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London Games 2023

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Alright NFL fans, the Draft is done, the season schedule is about to be released on May 11th, and we are due to know who is playing in the London Games 2023 on May 4th.

Prior to that date of course, we like to make our own predictions on who is going to play in London, and when.
It’s an annual fun tradition for us, and in no way is meant to confuse, or claim that these are the real games.
Although we have benefited from some great press from US media personalities reporting our news as gospel. (which it ain’t!)

Much like the Pro Bowl, this is just for fun, not to be taken too seriously, and forged under the influence of alcohol.
Funny enough we have gotten a few right in the past, let’s see how we do this year.

Methodology

No, we didn’t smoke ‘meth’ to come up with these, but we did look at schedule, past London appearances, recent team changes, and potential strength of travel schedule to determine who we think will be making it to the UK in the fall.

The London games have been moving steadily towards a two-chunk set at Tottenham early in the month, and a late October Wembley game in between the time changes.
This time change is a big part of the UK games, as it represents a 4 hour time difference between the east coast, and more appetising for networks schedulers.

We also asked ChatGPT but it got all weird and porny, so we just went back to our old faithful methods.

Again, no real science behind it.

If you want to listen to our DraftOver podcast, and our NFL London picks, listen here:

London Games 2023?

Raiders vs Bills-Oct 8, 2023

First up at Tottenham stadium this year will be the Buffalo Bills hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct 8, 2023 at 2:30pm. There are no tickets, because this is a guess.

The Bills are set to host the following teams in 2023, with their previous London visits in brackets:
Broncos (’22), Jaguars (’22), Giants (’22), Cowboys (’14), Bucs (’22*), Raiders (’19), Jets, Dolphins, Patriots.

Given the toughness and ticket sales of the AFC East this season, it is very unlikely that NFL would schedule a divisional game abroad in 2023.
Each one of these games is going to be very important, and not one they want to lose out on big rivalry matches.

Given that the Broncos & Bucs were in Europe recently, that leaves the Jags, Raiders and Cowboys as top targets. The league could surprise us by having the Jags play twice in London this year, but it feels like a bit of an odd bunching.

With Jerry Jones and America’s team commanding such presence, it would seem unlikely that they would travel from Texas to London as visitors. Jones has a lot of pull with the league, and he would probably poo-poo this quickly.

It would seem likely then, that the struggling Las Vegas Raiders would be the most likely candidate to play the Buffalo Bills in October 2023.

Panthers vs Titans-Oct 15, 2023

We know that the Titans are in a building year (again), so while this might not be a HUGE loss to Tennessee home fans, they will want to see a good game out of it.

The Titans have the following Home opponents for 2023:
Chargers (’18); Seahawks (’18); Bengals (’19); Ravens (’17); Panthers (’19); Falcons (’21); as well as the Texans, Colts and Jags.

Again, while a divisional game sounds appetising, and their division truly sucks, it would seem unlikely that owners would offer that up, as the Jags played the Texans in 2019 in a craptastic result.

The Bengals, Falcons and Seahawks will be looking to tap into their heat, and would probably push back to a Europe trip after having been here only a few short years ago.

Carolina has been making massive changes to the team, which always doesn’t translate that well into fan support, which is why we think that they will be the ones making the trek to London town in 2023.

Ravens vs Jaguars-Oct 29, 2023

The Jags ended the 2022 season quite respectably after stagnating under Urban decay. With Dougie P leading the way, and Lawrence finding his form, Jacksonville might not be a chore to trek to Wembley to.

Jacksonville has some tough teams on tap in 2023 with: Chiefs (22*); Bengals (19), 49ers, Falcons, Panthers, and their division tripe as well.

The one team that does stick out here are the Baltimore Ravens, who haven’t been to the UK since 2017.
With Lamar firmly in control, and the team now ready to rock to the playoffs, it seems tempting to think that the Ravens will be facing the Jags in north London under a harvest moon.

That’s it for our predictions for the London Games 2023.
Who do you think will be coming to the UK?
Let’s see how we do!

 

 

 

Sloppy Seconds

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Most of the top tier talented has been shuffled off to other teams, as we look who is left to go where in our Sloppy Seconds podcast.

If you get offended with the title, take it up with Ryan.

In this episode, the boys look at some of the ‘other’ NFL moves across the league, as we all await the news of where Rodgers, Lamar and TB12 could end up. Wait, him again?

To listen to the whole thing, make sure you click here.

Among some of the other things that the guys discuss in this edition.

Own Up

The owners are having their annual billionaires meeting, and with Epstein island a little too ‘hot’ these days for attention, the lads have opted for a Butlin’s in Wales this year.

Among some of the major things that the owners will be discussing this year are new rules, how to make more money, how not to lose money, and what to do with Dan Snyder.
Dan the man has indicated that he will be selling the team soon, just not to Bezos, Beyonce, or Bono.
He’s got a real ‘B’ obsession that man.

One rule that looks like it will survive is the ‘push rule’, which allows players to leverage a rugby-style effort to move the ball ahead.
Given how strikingly similar it is to the process of trying to get Raiders owner Mark Davis into an elevator after a late night, no one seems to have a problem with it.

Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins is a hot commodity this off season for the right team that can afford him.
Often injured, sometimes fined, and coming in at a price tag of $30-34 million, teams are going to have dig deep into their pockets to be able to afford the ageing receiver.

Is he the guy that is going to get you to the SuperBowl, or is his salary just so dang high that he could cripple the rest of the team in mediocrity?

Buffalo Bills are top faves to pip Hopkins this season, giving Josh Allen another option to try to force balls to in 3rd and long situations.

Who’s got the cash to splash on this big player?

Panther Sale

After liquidating their franchise of players over the past 18 months, the Panthers are starting to build up some options for whatever rookie QB they decide to pursue in the draft.

Former Vikings WR Adam ‘Stealin’ Thielen was a handy slot option for Minnesota, so it will be interesting to see how they use the ageing receiver.
Also added to the mix is former Jag/ Lion DJ Chark, who will add some lowly fantasy points to whomever snags him in a 14 player fantasy league.

Carolina played last season like they had ‘nothing to lose’, let’s see how that transcends to 2023.

Oh Rodgers

For a guy who said he was going to make this quick, Aaron Rodgers sure seems to be in limbo.

Word is that the Jets and Packers are just down to the numbers now, as Green Bay will be looking to fleece New York for whatever they can, while the Jets also have to contend with a massive chunk of cash to pay him.

Maybe he can get his buddy Jake Paul to buy an NFL team call it the Ayahuasca’s and they can trip across the states together beating teams way weaker than them?

Everyone in the league is just waiting for this to get down and dusted so we can see how bad the Jets will actually be after making so many sacrifices.
Still got to make it out of that tough division.

London Games

We are getting closer to the announcement of who will be playing in London in 2023 to face the Bills, Titans, and Jaguars.
We have our own thoughts, and will be sharing it with you guys over the next few weeks.

 

Scoff Season Podcast

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Bleh, the off-season blues have hit us all as Wade & Ryan try to make news from clues in this Scoff Season Podcast.

As the intoxication from the 2022 season wears off, we’re left with a hangover supplemented by some XFL, Six nations, and what the USFL might do.

Real NFL fans know that this time of year is when the drama happens. Some sort of juicy retirement, trade, or signing will get ours hearts racing again, hoping for a new season of what’s to be.

The boys yakkity-yak about this stuff in the podcast, so make sure that you wet your ears with the juice right here.

Other stuff the guys chat about in the podcast includes:

AX-FL

The Rock may have not cooked his league enough, as the XFL is raw-dogging the ratings and having fans more opt to choose pickle ball repeats than primetime football.

Maybe the league hasn’t titty-twisted fans interest yet, or maybe the focus is on the wrong side of lens.

Orlando Guardians could be a Real Housewives locker-room drama, as the shizzle has hit bizzle for another time this week.
Previously coach Terrell Buckley went viral for tossing his team under the bus for not wanting to play and give it all. It was a pretty damning way to start the season.
Then QB Quenten Dormandy, (who replaced Paxton Lynch), was dropped by the team after it was found out he send the playbook to an opposing team.

You can’t make this kind of drama up! The real show should be on the behind the scenes of the shiesse show that is being a ‘not NFL’ player.
Something has to spice up the league.

Who they, Where they?

There are so many expensive pieces in the NFL to move as egos and salaries bloat the franchises. It’s going to be only so many good bodies a lockeroom will hold when one guy costs a quarter of the team’s season salary.

Just like Epstein island, you can only bury the young kids for so long before you got to pay them. Burrow, Mahomes, Watson, Jones, Lamar and more are going to want their 50 mill a year, and that factory can only make so many touchdowns on its own.

This off season should see a slew of jocks shuffle off to new teams and totally make their budgets, rosters and momentum take a massive steer.

Going ‘all in’ Rams and Cardinals style looks as appetising as buying a Hummer, as franchises are looking to lean and mean for years, not wither on the vine.

Bear What

So what are the Bears going to do with their number one pick?

Are the going to boot Justin Fields in the butt, and find a new beginning with their new coaching team? Will they look at the massive running numbers he put up despite a horrible O line and everything else around him? Will they trade the pick and try to milk it for everything they can get?

Teams are QB slutting right now, as they know that there are a few gems in the 2023 draft that might be able to change their destiny.

Word on the street a the mo is that the Bears are looking for 3 number ones over the next 3 years. Are they trying to cash in a lottery ticket that’s too big?

What if the one that gets away this year is the next Mahomes, or that Fields turns out to be a bust?

Some many bear-abilities.

Make sure that you check out all of our socials, and that you follow and subscribe. We’re going to have a whack more content out soon, so check this space for all of the latest news.

We will also be doing some profiles on the upcoming NFL Draft, and the 2023 London Games.

Make sure that you listen to our Scoff Season Podcast here.

Super Bowl 57 Review

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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!!!

 

 

 

Super Bowl 57

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After 20 something weeks of exciting play, it’s finally time for the big game, as we make our predictions for Super Bowl 57 in Arizona.

It is a Super Bowl of historics, not only featuring two brothers playing each other, but also the first time that two black quarterbacks have faced each other in the big game.
It does feel that we are on the precipice of the new dynasty of heroes to emerge.

To make your life easier, Wade and Ryan have compiled all of their thoughts on the big game in this easy to listen to podcast.
All you have to do is sit back, kick your feet up, and listen to two Canadians in London try to figure out the big game.

Here’s the link to the podcast:

Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) vs 1-.5 Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) + 51

It’s the teams with the best two records in football, as it feels right that these two are battling it out on the final game after both teams showcased dynamic play throughout the season.
The Chiefs come into the big game as another underdog, a role they seemed to have thrived in during the playoffs.
Mahomes was able to shake off the curse of Burrows, but he wasn’t able to shake off an ankle injury, which will have all eyes on his mobility on Sunday.
The wide receiver corps is a bit a broken toy syndrome, with all of them in the workshop trying to cobble together their bodies before giving it there all.
Kansas City was even more short-handed against the Bengals, and were somehow able to thrive on the back of their D, and the stellar play of Chris Jones.
Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the league right now, it just depends on whether the rest of his team will play at the top of their game.
Philadelphia Eagles are technically in a ‘rebuilding’ year in 2022, but oh look at them go.
Philly was able to do what most teams failed to this season, make incremental gains to be a bit better than they were last year.
Their O line is top notch, boasting the best protection in the league.
Philly’s D is also humming, notching up 70 sacks, spread out amongst a dynamic team of pass rushers.
The only thing that seems to have dropped as of late is QB Jalen Hurts.
Hurts started the season on fire, but a mid-season injury seemed to take not only a bit of a spring our his step, but also the deep-ball out of his game.
If it turns into a shoot-out, the Eagles are going to need to find ways to get that ball DEEP, because this is where Mahomes thrives.
Ryan is picking the Chiefs in this one, as his AFC faithfulness believes that Mahomes and Kelce are just too good to be stopped.
He likes this one to go down to the wire, but that the red, white and yellow will be hoisting the Lombardy Trophy.
Wade is going with the Eagles, as the strength of their D, the protection from their O line, and the various running options at their disposal makes them too much to cover for a spread out D.
He thinks that the game will be close, but could actually see it get out of hand in an Eagles blow out if the Chiefs can’t keep their composure.
Ryan-Chiefs 27 Eagles 23
Wade-Eagles 26 Chiefs 23

Prop Bets

Here are a few prop and fun bets that we are looking at for Sunday.
-Mahomes UNDER 290.5 yards passing
-Gainwell OVER 19.5 receiving yards
-NO missed PATs -380
-First sack-Josh Sweat +1000
-Boston Scott-Anytime Touchdown -550
-Gatorade poured over winning coach will be BLUE +400

Super Bowl Trivia

How much do you know about the Super Bowl heading into Sunday?
Ready to take on our tough SuperBowl Quiz?
Just click here to play along!
That’s it for us for this week! Have fun on Sunday and enjoy the game!