NFL in London

National Football League in London

London International

London Games 2022

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‘Whomp there it is’, in the words of the immortal ‘Tag Team’ we now know the full dealio for the NFL London games 2022.

Who’s coming? Where are they playing? Is Antonio Brown coming?
All of these questions answered and more in a ‘too early to tell’ about what’s going to actually go down for these games.
We are fuelled by excitement at this point.

Germany

Raise up your steins and scream out a ‘Prosit!’, as the NFL makes its way to southern Germany for a great 2022 game, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Seattle Seahawks in Munich.

Slated for November 13th at 2:30 pm GMT (9:30am EST)-this is the penultimate game in the international series this season.

Everyone in Europe knows that the Germans have a HUGE love for the NFL, and are some of the nicest, coolest fans to pop to London when the games are in the UK.

German fans deserve this game, although they may not deserve a Drew Lock led Seattle team that will probably get blitzed by the Bucs D all day, every day.

Todd Bowles will be at the reigns for the Bucs this season, with Tom Brady being the best dang sports ambassador for the league in decades.

Who knows, maybe TB12 will jump behind the FOX booth to throw down a little broadcasting while he’s at it too?

Wembley

Once the most prestigious stadium in Europe, Wembley is back once again to panhandle a game from the Jags for the series.

Wembley is a far cry from its early 2000s’ NFL games, when there was nothing around the stadium, and fans found their own tailgating options-often gooning back tinnies in the Curry’s parking lot before kickoff.

This October sees the return of Russ, as Russell Wilson and his new look Broncos will be ready to rock the Urban Meyer-less Jacksonville Jaguars.

October 30th sees the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Denver Broncos for a 1:30pm (9:30amEST) kickoff in northwest London.

Chances are both teams will already have a losing record heading to London, but that’s the momentum they’ll need to head home and kick some ass.

Tottenham Stadium

Welcome to the jungle, as north London gets two beauties of games at the brand spanking newish stadium in Tottenham.

Sure, there is nothing to do around the stadium-and some of the side streets look pretty dodgy, but what a stadium!

White Hart Lane will be banging for two straight weeks of NFL games, as early October brings us our own harvest of gridiron feasts.

Sunday October 2 sees the New Orleans Saints hosting the Minnesota Vikings in a miracle rematch that will have NFC fans frothing.
With a 2:30pm (GMT) kickoff, this will be the first of our international games, and will harken back to 2017 when these two teams faced off in the playoffs.

It will be the Kirk Cousins led speedsters versus the punishing D of the Saints, in what should be a very exciting NFL game to start our journey.

Sunday October 9th is the day that Cheeseheads in UK will be sniffing their fingers, as Aaron Rodgers and the Pack make their first appearance ever in Europe, when the Green Bay Packers host the New York Giants at Tottenham.

It’s been a long wait for Wiconsinites in the UK, as the heralded Packers are finally playing their first game in Britain.

This game will sell out very quickly, and will be as tight as the Packers cap space for this season.

Going to be a great game!

Mexico

Ola! Welcome to Mexico City-please put your laser pointers in the bin-as the Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers Sunday May 21st in Estadio Azteca at 1:30am GMT.

Will Jimmy G be leading the charge, or will they Trey Lance the boil that is the 49ers QB situation?

This game will have major divisional consequences, and it’s too bad it will be too late to watch.

Fun Things

We are already very excited about the games, and are working on some tailgating, after parties, as well as regular season events to entertain our loyal fans.

Watch this space as we drip feed some of the exciting things we will be doing for 2022!

 

 

London 2022 Games

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Smell that in the air?
That’s freedom…a bit of petrol…and the return of the NFL.
It’s coming back to London again soon, and boy are we tickled.

So here are our predictions for the London 2022 Games.

Draft Days

The NFL Draft is now done and dusted, as teams watch the offseason to witness which one of these prospects burns and turns their own future after Las Vegas, making bad lifestyle choices that ultimately leads to leaving the game.

Or…they have a bright and lustrous future, without any incidents.
That’s the hope anyway.

The NFL Draft also heralds the beginning of the international adventure, as the league announces who will be headed across the shores to bring the beautiful game to hungry global audiences.

London gets 3 games, Germany gets one, as does Mexico.

So how does it all play out?

London Schedule

The NFL announced that they will be releasing the full international schedule on May 4th, 2022 (evening).

We will then get to know who will be making a passport application for the first time, so that they come visit us at either Tottenham or Wembley stadium(s) for an autumn jaunt.

Who will it be?
Well, we make our yearly predictions prior to the NFL officially announcing the REAL teams that will be visiting.
It’s a fun little exercise that helps build hope to those of us who haven’t seen our teams hit the UK in years.

And so without further adieu, we present our predictions for the 2022 London International Games.

Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Sunday September 25th-Week 3
Wembley Stadium

Jacksonville is back (again), as they shed their Urban skin, and have returned with fresh faces and feelings as the Trevor Lawrence era has finally sputtered out of the gate.

As for the Jags home opponents this season, they face the following: Colts, Texans, Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Ravens, Cowboys, Giants.

Given that many of these teams have been here in the past few years, the most obvious team to come would be the New York Giants, who haven’t played in London since they beat the Rams in 2016.

The Ravens however last played in London in 2017, where they took a 44-7 blowout to the face.

There are rumblings and rumours out of Poe-town, that the dirty birds would once again be flocking our way.
We’ll jump on this rumour!

Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints

Sunday October 2, 2022-Week 4
Tottenham Stadium

Of all the rumours that have been circling as to who would most likely be playing, this game is the most solid to bet on.

Minnesota and New Orleans are scheduled to play each other this year, and reports out of Minneapolis point to the fact that the team is preparing for an international adventure for the 2022 season.

The miracle moments between these two teams are many, and it seems to be the most likely scenario for both teams.

As per the date, Week 4 has been persistent in both reports from New Orleans and the Vikes, so we will also double down on the intel we are getting stateside.

This will be a great game for fans of both teams, who last appeared on our shores in 2017, beating the Dolphins and Browns respectively.

We’re quite confident in this one.

Tennessee Titans vs Green Bay Packers

Sunday October 9th-Week 5
Tottenham Stadium

The Pack is finally making a trek to London, as British fans finally get a whiff of the mane of Aaron Rodgers and company.

Green Bay is the ONLY team to have NEVER made the trip to London, so this will be a massive game for all the cheeseheads here who have missed out on NFL action in the past.

As for the Packers home opponents, they have the Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Titans, & Rams.

While the LA Rams are rumoured to be another team playing in an international game, they are more likely to play the Arizona Cardinals in the Mexico City contest.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are also an interesting possibility for Rodgers and the boys to play-since they haven’t been here since 2012, but the Titan in the room keeps popping up its head.

We like Tannehill and Tennessee as they combatant in the Packers contest, making their way to north London for week 5, in an exciting match.

Considerations

There are some other factors that we looked at in determining not only the teams, but the dates of the London games.

Ukraine is most likely still going to be burning in the autumn of 2022, and many Americans are not likely to travel as they believe that anywhere in Europe is a war zone.

London & European visitors dropped by 8% during the Gulf War, and plummeted after the terror attacks here.  As long as Russia keeps acting like dicks, the situation in the area will be tenuous.

The World Cup will also play a factor in the scheduling of NFL games, as the league will want to avoid any clashes with ‘soccer’ for the end of the year.

Kicking off on November 21st in Qatar, the World Cup will overlap much of the NFL schedule, as many major games are happening on NFL Sundays.
Spain faces Germany on Sunday Nov 27th at 7pm GMT-running smack into the NFL for many fans who will be looking to catch the games.

Caveat

Once again, these are only guesses by our team.

We will all know the true teams heading our way when the NFL officially announces it next week.

 

 

 

Back to the Kitchen

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Another week in the NFL offseason brings with it a myriad of shame, as we break down some of the lowest lows in this weeks’ podcast, Back to the Kitchen.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull go through all of the NFL malarky, to offer you some nuggets of wisdom, despite their limited intelligence.

It doesn’t stop Adam Shefter.

Here’s the podcast for this week!

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

Brady Balls

So the rumours keep chunking out that TB12 was due to not only QB the Dolphins, but also be a part owner, until bad boy Bill Belichick pissed all over the parade by tipping off Brian Flores.
If it’s all true, it’s a very Putin-esque way of making sure that Miami doesn’t expand in their division, after all, they’re full of nazis.
Brady might be back in 2023 to try this whole thing again!

Unfollow Deebo

After being used and abused as the ‘go-to’ man for the 49ers last years, speedster Deebo Samuel wants to get paid.
After watching Davante Adams get paid, then Tyreek, then everyone else, Deebo wants to be the next money man, and San Fran better pony up.
Of course, the 49ers like many teams don’t have the cashola to keep up with player egos, so Deebo’s block could remain in place until the team can find ways to ‘restructure.’

Carr’s Crackers

Derek Carr can finally breathe that big breath of freedom, as the Raiders made good on a promise to keep him in Sin City for the foreseeable future.
After signing for $121.5m until 2025, Carr solidifies himself as the longest termed QB of the future, and allowing him to play with all his speedy new toys.
Derek Carr is what Baker Mayfield wishes what he saw in the mirror.

Baker’s Baked

Baker Mayfield has now entered the ‘Whiny’ phase of his career, preferring to bitch and moan instead of doing anything about it.
BM was recently captured saying that he wishes he could ‘boo fans where they work’, to see how they liked it.
The does nothing to help Baker get a starting job this year, although it does give him the proper attitude to become a pundit.

AB BA ABBA!

Poor AB..actually, screw him! And Floyd Mayweather.
Floyd has offered to cover the losses of any team that takes a chance on AB (and offering him $20M) for the 2023 season.
If dude can’t keep it together playing with Tom Brady, do you think he’ll show any sense of class playing with the likes of Kirk Cousins or Carson Wentz?
Save the drama for your many baby mama’s!

Cam Cam Cam

Cam Newton made himself less relevant this week when he unleashed a slew of misogny for no reason whatsoever.
Cam was heard to be dismissive of women, and suggested that they ‘go back to the kitchen’, in a refreshing take for a man under 40.
If those fancy hats were stopping you from getting a job before Mr. Newton, your gendered social media performance will certainly help you out with that.

USFL

It’s back! If you have been missing the feels of football, you’re in luck this weekend, as the USFL returns to our televisions.
If you weren’t aware, the USFL existed in the 1980s’, but fell into ruin thanks to the efforts of a certain Donald Trump (plus way more reasons!).
Here’s something to jog your memory.

Anywho, the USFL is back this weekend, and will offer NFL fans a chance to catch on more football! Hooray!

The first game will see New Jersey face Birmingham at 12:30am GMT Sunday.

Sunday will see some more UK friendly viewing times, as Houston takes on Michigan at 5pm, Philly vs New Orleans at 9pm, and Tamps vs Pittsburgh on 1am Monday morning.

According the USFL website, the games will be available in the UK via ESPN International…so you probably won’t be able to watch them.

Dwayne Haskins

The NFL world was shocked this week to lose NFL player Dwayne Haskins in a roadside accident.

He was a young, black man who had enormous pressure thrust upon him as a starting QB, and his struggles were something we all could see on a weekly basis.

Hugs and love to his family and friends who have to deal with such a senseless tragedy.

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

 

Ontario Best Bets

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Congrats sports betting fans in Ontario, Canada!
Your province has finally welcomed you into the world of legal sports betting!

So what does that mean for our NFL fans in Ontar-e-air-e-air-e-oh?
Some great betting opportunities, which we will break down as we look at some of the companies setting up shop in our Ontario Best Bets.

Ontario Boys

Our own Wade and Ryan hail from the province of Ontario, Canada, so they know the pains and perils of having to use the antiquated ‘Pro Line’ parlay.
They have also lived in England long enough to know what makes a good betting company.

Pro Line was great in the early days, especially when they didn’t realise they didn’t keep on top of their Premier League product, and punters were able to bet on soccer games that already happened.

Canada has been WAY behind the world when it comes to the world of betting, so bettors are in for a quick, and steep learning curve.

What it Is

Ontario’s can now bet online on sports and casino games from April 4, 2022.

This was a pretty grey and dodgy market, as numerous casino providers have found ways to target Canadians with free to play slots and other late night shenanigans.

Sportsbooks must register with the provinces iGaming Market must first register with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, and since Canada loves ‘rules’, the arduous process has weeded out some of the less enthusiastic providers.

Bettors can be registered anywhere in the world, but they need to be in Ontario to make the bets.

Major sports are fair game to bet on, but amateur sports (CHL) and virtual sports are off limit.
Horseracing is run the federal mafia…government, so those betting companies looking to lock up the ponies will need to tweak their products.

Foreign Influence

As you can well imagine, all of these betting companies are foreign (The Score has Canadian roots), and have very little experience with Canadian betting habits.

What we have seen from the rapid expansion of America, is that many European betting companies run roughshod into the market, without even knowing the nuances of what audiences are looking for.

Odds that are formatted in European standards, failing to comprehend nuances in sport selection, and a general arrogance of ‘we know what you want to bet on’ attitude has actually frightened as many people as it ha enticed.

Canada (and Ontario) are massive territories and markets with incredibly diversity.
Hopefully these companies don’t attempt to shoebox bettors into limited options like they have south of the border.

Best Bets

So which of these betting companies is going to offer you not only the best selection, but also the best learning curve to getting your bet on?

There are two that we would recommend given previous experience, but of course we are UK based now, and haven’t used these Ontario products (yet).

We do have decades of betting experience, and have worked with many of these companies, so we will tap into that.

One thing to note is the variety of new players to the market (or those who renamed themselves).

Just because it has a fancy new name, doesn’t mean that you should trust them with your money.

So the two betting sites that we as Ontarian’s with sports betting experience would suggest?

1. The Score

Ontarians will be familiar with The Score, a mainstay of sports TV in the early 2000s.

After being tucked into the belt of Rogers Media, then Penn National Gaming, The Score has positioned itself as one of the emerging sources of Canadian sports media.

The Score app constantly wins rave reviews for its comprehensive lineup of sports content, and has been a driving force into tapping into emerging platforms.

Canadians LOVE a consistent Canadian brand that provides them with that they need (Tim Horton’s, Swiss Chalet, PornHub) & The Score offers the best betting options that we have seen for the Canadian betting market.

A good betting option, despite their cringe-worthy commercials.

https://www.thescore.bet/

2. DraftKings

After years of spending fast cash on countless commercials, Draftkings has solidified itself in the eyes and minds of Ontario bettors.

Despite starting our as a DFS only option, Draftkings has matured its offerings by pivoting to the demand for traditional sports betting options.

Draftkings has had a presence in Canada for the past 7 years, so they stand to transition to this whole new provincial positioning.

DK was late to the party in Ontario in terms of license application, but it’s safe to say that DraftKings will be able to get in the game in 2022.

Hit up Draftkings here.

https://www.draftkings.com

Notable Mentions

European bookmakers Bet365, 888, & Unibet all make the splash across the pond in April, as they attempt to do what Marks & Spencer failed to do, sustain a British invasion.
All three of these providers are noticeably tone deaf to North American sports, with Bet365 offering a shambolic NFL product that’s so bad, it’s deletable.

Poinstbet, the thunder from down under is another new player to the North American betting scene.
Despite not having much experience in global sports betting, Pointsbet has decided to splash the cash, tossing toonies at the likes of Curling Canada and the Trailer Park Boys.
It’s like they Googled ‘What do Canadians Like?’ without actually talking to Canadians.
Canadians are happy to take free money, but we don’t appreciate being fed the same diet as Americans.
A cautionary tale for other big brands who have tried to roll onto the tundra with deep pockets, only to realise Canadians don’t think this way, in fact-it turns them off.

Yankee Doodle Dandies like BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook have been on a mission to conquer the world!
Sadly they should first conquer their products, which pale as cheap imitations compared to some of the more established players.
Just like Vegas, these products are new, cheap, and filled with smoke.

Who the what now? Other new brands like Coolbet, Casimba, Fitzdares and Rivalry are also new to the province, but will mostly be targeting the elderly with their casino products.
Time will tell if they last or go the way of Nando’s.

Smart Bets

If you’re new to sports betting, take it slow.

There’s no need to rush into the sports betting game if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

And never spend more than you can afford! Keep it less than your weekly coffee spend if you just want to have some fun.

Keep watching this space. We will update on the progress of Ontario and Canada betting as we know more.

Any remember, it’s yours to discover.

 

 

 

March Madness

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The NCAA basketball tourney might be getting all the heat during this spring spree, but the real March Madness is what’s coming out of the NFL offseason.

What the holy heck is going on in the league? Because it feels soooo good!

Elementary Watson

Deshaun Watson has finally found at home in Ohio, but not everyone is thrilled.

Despite not facing any criminal charges, the thigh rubbing ways of Watson is rubbing some fans the wrong way.

Deshaun gets paid big time, and the Browns finally have the baller that they need to compete in an ever dangerous AFC.

It shouldn’t surprise NFL fans that the stink bomb of Watson would follow him wherever he went.
Obviously a team in Las Vegas is going to care less about the issue than the Browns, because that would be the expected behaviour from a Raider.

Hopefully we can all get back to bitching about the Texans and Jets on their own merits.

Rodger Dodger

Maybe the real Last Dance was last year, as Aaron Rodgers slate of dance partners are sashaying off to find other boogie mates.

Davante Adams took less money to go to Vegas and play with Derek Carr, which shows that maybe the tight clique that they have had wasn’t as strong as we all believed.

With VD Scantling also off to greener pastures, Green Bay would have many receiving options they can afford (maybe Cole Beasley?)

Has Rodgers stance from last season come back to bit him in the ass? Or is he an ass for demanding so much money?

At least they’re coming to London.

Chief Concerns

Ruh Roh Patrick! Is everyone leaving you?

Kansas City Chiefs have had some concerns this week, as the Cheetah sprinted off to a nicer jungle, taking a massive pay raise with the Miami Dolphins.

Perhaps it was the signing of Tik Tok Tyrant Juju that put Tyreek over the edge, but whatever it was, the Chiefs had lost a massive talent.

Sure, Tyreek saw a drop in performance last year, but the whole Chiefs team did.

The real question is how are the Dolphins going to hit him with the deep ball?

Florida Tom

Tom Brady is back in Florida, and the Bucs are ready for another season.

But hold on! Rumours are circling the bowl that TB12 is going to play in Florida…but for the Dolphins!

Rumours earlier this season that Tom was moving to Miami, only to stop that train once Brian Flores threw down his ‘Fuck you Miami’ speech.

With Flores off to Pittsburgh, the whispers continue that Tommy might still make a trade to the Fins, and give the Bucs plenty if trade picks.

While it sounds sweet, it would be hard to see recent Tampa signings like Godwin and Gage happy that Tommy squirted off to another sunset.

No Charges

There’s only one NFL team that has had ZERO arrests over the past five years, and that team is the LA Chargers.

The Chargers have also had ZERO fans over this same period, so the figures aren’t totally surprising.

Las Vegas blew the wad on arrests last year, making the Raiders head office and locker rooms a great source of inmate potential.

Lucky for Los Angeles, they have made a bunch of signings in the off season, so those arrest records could be climbing up any week now.

Bucking Colts

The Falcons showed their cards when they said they would go all in for Deshaun Watson, not something their veteran QB Matt Ryan wanted to hear.

No surprise then that Matty Ice got stone cold on ATL, and asked to fly, fly, fly.

The stars aligned pretty good for Matty with the Indianapolis Colts, who have had a sucky QB for the past few years.

While past ball-slingers who rolled into Indy might have been on their last legs, Ryan could be the QB that gets the Colts further than turding it out during their first playoff game.

Might be worth throwing £10 on the Colts winning the AFC as a cheeky bet!

London Games

Packers and Saints are hosting home games at Tottenham, and the Jaguars are once again playing in Wembley.

But who do they play and when?

We will have all of our predictions for you next week!