NFL in London

National Football League in London

la chargers

Early Super Bowl Odds

by

It might be only August, but we thought we would offer some Early Super Bowl Odds for everyone to take a look at, or even take a punt on.

Odds On

There are a lot of great teams in the mix this season, and if you exclude the obvious favourites like the Chiefs and Eagles, you can find some value in those teams that might just sneak into the show.
Those plucky teams that snipe through on a barely winning season to capture the title and take the Lombardy.

Here are a few of our teams to look at early on. Please note that these odds were chosen in August 2023.

Ravens (+1800)

Eighth ranked to take the title this year, are the rejuvenated squad from Maryland, with Lamar steadily at the helm this season.

Baltimore loaded up on wide receivers and running backs to take the edge of LJ, and the defence has been as fierce as has it ever has been, with some key rookie additions.

The Ravens are worth a bet to sneak through the slugfest that will be the AFC, and take themselves to the big game if they remain healthy.

Saints (+3500)

What the who dat day? The Saints?

Yes, New Orleans has the chance of sneaking through via a horrible division, and the potluck Chuck of possibly moving through a sluggish looking NFC aside from a few.

Derek Carr could be motivated to light up Michael Thomas and Olave, and their running game has always been solid.

It’s all about staying healthy, and if the Saints can do that, why not take a chance on them to go to the Super Bowl?

Panthers (+7000)

Oh Carolina, are you getting Shaggy with us?

Maybe, but let’s Frank the Reich out of this situation.
The Panthers have had a solid D for the past few seasons, the running game was great, but it was the QB that sunk them.

Bryce Young has the benefit of being surrounded by a trio of veteran wide receivers in Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, and Leviska Shenault Jr. and TE Hayden Hurst, and maybe they can sling enough W’s to get out into a playoff rumble.

The NFC has the best odds for crazy value, but of course.

LA Chargers (+2200)

The Chargers might be tenth favoured to win the Super Bowl, but there are still five AFC teams ahead of them.

Justin Herbert has that new contract smell about him, as he awaits the slave labour contract that is about to slapped on Austin Ekeler for wanting fair pay.

Once all that malarky is settled, the Chargers have that mix of veterans and rookies that might be able to gel together to make it work.

Keenan Allen is a reliable number one, but it remains to be seen if he can last a whole season.
Losing Herbert too would stick LA with Easton Stick, which is their back-up and a baseball bat name.

That being said if the Chargers can navigate the healthy waters of the seasonal slug, they could rally their squad to finally win some playoff games.
The hometown could be proudish.

Other Odds

Some other ones to look at if you want to take an early season punt on a Super Bowl hope:

Jaguars +2800

Why the heck not? The Jags and Trevor Lawrence could get cooking, plough through their division and get themselves a playoff glide.

49ers +900

Yeah, they’re fourth ranked, but they have a win it or else culture about them this season. Look for Sam Darnold to be a fantasy leader here via a great O line.

Bears (+5000)

Because why the hell not?

Justin Fields could ball out like a mother-trucker this season, and the D could magically find ways to stop people.

Stranger things have happened.

Who do you think could win it all?

 

 

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!

Top 10 NFL Drafts of the Past 30 Years

by

With the NFL draft looming on the horizon, it’s time to look at some of the best NFL Drafts from the past thirty years.
The Draft is an exciting time for football fans as they eagerly await to see which players their favourite teams will select. Over the past 3 decades, there have been some remarkable drafts that have produced many stars and legends of the game.
Here we will take a look at the top 10 NFL drafts of the past 30 years, as this one isn’t going to crack any ‘top lists.’

  1. 1996 NFL Draft

    This draft produced some of the greatest players in NFL history. The top three picks in this draft were all future Hall of Famers: Keyshawn Johnson, Kevin Hardy, and Jonathan Ogden. Other notable players in this draft include Ray Lewis, Eddie George, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, and Zach Thomas. The 1996 Draft had some of the top players across every position. Those were the days.

  2. 2011 NFL Draft

    The 2011 draft was one of the deepest in NFL history, producing many future stars who are still playing today. Cam Newton was the first overall pick, and he went on to win the NFL MVP award in 2015. Other notable players in this draft include Von Miller, A.J. Green, Julio Jones, J.J. Watt, Richard Sherman, and Colin Kaepernick.

  3. 1989 NFL Draft

    The 1989 draft produced three players who would go on to win the NFL MVP award: Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, and Deion Sanders. Other notable players in this draft include Derrick Thomas, Steve Atwater, and Mark Carrier. Check out some of the pictures of the 1989 Draft, and the fashion choices alone should let you know that it was totally different era.

  4. 1991 NFL Draft

    The 1991 draft produced many future Hall of Famers, including Brett Favre, Aeneas Williams, and Herman Moore. Other notable players in this draft include Ricky Watters, Ted Washington, and Mike Croel. Hard to believe that this draft was over 32 years ago.

  5. 2012 NFL Draft

    The 2012 draft produced many top QB stars of the future, including Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson. Other notable players in this draft include Luke Kuechly, Fletcher Cox, and Bobby Wagner. Despite being 10 years ago, there are still a few players from this draft playing in the league.

  6. 1998 NFL Draft

    The 1998 draft produced two future Hall of Famers in Peyton Manning and Randy Moss. Other notable players in this draft include Charles Woodson, Fred Taylor, and Hines Ward. This was more of the ‘grit-iron’ generation of tough as nails players.

  7. 2017 NFL Draft

    The 2017 draft produced many impact players, including the first overall pick, Myles Garrett. Other notable players in this draft include Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, and Alvin Kamara. This Draft is also known as the ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda,’, as many pundits and fans lament of what could have been had players signed elsewhere.

  8. 2001 NFL Draft

    The 2001 draft produced many Pro Bowl players, including LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Hutchinson, and Richard Seymour. Other notable players in this draft include Michael Vick, Drew Brees, and Reggie Wayne. This could have been known as the HOF class, as many of the players in this group were record-setters.

  9. 2004 NFL Draft

    The 2004 draft produced three future Hall of Famers in Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Other notable players in this draft include Larry Fitzgerald, Vince Wilfork, and Jared Allen. 2004 brought us a whack load of great QBs, which beckons when another draft like this could happen?

  10. 1999 NFL Draft

    The 1999 draft produced five future Hall of Famers, including Edgerrin James, Champ Bailey, and Torry Holt. Other notable players in this draft include Ricky Williams, Donovan McNabb, and Jevon Kearse.

The NFL draft is a significant event in the April calendar of football, and it has produced many great players over the years. The drafts listed above were some of the best of the past 30 years, producing numerous stars and legends of the game. As football fans, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for the NFL draft and the next generation of players who will make their mark on the league.

Who will be the star of the future in the 2023 NFL Draft?

 

Super Bowl 57 Review

by

Holy smokes, what a game that was on Sunday, as we look at what went down in our Super Bowl 57 Review.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl champions once again, after a 38-35 victory in Arizona.
It was a back and forth battle all game, but it was the heroics of Patrick Mahomes once again that did the work necessary to get the W and hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Eagles played valiantly, and Jalen Hurts would have been the game MVP with his touchdown performance had the game gone the other way.

Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from the big game in our Super Bowl 57 Review.

Kansas City Chiefs

All hail the Chiefs, who had to listen to the odes to Buffalo and Cincy all season, before getting the respect they demanded with a Super Duper performance.

Kansas City seemed to struggle a bit to get the right momentum in the first half.
The defence played fast and fierce on the line, shutting down anything that moved past it, but behind the Eagles O line, they struggled to contain Philly as the second half wore on.
Mahomes ill-fated ankle once again looked to be injured, sending the hopes of ChiefsKingdom everywhere into serious doubt.

Whatever happened in that locker room at half-time set the tone for the game, as the Chiefs changed the game in the second, making the Eagles play catch-up.
Andy Reid wisely switched to heavy run game that was able to find outside lanes for key yards, and Patty M was able to dissect the Eagles secondary for big gains.
Toney’s punt return also helped put the nail in a Philadelphia team that just couldn’t rally when it was time.

Philadelphia Eagles

You have to give to Philly for the road they took to get to Super Bowl 57, and there solid performance throughout the season and post. The Eagles may have lost, but they will be post season candidates for a while.

Jalen Hurts Wass truly a beast on Sunday, and if wasn’t for that sloppy drop that led to a pick 6, the game might have been very different.
While it took a while for Philly to find their stride in the first half, they seemed to be able to be on the right path to victory with a 10 point lead heading into the half.

The second half was another story for the Eagles, who much vaunted D left some pretty huge gaps for Mahomes and Kelce to fill. How they let so many zone holes with no one around was very perplexing. You know you’re playing against the best QB in the league right?

Heads held high Philly, if you would have won, you would still be cleaning up your broken city right now.

The Call

Penalties called in the final two minutes of the Super Bowl better be pretty damn important, or they are not worth calling.
It’s tough to say if this one was.

When now-hated ref Carl Cheffers flagged Eagles cornerback James Bradberry for holding on Juju Smith-Schuster, it allowed the Chiefs to not only get the first down, but shut down the game and clock.

Bradberry would later admit that the refs got it right, but that still doesn’t address the real issue, or an even bigger problem with refs this season.

The last two minutes of the Super Bowl should only be penalties that are so damn obvious and egregious that you HAVE to call them. Otherwise, play on.

Rihanna

Let’s not forget about the half time show of Super Bowl 57, which many Super Bowl party attendees know, is only watched by about 30% of your crowd. Everyone else is either pissing, getting pissed, pissed off about the game, or doesn’t give a shit about the artist.
True NFL fans remember the class and dignity of ‘Up With People’ and like it gosh-nammit.

It was Rihanna’s halftime y’all, as she paid the NFL over $1million to karaoke shuffle some of her greatest hits, rub her crotch, sniff her fingers, and announced she was pregnant again.
Sorry was this a halftime show, or was there going to be a gender reveal, didn’t see that in the prop bets?

The performance was anchored by some very Squid Game looking backing dancers, which gave some the impression that perhaps they might be sacrificed in some ritualistic contest to fed Rihanna’s unborn.
‘When bitch better have my money comes on, jump off the elevated platform!’

The real star of Super Bowl 57 was ASL interpreter Justina Miles, whose performance certainly shone like a diamond, and whose lip-synching was far better than Rihanna’s.

Gronk’s Kick

The much touted field goal attempt by Rob Gronkowski turned out to be a turd, as Gronk shanked it left.

Gronk blamed a ‘sudden change in wind’ as the cause of his mistake, which sounds like a line he and his brothers bring out a lot when it’s chilli night.

Although it was billed as ‘live’, it looked like the thing was pre-recorded in an Arby’s parking lot.

The real winner was no one, especially Gronk.

End in the end, it was an amazing Super Bowl 57, and the third highest watched ever with over 113 million people in America tuning in.

The season is done, and us NFL fans have no entertainment for the next 8 months, and that is it for our Super Bowl 57 Review.
Or until the XFL..or USFL..or CFL…give us football!!!

 

 

 

Week 13 Picks Podcast

by

It’s December you snowflakes, as we bring you our Week 13 Picks Podcast.

Wade & Ryan have been busy in the toy shed making their predictions for this next slate of games as the ground starts to harden in the league and around us all.

To say it’s been a bizarre season would be an understatement, as legends have faltered, new heroes have emerged, and the Eagles are 10-1. Who would have thunk?

With that in mind, the boys look at the more interesting matchups for Week 13 in the 2022 NFL season, with fun anticipation that anything can happen.

Here’s the link so that you can get the full Week 13 Picks Podcast.

 

Jets (7-4) vs -1.5 Vikings (9-2)  +44.5

The Jets and Vikings have surprised us all with their stellar start to the 2022 season.
Despite being Zach Wilson’d with a solid core, New York has found their way with a flash of Mike White.
Minnesota is shining bright under the light of one Justin Jefferson, while Cousins still shirks like a vampire in the shine of primetime.

New York has brought back Mike to lead the way after a beatdown of the Bears worthy of an Aaron Rodgers belt.
It’s the Jets D that has really kept them in games, and with 7 wins and the Patriots taking one on the chin from the Bills, a W here could start to set some separation.

No one believes in the Vikings, as if their wins are somehow as mythical in tally.
Kirk Cousins can still make some bonehead moves, but with a offence like his, he can pretty much fail to win.

Ryan likes Minnesota to swing their Viking hammer at home, knocking back the White-ness to reality with a display of scoring. He believes that the hype will be enough to beat the Jets.

Wade is backing the Jets here to upstart the shaky Minnesota miracles. The D will shake up the cousin flicking festival, and use their running game to keep themselves competitive.

Ryan- Vikings 29 Jets 24
Wade- Jets 30 Vikings 28

-1 Jaguars (4-8) vs Lions (4-7)  57.5

With a game boasting a 57 plus point total, Las Vegas knows that this match is gone to be a slugfest.
Both teams lack the D to deliver, and they’re both on an upward ascent of winning time.

Trevor Lawrence finally looked like an NFL star, leading his team down the field like a real leader.
Finally. It’s been along time coming, but can he sling together a series of wins after too many years of rebuilding?

Detroit has been hard-knocking their way back to the wins, as Dan Campbell has got his Lions ready to roar in this battle of the big cats.

Ryan likes Detroit here to upset the Jaguars at home, and bite out a chunk from the Jacksonville junkies.

Wade is also big on the Lions, betting that the running game and speedy receiver match-ups will be a sure source of fantasy picks.

Ryan- Lions 30 Jaguars 27
Wade- Lions 33 Jaguars 26

-5.5 Browns (4-7) vs Texans (1-9-1)  +47.5

Let’s talk about the Deshaun in the room shall we?

Buried beneath the big games, the NFL snuck us back the return of disgraced quarterback Deshaun Watson to face the team we wanted to leave.
You don’t mess with Texas.

Whatever the boo’s or shenanigans organised to shame this young man, it’s still an NFL game so show some respect.

Respect is something the Browns don’t have for themselves as they have blundered their way through some pretty easy picks and opportunities over the past few years.
Watson has a chance to at least hobble together a team that has Amari Cooper, and an underused running duo in Chubb and Hunt.

No respect at all for the Texans. Only Rodney Dangerfield could run a team with no respect all the way down.  Davis Mills is gone, so its on Pearce to run the ball up the line.

Ryan likes the Browns to get through the boo’s and get the win, although he thinks that the hometown Texas faithful will rally them to cover.

Wade has the Browns coming together to support Watson, and Cleveland getting a win to save some face.

Ryan- Browns 24 Texans 22
Wade- Browns 27 Texans 21 

Make sure that you check us out on all our social media, and listen to our podcast.