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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!

Season Starter

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The Super Bowl is a distant hangover for some, as we all get set to reset, and begin the 2021 NFL season. While the season kicks off on September 9th, player options and clauses start to get figured out on March 18.
So what happens until then?
We break down some of the news in Season Starter podcast.

The sun is shining in the UK, and it’s not just down to global warming.
Boris’ Blighty is on track to to vaccinate all Brits sometime this summer, which means the UK will be open for sporting business in 2021! Or should be, according to estimates.

With the London NFL games a ‘go’, there are still too many questions to answer before we get an idea what could happen.
How many teams would come? How many fans can attend? Can foreign fans attend? What if the NFLPA doesn’t want to come? What if there is another variant? What if Tom Brady just wins it all again anyway.
Too many questions to answer.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull take this podcast to not only channel all of their remaining energy into NFL joy, but also touch on the following hot topics.

JJ Watt

The big man gets a big deal, and does what all NFL players do when they get old-head to the sunshine to rest the bones. Watt is Arizona bound, as the often broken 32 year old signed a new contract to be with Baby Yoda Murray.
This 2 year, $31M contract rewards Watt if he can finally help the Cardinals plug the gaping holes in their D.
Arizona could have just built a border wall instead and saved some money.

Alex Smith

Aside from being a leg model, the outlook for Smith doesn’t look good this season.
Washington needs the room to allow Heinicke to implode, so Smith will be shown the door despite his heroics to return to the squad.
Smith is a smart QB, but you won’t find too many teams willing to uncover their eyes to watch him play.
A backup somewhere, but a starter…unlikely.

Brees Freeze

Brees loves the bling, so it’s no wonder that he sees himself as a diamond in the rough.
But will Drew really try to hang on for one more season?
The Saints looked finals bound until Brees broke 19 ribs in a crunch session. 19 ribs? How many do we have?
Drew only costs the Saints $1M per season, so maybe he does return.
Screw you Jameis, this is my team again.

17 Weeks

The NFL is wringing out the players to squeeze another game into the regular season. NFL preseason fans are livid, but since there are only 3 of them-no one really cares.
This new schedule will push the Super Bowl back to the second week of February, and means that there will be more Christmas games this year. Ho Ho Ho.
What no one talks about is how the records are affected.
One more game can be a huge difference in the overall stats, and can skew the records of some the early GOATs.
But at least we get another game right?

London Games

We still don’t know what will happen with the 2021 London NFL games, but we are patiently waiting. Thanks to that ass-clown Covid, the sporting world is a very different place and we need to wait it out.
While it’s a good thing that the UK is ahead of the world in terms of vaccinating the peeps, it doesn’t bode well for foreigners looking to come here for fun and frolic.
If there are London games, they might only be available to UK citizens, which would be…awesome.
Of course, we will let you know if we hear anything.

In the meantime, enjoy the podcast. Listen, laugh, lather, share and repeat.

SB55 Podcast

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It’s been a week since the Tampa Bay Bucs slapped around the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Now that the dust is settled, it’s time for our SB55 Podcast.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull reflect on the big game a week later. Why did this game get away from the Chiefs? Do the Chiefs need another wide receiver? Is drunk Tom Brady the best Tom Brady of all time?
All these questions and more in this post Super Bowl review show.

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

Defence

They say that a ‘D’ wins a SuperBowl, and boy was that the case on Feb 7th. Patrick Mahomes was rushed, chased and stuffed as the Bucs D broke through the Chiefs line with ease. The big talking point heading in was how the Chiefs were hoping to contain the Bucs with 3 weak O linemen up front.
This was the story of the game, as the Chiefs had no way to stop the rush, and give Mahomes an iota of breathing space. The Bucs were essentially able to negate the running game with this blistering pace as well, as the line of scrimmage was snuffed out very quickly.
Maybe the Bucs didn’t have the best D in the league on paper, but all that matters is the big game.

JJ Watt

The Texans released JJ Watt without a whimper this week, signalling that all was not well on the home front.
Houston has continued to blunder their front office in the past few years, letting Bill O’Brien flip the switch like an entitled stepdad, and mismanaging numerous high profile contracts.
The way that the Texans handled the Deshaun Watson scenario must have made Watt’s ears bleed, and he must have just been totally fed up to the point he wasn’t even going to discuss terms anymore.
JJ Watt has been a shining example to the city of Houston. His performance on the field has been matched by his community efforts off the pitch. When a hurricane battled Houston, Watt did everything he could to wrap his arms around the city. That kind of class is hard to find.
Watt will have plenty of options for his broken, bent, but still able body.
Moving to Steeltown to be with his brothers might be creepy, a jump up to the Bills could be fun, but a return trip home to Green Bay seems more than likely.
Who’s got the cash to spot JJ?

Wentz

Imagine being the ginger step-child of the league, both literally and figuratively, and that’s called being Carson Wentz.
Wentz and the Eagles are hoping to find a way to offload the QB, as well as not eat a big chunk of useless money in the process.
Watching Wentz trying to get out of Philly is like watching one of those baby turtles try to make it for the open ocean. You hope he can make it to the clear blue, but there is an expectation that a huge wave or hungry gull is going to swallow it all up.
Carson isn’t done in the league, but he has a hell of an audition ahead if anyone wants to consider him as a starter in this fast moving league.

Trophy Karen

Leave it to the press to kind the most annoying person to talk to post Super Bowl. Apparently a ‘Trophy Karen’ is all upset because when Tom Brady threw the Lombardi trophy, it was disrespectful to her father and other silversmiths, and she would PERSONALLY like an apology. Entitled much?
First her father worked on the trophy in the 1960s, and didn’t design the trophy. He just worked there.
Secondly, a new Lombardi Trophy is made every year for each team, so it’s up to them what they want to do with it. (ask Gronk).
Thirdly…who the hell cares? Why did the press give this odious woman coverage time? In the age of Covid, BLM, equality, war, and a whole host of problems…an entitled woman with nothing to do with a headline, wants something to do with a headline…and an apology.
Say goodbye to your social media ‘Trophy Karen’, pretty sure you’re going to need to go away for a while.

This was our first SuperBowl on record that we weren’t able to throw a London party this year and we’re gutted.
With the NFL 2021 season a scant 6 months away, we will work hard to see if we can find a way for us all to enjoy the games in public once again.
The 2021 NFL London games are a go (fingers crossed), hopefully we can all get together soon.

Have a listen, a laugh, and make sure you share this podcast asap or Tom Brady wins again next year.
It’s true.

SB55 Review

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The game is done and dusted, the Bucs are the new SuperBowl champions, and we have another 6 months until we see the NFL again. Sigh. It’s time for our SB55 Review!

General consensus amongst fans is that this one of the better SuperBowl’s, but those fans tend to be Chiefs or AFC fans, while another large chunk of the population thinks is was a damn fine game indeed. There was action, excitement, and we got to see Tom Brady add another jewel to his hand of seven victories. Love him or hate him, the GOAT gap keeps widening.

Let’s take a look at the big key takeaways from SuperBowl 55 to define the big moments of the final game of the season.

Defense

D wins the big games, and the Bucs sure as hell brought theirs for SuperBowl 55. Patrick Mahomes not only didn’t record a TD, but he ran for over 400 yards in escape from the relentless attack.
The saying is that defences win SuperBowl’s and that sure was the case on February 7th.
Kansas City just didn’t have a response from their offence, and the injuries up front were not only apparent, but easily exposed.
Tampa might not have had the best overall D for the NFL season, but that doesn’t matter.
They had the best one in the big game.

Tom Brady

Tb12 is Super cool. He’s been here 10 times in the past, and his unflappable appearance in the game was the steadying rock to glide the Bucs down the ice. Brady never hit his 300 yard mark, but it didn’t really factor given that he had a solid running game to rely on.
He spread the ball around to his faves, as if he was rewarding them with post season bonuses on every pass.
Everybody got paid, and Tommy was the banker.
Perhaps the best Tom Brady pass was with the Lombardi trophy when he drunk-tossed it to Cameron Brate off a boat.
Drunk Brady might be the best Brady of all.

Gronk

If you bet on Gronk to score in the SuperBowl, congrats-you made a smart call. Rob has scored in 3 previous SuperBowl’s, and it was only logical that Tom would find a slant route of open field to hit Gronk for big gains. One TD was expected, but 2 was just the icing on that big Gronk cake.
Like Brady, Gronk really showed a different flair in the big game thanks to the more relaxed Buccaneers attitude. Patriots wins felt stuffy and corporate, but this victory was sweet.
Gronk will be back.

Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes is a hell of an athlete, a smart young man, and a guy with a huge future. Sure, he got bottled in the big one, but that was the point.
If you choke Kermit, then there’s no Muppet Show.
Gonzo, Scooter, Fozzie and Miss Piggy were all flumuxed once Mahomes couldn’t get a ball off.
He surely tried with some spectacular efforts, but all was nought when it came to the pirate invasion that continued to break through the lines.
Mahomes and the Chiefs will be back here again soon, they are the team to fear.

Britt Reid

Always somber when touching on accidents involving children, but this incident had a big effect on the game. When the coaches troubled son D&D plows into a family, that kind of trauma hits the family of the team. Teams feed off emotions during a SuperBowl, and having one of your family do something so stupid and selfish before an important occasion is something that the whole family hurts with.
Yes it can be shaken off, but it lingers because players feel for the coach and they don’t want him to hurt.
That’s what loses focus in a big game, especially on a young team.

If you want more NFL fun, then check out our Facebook Group. Since it’s a group, we encourage chat and member postings, provided they aren’t spam or porn, or porn spam.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NFLinLondon

 

 

 

 

Picks Six-Wildcard Weekend

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Welcome back to another edition of The Picks Six-Wildcard Weekend-the first postseason edition!! It’s SUPER WildCard Weekend, which means we’ve got back to back triple headers this weekend. 6 games, 2 days, a PLETHORA of storylines… What does that recipe equal? Chaos. And chaos… is a ladder. 

The playoff picture was murky up until the last minute, when Doug Pederson and the Eagles left all people with a logical brain (or a bet on the Eagles to win… like me) DISGUSTED with their Sunday Night Antics. I don’t want to go on about it, but it was absolutely shameful and I feel really sorry for the New York Giants coaches and players who gave it everything to win their game, believing they had a chance to make the playoffs. They did not. The Eagles coaches had zero intention of ever winning that game. It’s shameful. Jalen Hurts deserves better. Anyway… If we get half of THAT controversy this weekend, we’re in for a treat. 

Game Picks (Regular Season Record: 95-45)

Saturday 

Colts @ Bills 

Josh Allen and his offense are steamrolling their way into the Playoffs. A comfortable cut above the rest of the AFC East, they dispatched the FitzMagic-less Dolphins last weekend – resting their starters for the second half – and are sauntering into their first home playoff game in a loooooong time with confidence sky high. The Stefon Diggs trade is one of the best pieces of business done in this league in a while, and what the Bills lack in an explosive running back they make up for in their mobile maverick quarterback. On the other side of the ball… one of my least favourite teams in the league this year. I’m sorry, but I’m not really sorry. I’ve never had much love for Phil Rivers – trash talking aside – and their intensely boring mix of stout defense and 3.5 yards per carry run game is one of my least favourite mixtures in the NFL. The Colts have been inconsistent with their ability to score points offensively, and that’s not a good thing against a Bills defense that started slow but has picked up steam in the last month. As much as I believe in this Bills team, this pick is also personal preference influenced. #BillsMafia: enjoy your home game. You’ll have another one next weekend.

Pick: BILLS

Rams @ Seahawks

If the opportunity to see Jalen Ramsey vs DK Metcalf again wasn’t enough, the subscript to this game is just so tasty. Will Aaron Donald regret saying “that’s exactly what we wanted” when he was told the Rams were travelling to Seattle after their victory over Arizona last weekend? Will Pete Carroll let Russ continue to cook!? Will Jared Goff play? Could John Wolford pull off a miracle two weeks in a row? It’s all set to be WILD. And yet, for me, the most important player on the field on Saturday I haven’t even mentioned yet. I still cannot fathom why Seattle refuses to FEED Chris Carson the ball. He’s so explosive. Seattle’s offensive line can create holes for him and he has the ability to make the most of them. IF – and it’s a big if considering the Rams’ defensive line – Seattle can establish the run and control the game at their own pace, I think the Seahawks have everything they need to dispatch LA back to their home and move on to the Divisional weekend. With the question marks over Jared Goff’s thumb remaining, I can’t in good conscience pick the Rams this weekend. There are more ways Seattle can win. Even if they don’t do as I’ve advised (lean on Chris Carson), they can still win this game if MVP-level Russell Wilson shows up, which is always possible. The Rams HAVE to have their defense play to the best of their ability, and hope Kupp and Woods can make enough plays to get them some points. I’m choosing to ride with the path with the most options. 

Pick: SEAHAWKS

Buccaneers @ Washington

I’m going to keep this one short. I’ve never been a Tom Brady fan. I’m still not. I hate the New England Patriots… and yet… NEVER in my life would I be stupid enough to say “Tom Brady I’m coming,” a whole week before I had to face TB12 in the playoffs. If you think Tom didn’t see Chase Young’s sentiment… and hasn’t been religiously watching game film… think again. I have been loud and proud all season about how this Washington team are frauds and I believe they will be exposed as such this weekend, as they would and SHOULD have been last weekend, had Jalen Hurts been allowed to finish the job. Tom Brady is going to annihilate Washington. *Insert joke about a “Brady happy to see a leaky defense in Washington for the second time this week” here.* Don’t think I’ve forgotten who you campaigned for, Tom. Abhorrent. Enjoy this weekend before Aaron Rodgers shuts you down next Sunday.

Pick: BUCCANEERS

Sunday

Ravens @ Titans

This game is the biggest revenge game I’ve seen for a while. The last two times these two teams have faced off, the Titans have run the ball down Baltimore’s throat and sent them packing empty handed. Mike Vrabel and John Harbaugh almost came to blows pre-game before the regular season matchup that went back and forth before Derrick Henry walked it off in OT. The biggest criticism of Lamar Jackson is his record in the playoffs. I think that’s unfair; his incredible regular season record contains some losses as well. It’s just bad luck. Lamar will shine in the playoffs eventually, I’m just not convinced it’ll be this weekend… Yeah, the Titans defense is questionable at best… but if you have Derrick Henry running like he is, and Ryan Tannehill throwing to AJ Brown like he is, you have to feel good about your ability to put up points. I think this game is the biggest toss up of the weekend. This could go in so many directions, but I think it’ll be tight and probably come down to a late game drive one way or the other. The Ravens offense has woken up of late, with Hollywood Brown finding the endzone with consistency and JK Dobbins looking like one of the steals of last year’s draft. All that said… I think I’m sticking with Tennessee. This game is must-see however, whichever way it ends.

Pick: TITANS

Bears @ Saints

I can’t trust Mitch Trubisky to beat this Saints defense. I just can’t. David Montgomery has found a groove and the smartest thing the Bears could do on Sunday afternoon would be to lean heavily on their run game and try and get it going early. Brees is surely still some way short of 100%, but with their running backs on track to be back this week, the Bears linebackers are going to have to try and deal with “Mr 6” Alvin Kamara. The Bears defense could keep this close, but I think the Saints have enough weapons to pull away late. I can’t see the Bears offense having enough firepower to win this game. It’s gotta be NOLA.

Pick: SAINTS

Browns @ Steelers

The Cleveland Browns HAVE NOT won a single game in Pittsburgh in 17 years. S-E-V-E-N-T-E-E-N YEARS. Big Ben has NEVER lost at home to the Browns. Kevin Stefanski – likely Coach of the Year – is unable to coach due to COVID protocols. Alex Van Pelt is the play caller, for the first time in his NFL career. The Browns are the perennial losers and underdogs of the AFC North. The Steelers are the Championship pedigree empire. EVERYTHING about this game says “Thanks for coming, Cleveland, but the road ends here.” AND YET – that’s exactly why I think the Browns will win this game. Sometimes “it’s just meant to be” is the truth. Baker Mayfield has led the Browns to the promised land of the playoffs. I think the boost that gives this franchise, and the motivation of having their coaches out, and you’re playing your biggest rivals, and your rivals have been insulting you all week (JuJu said “the Browns are the Browns,” to suggest there was nothing different about their current crop of talent)… I am all in on the Browns bandwagon. Chubb, Hunt, Landry, Higgins, Hooper… TO THE MOON. Shake and Baker. Dawg Pound – you’re getting a win.

Pick: BROWNS

Parlay 

Using the above picks, this is my parlay for the weekend:

Titans -6.5

Seahawks -3.0

Buccaneers -6.5

Titans +3.5

Saints -9.5

Browns to win.

Depending on your bookmaker, £10 on this parlay pays around £620.

We’ll reunite here next week as we welcome the de facto 1 and 1A in the MVP race into the dance. Enter stage right: Mahomes and Rodgers. And here… we… go… Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and sane in the midst of this insane start to 2021. Fingers cross we can relax and enjoy a good time on this SUPER WILDCARD weekend. As ever, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter and Instagram. Come say hey. Have a good one everyone.

Callum Squires is an ardent Dolphins fan, and a good friend of NFL in London.