

Hooray! We finally know all of the teams that are coming to Europe this year, spoiler alert-we get Jag’d off twice!

First up on October 1, 2023 will be an AFC/ NFC battle as the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley stadium.
Both teams have been here in the past few years, so it will be a nice surprise for Falcons fans who get to see their mediocre team twice in as much time.
The game should serve to build up the momentum for Jacksonville, and it will be nice to see what Calvin Ridley will treat UK fans to.

October 8th is a date to remember to bring your folding table from Costco, as the Bills Mafia descend on London for a match up between the Jaguars.
The last time the Bills came to London, they also played the Jaguars in 2015, but lost that game 34-31.
This should be an exciting game, with loads going on that week.

October 15th is the final of the London games for this year, as the Tennessee Titans host the Baltimore Ravens at Tottenham stadium.
Lamar Jackson and OBJ will be the big names to see, as this AFC battle should be an entertaining one for the London faithful.

Bye Cummies

The Washington Commanders sale is now going through, as the league says ‘see ya’ to Dan Snyder and his minions.
Having bought his childhood favourite team for $750 million in 1999, we went on to honour the legacy of the ‘Skins by not investing in the stadium, sexual allegations from cheerleaders, and changing the name to something horrible.
Your 12 year old self would vomit in your own mouth Dan if he/you saw what you/he did.
At least Magic Johnson doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet.

Super Bowling

The NFL went ahead and announced another Super Bowl last week, as if the 2023 schedule release wasn’t enough for hungry fans!

It looks like the trophy is heading back to SoCal for 2026, as the league heralded the 49ers as the hosts of the big game.
Given the rise in homelessness and sky-rocketing business vacancy rates in the city, tickets shouldn’t be that hard to finagle.

The other two Super Bowls are of course 2024 in Las Vegas, and 2025 in New Orleans.

With the legalisation of cannabis in many of these states, it will be interesting to see the state of many of the fans, as Vegas is going quite green these days for a desert.

Stream it Ain’t So

So YouTube will be showing the NFL this year, but given how the NBA Playoffs have been going, it might be a bit nervous for many NFL fans.

With reports of drop-outs, no streams and constant crashes, many NBA fans have taken to social media to rant about the state of the Google player.

Many UK fans remember that horrible debacle that occurred when the dolts at Deltatre took over the Gamepass, and we had nothing but outages for weeks.
They also got really butt-hurt when we complained on Twitter, and told the NFL UK not to work with us as a result.

Thankfully Deltratre is gone, and Dazn is in, so the streaming options for UK fans should be ok, after the NFL cracked the whip on them.

The big scary factor for US fans is that one of the Wild Card games will ONLY be available on Peacock, leaving tens of millions of fans unable to watch.

Good luck with that Peacock, what could go wrong?

Watch this space, as we will be announcing some big activity around the London games this year! Until then, enjoy the sunshine of your May Daze!

 

Top 10 London Games

by

What have been the best NFL games to have been played in London?
Has there been a game that sticks out from memory based on how truly awesome it was?

We asked ChatGPT to detail the ‘Top 10 London Games‘, and the answers probably won’t surprise you, as it was written by AI.

Which game did you enjoy the most?

London has been the destination for some of the most exhilarating NFL games in history. From unforgettable touchdowns to nail-biting finishes, these games have kept fans on the edge of their seats. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top 10 NFL games played in London.

1. Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders, 2014

In a game that went back and forth, the Miami Dolphins ultimately came out on top, thanks to a last-second touchdown by quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The game had it all: big plays, turnovers, and a dramatic finish that left fans breathless.

2. Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons, 2014

The Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons treated fans to an offensive shootout in this 2014 game. The Falcons came out on top, but both teams put up impressive numbers, with the Falcons’ Matt Ryan throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

3. New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2009

In a game that had all the hallmarks of a classic matchup, the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on a show for fans at Wembley Stadium in 2009. The Patriots’ Tom Brady threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the Buccaneers who emerged victorious.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings, 2013

This game featured two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers’ defense was dominant, forcing four turnovers and holding the Vikings to just 10 points in a 34-10 victory.

5. New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Rams, 2016

In one of the most exciting games ever played in London, the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams battled it out in a game that featured five lead changes. The Giants ultimately emerged victorious, thanks to a touchdown catch by Odell Beckham Jr.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Dallas Cowboys, 2014

In one of the most shocking upsets in NFL history, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a game that saw the Cowboys commit three turnovers. The Jaguars’ defense was the star of the show, sacking Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo three times and intercepting him twice.

7. Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2015

In a game that saw the Jacksonville Jaguars play in London for the second consecutive year, they faced off against the Buffalo Bills in 2015. The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading blows throughout. In the end, it was the Jaguars who came out on top, thanks to a game-winning field goal by kicker Jason Myers.

8. Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans, 2018

This game saw the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Tennessee Titans in a contest that had major playoff implications. The game was tight throughout, with the Chargers ultimately coming out on top, thanks to a late-game touchdown by quarterback Philip Rivers.

9. Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders, 2019

In a game that featured two of the NFL’s most historic franchises, the Chicago Bears took on the Oakland Raiders in 2019. The game was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to move the ball. In the end, it was the Raiders who came out on top, thanks to a game-winning touchdown catch by Tyrell Williams.

10. Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders, 2018

In the final game on our list, the Seattle Seahawks took on the Oakland Raiders in a matchup that saw two of the NFL’s most exciting quarterbacks face off. The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson and the Raiders’ Derek Carr both put on impressive performances, with Wilson throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. In the end, the Seahawks dominated with a 27-3 final score.

That’s it for our AI inout on the best London games. We look forward to seeing what kind of delights we will get this year!