NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL London

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.

Super Prop Bets

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The SuperBowl is only a few days away, which means it’s time to start thinking of some of the prop, or novelty bets on offer for this year. Sure, you can go the traditional route of betting on Gatorade colour, length of the anthem or whether Tony Romo is going to mention Robert Kraft’s favourite massage oil.

With so many oddities to bet on in this Super Bowl, why not contact your bookie and go hard? Why bet on the basic bitch package, when you can amp it up for Super Bowl 55.
These are some of our Super Prop Bets.

Trump Blows up Florida +165

Trump lost the election, the presidency and some would say the plot as he returned to his Florida retirement home to have Melania soak his boo-boos. Those who know Trump reckon he is seeking some sweet justice, and a public event like the Super Bowl is all he needs. Previous villains have tried to blow up the Super Bowl, but of anyone-Trump probably can pull it off.
If Trump blows it up before halftime, at least we will miss the Weeknd.

Tiffany Rivers Gives Birth +225

Phillip Rivers retired this year to focus on family, so it figures that his wife Tiffany is due to give birth again soon. Look for Tiffany to shoot baby number 23 across the field at halftime, with the umbilical cord firing over midfield as Phillip tosses a pass that snaps the cord, bringing baby and mama softly down on the field. Knowing PR though, he’ll throw the ball short and probably knock out the midwife.

Number of Covid Mentions +/- 300

Look for 300 to be the magic number threshold for mentions of Covid during the SuperBowl. 300 mentions in a 4 hour broadcast is actually reasonable, considering Covid was the star of the 2020 NFL season. Look for other parlays to add to Covid by adding words like ‘virus’, ‘lockdown’, or ‘Wuhan Flu.’
You could be in for even bigger bucks if a new variant emerges during the game itself.

Lamar Jackson takes a Halftime Dump +220

Look for doody-dropper Lamar Jackson to break up halftime by dropping the kids off at the pool, then mentioning it in social media. It could be something obscure, like calling someone a ‘wet-wipe’, or following ‘Charmin’. Everyone plays better when Lamar takes a dump, so look for shout-outs from his colleagues and friends encouraging Lamar to ‘go deep.’

Corona Admits it Caused the Virus  +340

After one of the nastiest trading years on record, Corona bravely fought off the initial link with their beer and a watery death. As the world transitioned from ‘Corona’ to ‘Covid’, the brewer deftly hired Snoop Dogg to help them ‘coolify’ their brand. Look for Corona to go all out on this one, not only boldly claiming that they started the virus, but they now have the only vaccine. This could be a bold brand move.

How many crappy new CBS sitcoms will be promoted? +225

+/- 4 . It’s been a tough year for TV, and CBS so look for them to throw down the gauntlet of fun (or faunt-let) as they go ‘all in’ on wacky sitcoms, promoting 4 new losers on Sunday. Fortunately all of the sitcoms will star Mayim Bialik and have something to do with cats, loneliness and an underlying current of sadness through the canned laughter. ‘What happens when a talking cat saves a suicidal middle-aged woman? It’s ‘Cat Got Your Back’, Tuesdays on CBS!’ The best bet is to wager on how long some of these shows last.
If we’re lucky, one of the sitcoms will be cancelled before the game is done.

Dwayne Haskins watches from a strip club +175

Dwayne Haskins loves his mama, and morally bereft strippers equally. While teammates in Washington bemoaned his lack of professionalism and misogyny, he always made sure to visit the ladies after every game he left early. Look for Haskins on social media to post something cryptic about ‘making it rain’, ‘love in the club’, or even using a weave as a mask. Don’t let us down Dwayne.

The Rock will be seen -250

Dwayne the Rock Johnson is the biggest movie star in the world, so it goes to reckon that he will be seen somehow during the Superbowl. The most obvious would be to show a trailer for one of his movies, but look for the Rock to do bigger.  Maybe an XFL ad, pulling Kevin Hart out of his pockets, or something to do with his eyebrows. Most likely? The Rock will actually be shooting a movie anyhow that somehow crosses over to the Super Bowl. Classic Johnson.

A Karen will be Shown -200

2020 was a hell of a year to be named ‘Karen’. You could have spent 50 years dedicating yourself to helping others, but if you’re named ‘Karen’, it doesn’t matter. 2020 owns you now.
Since the identification of the Karen, we have been all made painfully aware of how to spot the obnoxiousness. There might be only 20000 fans attending the game, but chances are there are a few Karen’s down there in FLA. Get your money ready.

Something Florida will Happen -300

The further you go into Florida, the more of a spiral of humanity you encounter. Laws of natural selection and decorum quickly go out the door. Florida Man Marries a Manatee. Florida woman Swallows 4lbs of Meth and Lives. Perhaps it is the proximity to the famed Bermuda Triangle that brings out the chaos, or maybe it’s inbreeding. Whatever it is, bet on Florida first.

What do you have as some of your prop bets? What kind of madness do you see playing out.
If you didn’t already know, we made these up. But if you can find a bookmaker willing to take this action, please do it!

 

Wildcard Preview

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Are you ready to get Wild? You’re already getting wild enough America, what about the rest of you? All kidding aside, stay safe USA, we love you, and don’t want you to cancel any NFL with all your anger. It’s time for our Wildcard Preview podcast!

After 256 regular season games, we’re finally ready for the playoffs, and oh what a year it’s been. From Covid to no crowds-thanks to Covid, the 2020 season will certainly be one to remember (and for many others-one to quickly forget).

Wade & Ryan look back at the crazy week that was 17 in the NFL, from the big wins to the near misses. The boys reflect on the scores, and the elements that were needed for teams to clinch in this fun romp through the scores.
They also look ahead to the Wildcard Weekend in the NFL, previewing the 6 big games slated for Saturday and Sunday.

Among some of their predictions include:

Colts (11-5) vs Bills (13-3)
Bills -6.5  +52

It’s looking like a windy and snowy Saturday afternoon in Western New York, as the Bills look to starve the wounded Colts on the barren plains of Buffalo.
Indianapolis had the best O line in the league, then the injury bug came, and claimed some of their big dudes. Rookie Jonathan Taylor has had an epic season, and will be needed in spades on Saturday. If the Colts fall behind however, they will need Rivers to light it up against a staunch Buffalo D.
The Bills ended the season with a beat down of the poor Dolphins, and it’s hard to not see them carry that momentum to the next week. The team is fired up, and the return of John Brown means that they can now open up more space on the field.
Ryan and Wade are both hot on Buffalo, although as a Bills diehard fan Ryan is pretty nervous about this contest.
Ryan- Bills 30 Colts 20
Wade- Bills 28 Colts 21

LA Rams (10-6) vs Seahawks (12-4)
Seahawks -3.5  +47.5

The Rams limp into the playoffs with lingering questions at QB. Wolford was able to get the job done against a weak Cardinals team last week, but he now has given up some tape to Seattle as to how to handle his style of play. LA has really only gotten by thanks to their defence, and they are going to need them here against a wicked corp of talented receivers. Even if Goff does return, how effective is he really going to be?
Seattle is ready to cook, and Russ has been to the playoffs enough times to not get rattled. He’ll be playing at home in the windy cold, and finally has an offensive line of returnable players. If he can get enough protection in the pocket, he will have time to carve up the Rams holes.
Having Jalen Ramsey back will also be huge for the Seahawks, as he will take down the long game and potentially pick off a rookie mistake.
The Rams have been winning thanks to great clock management, but it’s a whole different game when the opponent can score quickly and repeatedly.
Wade & Ryan both think that Seattle will finally find their footing here, although Ryan thinks that this one will be pretty close.
Ryan- Seahawks 26 Rams 23
Wade- Seahawks 26 Rams 18

As for full winners tags weekend, the boys are agreed on every team.

WINNERS-Bills, Seahawks, Bucs, Titans, Saints, Steelers. 

DraftKings

Why not make the NFL playoffs even better by playing along with us on Draftkings? You can join our League and immediately jump into some fun and easy FREE and PAID contests of your liking. We’re all pretty cool guys, and love a bit of banter among the games.
Click on the link here and you’re ready to roll.
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That’s it for this week’s Wildcard Preview podcast. Have a listen, a laugh, and make sure you share it with your friends. We appreciate all of you for continuing to make the podcast rise up the charts.
Happy 2021, and a good NFL to you all!

Week 15 Preview

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The playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we head into our Week 15 Preview.
Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull hit the mic this week as they unleash their thoughts on a whole host of NFL banter.
The boys rant & rave on Fantasy Managers who fail to respond to emails, Fantasy playoffs, and all of the week 14 scores.
There were some big beat downs and upsets on Sunday, making for some interesting implications for the long cold winter ahead.
Wade & Ryan also make their predictions for all of the games in week 15, listen to the whole podcast so that you can make your bets for a great bunch of NFL games.
Among some of the games the boys make their picks on.

Panthers (4-9) vs Packers (10-3)
Packers -8.5 +51.5

Oh Carolina, what a season it’s been. Blowing out their C Mac early in the season took a toll on the Panthers as they just couldn’t put together all the pieces to salvage a winning season. They have had some great play from their wide receivers, and Davis has been a solid running replacement.
Aaron Rodgers is playing like an MVP, blowing away the opposition with countless torching touchdowns. Their D has some issues, as does their special teams, but they should bury the remainder of the regular season teams.
Ryan & Wade both like Green Bay for a win here, but the boys differ as to the spread. Ryan thinks this will get ugly, whereas Wade likes a close one.
Ryan- Packers 31 Panthers 20
Wade- Packers 30 Panthers 24

Patriots (6-7) vs Dolphins (8-5)
Dolphins -1.5  +41.5

Bill Belichick loves to muffle the flow of a rookie QB, so look out Tua! Cam Newton is a garbage toss-bag, so it won’t be likely for him to deep ball this game at all. Their D is another story however, so Tua will be forced into tossing the ball into their swift handed secondary.
Miami would be wise to make this a Fitzmagic match, as they can easily rest him for the next few tough matches to sneak that wild card slot. Buffalo will take the AFC East so Miami will need to b crafty in their next few games. Flores is known for his flair, so who knows what will happen.
South Florida is always tricky for New England in December, so who knows what this game will bring.
Wade & Ryan like wise old Bill here for an upset, although this will be close.
Ryan- Patriots 20 Dolphins 17
Wade- Patriots 21 Dolphins 20

Seahawks (9-4) vs Washington (6-7)
Seahawks -5.5  +44.5

Russell Wilson cooked last week thanks to the return of some of his top linemen. Now that he has protection, they can finally give him a pocket as well as get a running game simmering as well. DK Metcalf is a beast to cover, which leaves Lockett & a slew of TEs open if he has the time.
Washington is horrible with Haskins at the helm, so they will need Alex Smith back if they have a hope. With Gibson out for the match, it will be even tougher to plan against a Seattle defence that is finding its rhythm together.
Ryan & Wade both think that this game will bring some big time excitement, but Ryan is inclined to favour the Team to keep it close. Wade sees this breaking wide open for the birds.
Ryan- Seahawks 27 Washington 24
Wade-Seahawks 34 Washington 21

Other picks

Wade & Ryan have also made some other top picks to look at for Week 15. Here are some of the top lines that they like to make your Sunday more profitable.

Ryan-Eagles Win; Bears Win; Texans Cover; Steelers by 21.
Wade-Bears Win; Saints Cover; Cardinals Cover; Rams by 20.

DraftKings ‘NFL in London’

Make sure you join our DraftKings League so that you can play along with us in daily fantasy every weekend. We have a mix of FREE & PAID contests, so do sign up-it’s totally free. We often host DraftKings live parties during the regular season, & hope to do so once this crap all ends.
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Please make sure you subscribe to our podcast. We’ve seen a huge boom in listeners lately, so thanks for that. We love to talk NFL nonsense to share it with your friends this holiday season.

Callum’s Week 13

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Welcome back to another edition of The Picks Six, where we look ahead to see if I can accurately predict the outcomes, and then the Dallas Cowboys let me down and ruin everything. Sorry for the lack of a column last Sunday – life got in the way. Probably a good thing overall, I would definitely have been backing . Don’t even get me started on the TRAVESTY that was the Cowboys on thanksgiving. Talk about ruining a great day. What a joke. I still hate Washington. Spoiler: Steelers by a million on Monday against the Football Team. Anyway, moving forward – we’re really into crunch time of the 2020 season with every win meaning so much from here on in. There’s a lot of games with large lines this week… I don’t really like many of the underdogs but you do wonder if some will be able to keep the games close. Let’s dive in and improve our 56-23 record on the Full English for the season. 

1st and Goal from the 1yd Line

This is my nailed on – has to happen – pick of the week. What do you want when you’ve had a horrible loss the previous week? To face the New York Jets this week. That’s the right answer. So we have to ride with Las Vegas this week. The Raiders are the only team to have beaten the defending Super Bowl Champs so far this year, and yet got absolutely destroyed by the inconsistent Falcons last week. Hard to read. However, facing the most consistent team in the league – the Jets – will help. They’ve been consistently atrocious. Yes, there’s no Josh Jacobs, but Devontae Booker will fill in fine. Derek Carr needs to stay calm, but that shouldn’t be tough against Adam Gase’s tanking trainwreck. Raiders to win.

45yd Field Goal

This one is not a straightforward pick, a bit more of a 50/50 shot. 

Seahawks -10.5 vs the Giants.

Seattle’s defensive woes are well documented but, now they have their star running back reinserted into their line up, they should be able to control the pace vs New York. Russ should be able to cook, even against a Giants defense that has sneakily been getting better as the season has gone on. Believe in Seattle, as they fight their way to the NFC West crown. Seattle -10.5.

TD Treble

This week, we like a couple of Tight Ends and the most underrated running back in the league:

TJ Hockenson – Still no Kenny Golladay for the Lions, and with D’Andre Swift potentially out too I like Hockenson as one of their go to guys.

Mike Gesicki – it’s still Fitzmagic in Miami, and Fitz loves Big Mike. Gesicki caught a touchdown last week, and I’ll back him to do it again against a poor Bengals defense.

Chris Carson – Please show this man the respect he deserves. He destroyed the Eagles on his way to the end zone last week. With Hyde out, you’ll see a lot of Carson. He should score.

£10 on this treble pays about £130 depending on your bookmaker.

If you don’t like the above options, I think Austin Ekeler & Justin Jefferson are equally good options, with slightly shorter odds.

The Overs

Over 51.0 – Jaguars @ Vikings – The Jaguars LOVE giving up points. Their defense is not that of the famed “Sacksonville” name. The Vikings were quite porous to the Cowboys a few weeks back themselves, so I can see this one going over, with Justin Jefferson having a big day and the Jags focus in on the returning Adam Thielen.

Over 45.5 – Saints @ Falcons – You could argue that the Saints D has been so good lately that taking the over here is foolish, but the Falcons have enough weapons to intrigue here, and Taysom and the Saints weapons have been rolling of late. Even Latavius Murray had a big game last weekend. Take the over here too.

The Parlay

Raiders -7.5 – Yes, I wish the line was a flat 7, or maybe even 6.5… but you’ve gotta believe Vegas has enough to shut down the Jets

Saints -3.0 – Taysom has filled in fantastically for Drew Brees, keeping the Saints’ winning run going. Hard to believe the Falcons will have grown so much from beating the Raiders to defeat the current #1 seed in the NFC. 

Texans +3.0 – Can’t trust the Colts (more on this later), so we’ll take the Field Goal as Deshaun Watson seeks to continue his nice little run of performances. 

Lions +3.0 – I actually think Detroit might win this game outright… but let’s take the +3 here against a Bears team that is lacking both confidence and quality on offense. 

Chargers -1.5 – I’ve been burned too many times by New England this year. This is probably the least secure pick here, but I’m just not trusting Cam Newton to be MVP Cam again right now.

£10 on this five-fold returns about £250 depending on your bookmaker.

The Full English (Season Record: 56-23)

Bengals @ Dolphins – Dolphins (who will now be 8-4…!!!)

Browns @ Titans – Titans (I’m leaning Titans largely because of how unstoppable Derrick Henry has been of late)

Lions @ Bears – Lions (the new coach bounce for Detroit? I find it hard to believe in anything Matt Nagy is selling right now)

Colts @ Texans – Texans (This is maybe the hardest game to call this week for me. I’m not convinced AT ALL by the Colts offensively, but they’re very stout defensively, and it’s hard to know how Houston will react to losing Will Fuller, but getting David Johnson back from injury… I’m taking a risk and leaning Texans).

Jaguars @ Vikings – Vikings

Raiders @ Jets – Raiders

Saints @ Falcons – Saints

Rams @ Cardinals – Cardinals (I like Kyler to get back to winning ways here. They really need it)

Giants @ Seahawks – Seahawks

Patriots @ Chargers – Chargers (this is also a toss up, but I’m thinking this could be a chance for Herbert to make a real statement against a sub par Patriots team. Having Ekeler back made a big impact last week. I’ll ride with LA)

Eagles @ Packers – Packers

Broncos @ Chiefs – Chiefs

Washington @ Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh (by the aforementioned MILLION)

Bills @ 49ers – Bills

Cowboys @ Ravens – Ravens (with how downright weird the Cowboys are, I won’t be surprised if they find a way to shock the world and win this game)

Week 14

So we’re finally done with Bye weeks and can look forward to a full slate as we turn the corner into the home straight, and the final quarter of the NFL regular season. Highlights include the AFC North Silver Medal game between Cleveland and Baltimore, and one of the tougher tests left for the Steelers as they face the Bills. Should be good. Enjoy your week 13! As always, I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter and Instagram – should you wish to discuss any of this – or how good Bruno Fernandes is – hit me up! Stay safe and healthy. Have a good one.

Callum Squires is a London based NFL writer, and good friend of NFL in London.