NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFLUK

Week 13 Preview

by

It’s another slug of a week in the NFL, as we take a look at our Week 13 Preview podcast. The previous week of games brought some tough losses, amazing wins, and another batch of injuries to change the playoff outlook even further. The top teams keep rolling, and the Steelers are still undefeated, but are they that good?
Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull are your NFL in London pundits, looking back at the scores from week 12, as well as previewing all of the games ahead in Week 13, as well as their love of seasonal canapés.
Lockdown might be done in the UK, but that doesn’t mean NFL fans are keen to flock to the pubs just yet. It doesn’t help that Premier League games are now directly in contest with the NFL, meaning our fans often get relegated to the side tvs with no sound.
Hopefully we will all be able to watch the Super Bowl together next year. Fingers crossed.

Some of the games the boys hit this week includes:

Colts (7-4) vs Texans (4-7)
Colts -3.5  +53

Indianapolis is still stunned after that viscous beating they took at the hands of the Titans last week. Derek Henry left his boot marks on their D, and they will need to shake off that fuzz if they want to take advantage of a listless Houston team.
The Colts still have a great running game, and short pass options, which will find big gaps in a soft secondary.
Houston are drug cheats. They did it baseball, and now they got caught again in the NFL. Will Fuller is gone, but more importantly this team just received another nail in the coffin that was their 2020 season. JJ Watt must be looking to GTFO of Houston now, so why play hard and hurt your 2021 contract?
Both Ryan & Wade like the Colts to bounceback.
Ryan- Colts 30 Texans 20
Wade-Colts 28 Texans 23

Browns (8-3) vs Titans (8-3)
Titans -6  +53.5

It’s the battle of the 8-3 juggernauts, as we see if the Browns really have what it takes to advance to the post season. All signs point to no.
Cleveland has looked like they have been calling it in all season. Baker Mayfield plays as he does in his commercials, clueless and locked out of the game. The can’t blame it on OBJ because he was hardly even used during the early part of the season.
Tennessee just laid a bit back beating on the Colts and are riding high. They have 8 wins, but those haven’t always been that convincing, barely eeking out victories over some craptastic opponents.
Both teams might play strong, but they could both be easily beat in a first wild card game.
Ryan & Wade are both big on the Titans here at home, although Ryan likes this one to be close.
Ryan- Titans 27 Browns 24
Wade- Titans 34 Browns 24

LA Rams (7-4) vs Cardinals (6-5)
Rams -3.5  +48.5

LA and Arizona were both the victim of an assault last week, except they only have themselves to blame. The Rams were choked out by a superior San Francisco defence, while the Cardinals fell into a Bill Belichick trap. Both of them didn’t see it coming.
Aaron Donald might be carrying the Rams on his shoulders this season, as Jared Goff is inconsistent at best. They failed to get any attacks in motion against a depleted 49ers squad last week, so you wonder how they will be able to keep up punch for punch with Kyler Murray.
Arizona is not as good as many thought. Their 6 wins have been over inept teams, and their 5 losses have at times been very ugly. Kyler looks tiny out there, and is making rookie mistakes in his QB vision. He should be able to wheel out of the way of AD & co., making points with his feet.
Ryan & Wade are both big on the Cardinals for an upset at home. LA hasn’t been definitive enough, and this division contest will mean more to the host.
Ryan- Cardinals 30 Rams 27
Wade- Cardinals 30 Rams 26

Some of the other teams that the boys like to cover this week includes:

Ryan- Chargers Win, Jets Cover, Lions Win, 49ers Win.
Wade-Dolphins Cover, Jets Cover, Falcons Cover, Patriots Win.

Listen to the full podcast for all of our scores and predictions.

Ravens vs Steelers

by

It’s week 12 on a Wednesday, as we update our previous pick on this weird and wild game, as the Ravens visit the Steelers on a midweek night.
Obviously it’s a bonus to get another NFL game, especially one that airs in primetime UK time. Too bad this one will be a beating.

Ravens (6-4) vs Steelers (10-0)
Steelers -10 +42

The Covid fairy has kissed a bunch of Ravens, meaning they will barely be fielding a team at all. RG3 gets his comeback comeback in primetime, let’s see what he can do with a box of broken toys. Baltimore has to feel gutted going into this one, reeling from losses and infected with Covid to the point of throwing this one. At least they have a QB.
The Steelers must be laughing, they’re the China in this whole thing. Not sure if they started it, but they sure are enjoying the ride. Pittsburgh has benefitted from a healthy team and easy schedule. Sure they’re good, but not a perfect team good. I guess that’s the way the NFL Gods shuffle it.
Both Ryan & Wade like Pittsburgh in a romp here. They’re too strong & healthy that they might even give Rudolph a go if this one starts to coast.
Ryan- Steelers 27 Ravens 13
Wade- Steelers 33 Ravens 18

Enjoy the game, we will have another podcast up this week as well.

 

Callum’s Thanksgiving

by

THE PICKS SIX THANKSGIVING SPECIAL

Well, Corona has REALLY officially ruined 2020. As I was writing this, we’ve been hit by breaking news in Baltimore. Ravens-Steelers is postponed to Sunday… and we’re down to just TWO Thanksgiving football games. Sad. Obviously… there are much more important things. It’s absolutely the correct decision to keep everyone safe, but it is sad we’re losing a third of our Thanksgiving slate. 

As far as we’re concerned here at Picks Six, Sunday was a bit of a down day. An 8-5 record on the games was a bit disappointing – a couple of rogue upsets were thrown in there. I’ll update my season stats for this weekend’s column after these two games on Thursday. 

Anyway, on with the matter at hand. This is the first Thanksgiving I’ll have spent in the UK since 2012… I’m very sad about it, but determined to make the most of the day and make sure I do the 3 most important things on any Thanksgiving – Give many thanks, seriously over eat, and watch 9 hours of uninterrupted NFL football… guess it’s only gonna be about 6 hours this year. 

One of the bonuses of Thanksgiving football is that each game can receive your undivided attention. I usually live in the world of RedZone, and as a result miss out on some of the nuances of the “not so often on prime time” teams. So – a little bit different from the norm – let’s take a more in depth than usual look at both games on Thursday.

Houston Texans @ Detroit Lions

The Texans are still probably too far back realistically to get back into the AFC Playoff race, but beating the Patriots will always feel good. Surely Houston will be riding high following Sunday’s exploits? The Lions on the other hand… yikes. Matthew Stafford was shutout for the first time in his career, and not by one of the most elite defenses in the league. Happily, I donthink Detroit will shake off their atrocious offensive output vs Carolina on Sunday and help this one be a fun game. Both teams are better offensively than defensively, but the X-Factor in this matchup had to be Deshaun Watson. I correctly called a “Watson” game on Sunday as he pushed the Patriots deeper into the mire. Duke Johnson was held in check, but Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller are such a threat down the field that Houston can still be expected to score lots of points even without a typical run game. This game just feels like a classic Detroit Thanksgiving game where they’re just simply outmatched and not good enough to win. The return of Swift to their back field will help, but I don’t think their pass rush is good enough to stress Watson throughout the game. Houston should win this comfortably enough.

Washington Football Team @ Dallas Cowboys

Welcome back into playoff contention Dallas Cowboys. The big upset against Minnesota has breathed life into a season that looked a lost cause just a few weeks ago. On the other side of the coin… I am completely befuddled by the fact that Washington found a way to win 3 games this year – they might not win any more – but you have to credit Ron Rivera for instilling some drive and grit in this team. I think their defensive stats are a little skewed – Washington claims to have a top 5 pass defense, but the truth is teams have been up on them in almost every game and stuck with the run as a result – but Chase Young is already proving to be the game-wrecker he was advertised to be. The Cowboys hopes fall largely on being able to contain the Washington pass rush and give Andy Dalton time to find his weapons. Those weapons WILL find a way to be open, but that pocket needs to hold long enough for a play to develop. Yes, they should lean on Zeke, but when a pass is needed Dalton must be protected. Their defense appeared to take a big step forward against the Vikings and, with all due respect to Washington, Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson are nowhere near Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. I’m taking the Cowboys every which way here and actually think they have enough left in the tank to get to 6-10, and win the NFC East. 

Picks

Okay, so, it’s a holiday… we deserve entertainment… we’re definitely backing both overs. Fill up with Turkey, then fill up with points. I’m a little biased with my past history of having lived in Texas, but it’s really hard not to see a double for the Lonestar State come Thursday. Texans and Cowboys both to win.

Thanksgiving Thursday Picks:

The Double Over –

Over 51.5 (Houston @ Detroit)

Over 46.0 (Washington @ Dallas)

The Texas Double Spread –

Houston Texans -3.0 

Dallas Cowboys -3.0

The Quad Touchdown Special –

Both Players to score a TD – TJ Hockenson & Brandin Cooks

Both Players to score a TD – Ezekiel Elliot & Antonio Gibson

£10 on this pays £165 depending on your bookmaker.

(Bonus Special Tip) – 

If you’re in the U.K., SkyBet are offering this at 16/1 which I LOVE with a capital L.O.V.E.

Brandin Cooks 100+ rec yds & Ezekiel Elliot 100+ rush yds.

Week 12 Sunday 

Obviously, thanks to the postponement, we now get Steelers-Ravens on Sunday, which adds itself to a pretty tasty slate already! Titans-Colts, Chiefs-Buccaneers & Packers-Bears (always guaranteed drama) as a Sunday nightcap is a very tasty way to spend an afternoon and evening. As always, I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter and Instagram. Come say hi, and have a very happy Thanksgiving wherever you are. 

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

Baby Murray

by

Baby Yoda might be the hottest, cutest Christmas toy, but have you heard of Baby Murray?
This decorative, darling figure is the perfect gift for the NFL fan in your household.

Standing just under 6 feet tall, this beaming figure is sure to be the envy of your friends this holiday season.
Just put a ball in front of him, say ‘hike’, and watch Baby Murray do his thing.

Baby Murray is programmed for hours of fun! Tap on his head, and he will perform a series of spin moves to juke his way out of any defence. Double tap and watch his little arm fire a rocket of a pass downfield. And for pure joy, triple tap his helmet and he’ll perfectly execute a Hail-Murray pass, a heave-ho chuck to the end zone where (hopefully) Hopkins will be waiting arms outstretched to make the score.

Order now, and we’ll through in some Groaning Bills Fans, who will made audible screams as the game falls apart in one play.

Baby Murray is a limited time offer, so make sure you get yours exclusively from NFL in London, just one payment of £999.00.

(figure may just be a Cameo message of Kyler Murray laughing at you for believing this was real)

Week 11 Upsets

by

Week 11 is here, so let’s see if we can find out where Las Vegas may have missed a few steps. That’s right, it’s time for Wade’s Week 11 upsets.
Despite a stinky beating last week, I am rocking a 23-5 upsets record, which I am hoping to improve upon this week.
It was a wild week of wind in week 10, which affected some of my scores, but not as much as injuries did.
So what lines might you want to look at this week? Well, here ya go!

Falcons (3-6) vs Saints (7-2)
Saints -3.5  +51

Drew Brees is a broken man, although it wasn’t known how broken he was until this weekend. With 11 fractures, Brees is going to be sidelined for most of the rest of the regular season. That means Taysom Hill is taking over, leaving poor Jameis Winston perplexed.
Maybe they will finally have a QB that can throw for more than 12 yards?
Atlanta finally has her groove back, with Matt Ryan chucking loads of yards and Calvin Ridley continuing to frustrate the opposition.
It seems a little disrespectful to look over the Falcons given their recent play, and the fact that they have loads of players back from injury.
This line has dropped from -5 to -3.5, and may continue to drop.
I like the Falcons here to cover, and if Matty Ice is grooving, they could potentially even win.
Falcons Cover

Lions (4-5) vs Panthers (3-7)
Panthers -3  +49

This game is like driving down the highway, and your two kids are fighting nonstop in the back. You’re not sure if you want to pull the car over and smack them both, or just aim the engine at the semi coming down the road and pray for sweet release of all of you.
Detroit is more than injured, they are also lacking in direction and focus. How much more can you expect to shoulder on Matt Stafford before his wife has a Twitter meltdown?
Carolina is favoured by 3 despite losing Teddy Bridgewater and Christian McCaffery. Really? Is Robbie Anderson going to do all the work himself then?
The Panthers pass rush sucks, which means broken Stafford will have plenty of time to hit Jones or Hockenson.
Lions Win

Bengals (2-6-1) vs Washington (2-7)
Washington -1.5  +46.5

Joe Burrow can’t seem to catch a break this year. He has played incredibly despite a horrible O-line keeping the Bengals in games, they had no right to be close in.
Washington can’t get a leg up, literally. Their QBs suck, and their only salvation has been their defence, which keeps them in games.
Cincinnati has played loads of tough teams, so it’s fitting that they finally get a game against a weak opposition. While Joe Mixon is out, Bernard will be fine to distract away from all the balls tossed to Higgins and Boyd.
I like the Bengals to win this one in the nations capital.
Bengals Win

Packers (7-2) vs Colts (6-3)
Colts -1.5  +51.5

Green Bay as underdogs? Are you trying to piss off and motivate Rodgers?
Sure, the Colts have improved their play thanks to getting players back from injuries, but they haven’t demonstrated being favourites over the Packers.
Indy’s D and O line have both been playing incredible football lately, but Phillip Rivers hasn’t been that convincing. They will need to use more than Nyheim Hines to get the running game going, as that seems like the only way you’re going to hurt Green Bay.
I like Aaron to light up this dome, and hurt the Colts at home.
Packers Win

So how much will you win this week if you parlay my 4 picks into one handy bet?
Well on Bet365 a £10 bet gives you a return of £158.26, including a 15% bonus for multiple bets.

Make sure you also join our DraftKings League. Our league ‘NFL in London’ is a great place to try your hand at fantasy NFL. You can play for FREE or in some of our smaller contests as well. Once you build your confidence up, try your hand at some of the great contests in the DK lobby.
Join here:
https://dkn.gs/r/kwxDR0JIokKPkA6cPjCtNA

Stay safe, sane, and enjoy week 11!