NFL in London

National Football League in London

patriots

Sky NFL Week 5

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Sky Sports have released their Week 5 NFL viewing schedule, so get ready to make plans…and then potentially have them change. Last week the schedules were shuffled due to a Covid outbreak on both the Titans and Patriots (damn you Cam!), so it seems likely that the same might happen again this week.

TNF

Thursday the Chicago Bears host TB12 and the high flying Bucs. The Bears whimpered to the Colts last week, as Nick Foles showed his prowess once again as a starter. Tampa Bay was almost upset by the kid Herbert, but was able to outperform and outlast to win, but not cover the spread.
This game has all the signs of a TB12 beat down. Will Gronk finally score?
Available on Sky Sports and Amazon Prime.

Sunday

Sky has brought back some familiar teams from previous weeks to play again on Sunday, with the Chiefs hosting the Raiders at 6pm, and the Colts visiting the Browns at 9:25pm.
Again, these games could change if someone decides to sneeze in another dudes face, but this is the lineup so far.
The Chiefs should savage the helpless Raiders, while Baker Mayfield is up against one of his biggest defensive challenges all year.
The late game has a whiff of stink on it, as the Vikings visit Seattle in which should be another big L for Minnesota.
If you’re staying up late to watch this, you’re probably on something.

Monday

Monday night football (technically Tuesday morning in the UK) is back again with an interesting match up. The Chargers have played some great D, whereas the Saints have struggled to keep up with other teams this season. Will Drew Noodle-Arm be able to contain Justin the kid?
Available on Sky Sports and Channel 5.

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Fantasy Draft Party

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Like many at the start of September, we held our annual Fantasy Draft to commemorate the start of the season. Fantasy Draft’s are great ways to bond with fellow NFL fans to challenge each other in your game and playability knowledge of this great game. It’s also a good chance to emotionally bitch slap last year’s losers, bow to the finite rantings of last year’s winner, and plan for the future.

Our NFL in London Fantasy Pool is going on over a decade of play, with a melange of international fans who we have met in our hosting of NFL events across the city.
There are two leagues, the ‘Eh League’ which is comprised of the best of the best, and the ‘B League’, the relegation league where hopefuls can exchange a league win with that of the Eh loser. To be the best you have to beat the best.

We held this years draft at the Princess Alexandra Pub in Crouch End. It’s our lovely local run by our mate Nick Ford and his wife and 2 Alaskan Malmutes. With the crush of Covid, we opted for a nearby place that we could safely distance, as well as support an independent establishment. They have great burgers, Sunday roasts and stay open until 1am on Sundays so you can catch the second game, and be back in Kings Cross in 20 minutes.
https://princessalexandran8.co.uk/

We used the FanDraft software again this year, and cannot recommend this product enough. It is an easy and fun way to host your draft, and you can immediately export the results to input into your fantasy app. You can also make it fun with walk-on music, custom images and funny comments that I as the commissioner can input. We teamed it up with Facebook’s Messenger to create a private group that we could run for over 3 hours. Since we had folks in Dubai, New Zealand, Romania and Scotland, this was really a fun little addition.
https://fandraft.com/

It was nice to have a sense of ‘normal’ again, and hope that all of you also had a great one as well. It’s a messed up old world we live in, & a fantasy group is like a fraternity of sanity. No matter what shit people have to say about what on social media, NFL fantasy chat is all about the BS.
Let’s see what you have to say about it Monday morning.
Good luck everyone.

 

NFC-Division Preview

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The bridesmaids of 2019, the NFC is looking to hoist one of their top teams to Super Bowl glory in 2020, but will they have enough to wrestle the feisty AFC teams in contention?
Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull break down all of the divisions so that you don’t have you. What will each division yield in a tumultuous new season?

NFC East

In the 90s, the NFC east was a spirited division with rivalries between the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins (the Eagles mostly sucked then). It’s been a while since the Eagles had a dominant victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and it’s hard to see one of them repeat that kind of team intensity this year. Wade & Ryan both think that their strong D and running game will give them a winning record of 9-7 with a playoff chance very likely.
Both guys have the Giants hitting at 8-8, which means that they will have some close games, bad losses and terrific upsets. Daniel Jones has bulked up to shake up this division and inspire some real battles. Dallas is the interesting team in this mix, as they have all of the tools to be very good this year. If Mike McCarthy can get this team firing, plus the added bonus of a competitive Andy Dalton, the Cowboys could be VERY good this year. Wade & Ryan both peg them at a respectable 11-5. As for the Washington…team…guys…thing. They will suck harder than an ‘hourly employee’ paid for by Dan Snyder at 3am. Swimming out of that toxic swamp in a city that is a toxic swamp, during a toxic swamp election year will be nothing but stinky. They have some players who will make for some interesting games, but you will only see those moments on RedZone or in the morning.

NFC North

This has to be one of the toughest divisions in football this season. Aaron Rodgers is now in a ‘prove it or lose it’ position with Jordan Love stroking himself in preparation on the sidelines. The Vikings came so close last year, but injuries and inconsistency left much to be desired in a title quest. They have added some great defensive players & Cook is primed for another stellar season.
Oh those Bears. Ask Wade anything about the Bears and expect a flurry of eyerolls and gasps. What do we do with the Trubisky situation. It’s like when you invite your wife’s cousin over to stay for a few nights because you think he’s cool and lonely, and then he moves in and squats in your garage. Use him or lose him. He has a lot to prove in Chicago this year if he wants to stop having dog shit thrown at his house. The Lions are in for a tough season. They lost a lot of tools, and Matt Stafford will still be chucking the ball to Jones Jr for big plays. They can inflict some damage, but will likely whimper off as the post season looms. Both Wade & Ryan like the Packers but Ryan likes the Vikings a little bit more.

NFC South

Oh the south will rise again, because Tom Brady is here! There are a lot of expectations from the Bucs this year as the old Patriots become the new TB with a few solid weapons. They almost made the playoffs last year with Winston, so they should do very well if they stay healthy. Wade & Ryan both think that they will hit a 10-6 record. If Tampa sucks this year, how much could it affect the dynasty of TB12?
The Saints will be marching in this year with playoffs on the playlist. After coming so close in the past few seasons, they finally seem to put a dent in the NFC. Wade likes them at 13-3, while Ryan sees them a more comfortable 11-5.
Atlanta is that flashing button on the microwave. The oven still works fine, but for some reason you don’t know how to fix it. Matt Ryan has incredible numbers, but their injuries in the past few seasons have been woeful. The are Mr. Mediocre for the past few years and look to stay that way in 2020. Wade says 8-7, Ryan has them at 8-8.
Lastly is team Christian McCaffrey, the little engine that runs over teams and tops all the fantasy tables. Adding Teddy B will take a break off of CMcC’s back, & adding the wheels of Robby Anderson makes them interesting. Just not winners. If Christian gets hurt they are well and truly screwed.

NFC West

The West has a bevy of good teams in it, but are they good enough?
Many have already begun to write off the 49ers after their offseason moves. They had the lead in the SuperBowl and looked poised to lift it up, but just didn’t have the tools to beat a crushing KC team. Wade and Ryan both see the Niners dropped off huge from last season, with Wade calling 8-8 and Ryan 9-7.
The Rams saw their hype get chin-booted in 2019, with the trauma of Tom Brady’s beating in the Super Bowl still fresh on their vibe. Goff has loads to prove, and you can only rely on the defence for so long. Wade has them going 9-7, while Ryan is a .500 man at 8-8.
Arizona has a team with incredible potential and nothing to really lose. Kyler Murray was impressive last year, and could be the softmore to watch, as adding Andre Johnson makes them a fun prospect. They won’t have enough on D to stop the big guys, but they should be able to disrupt and score some fun upsets. Both guys have them at 8-8.
Both guys think that the Seahawks will crap all over the competition. Russell Wilson is primed to explode this year, provided their team doesn’t implode with injuries. They came close last year, this year the go hard.

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It’s a big year of the NFL ahead, get in!

 

Sleeveless Bill

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Hold on sports fans, we have a new category to lump Bill Belichick in…actor!
Sure, he’s done a bit of acting when he pretended not to know about Aaron Hernandez, or that he didn’t think that Tom Brady was leaving, or even acting when it came to knowing nothing about Robert Kraft and his mayo-laden massage sessions, but this time he is in a real ad.

Subway has taken over from Papa John’s as the food of the NFL, and has chosen Patriots coach Bill Belichick as their frontman.
He’s the first guy to jump into the role since Jared got busted for trying to punch his 6 inch card at local high schools and Subway had to take a commercial break for a few years.

Can Bill act? Hell no.
Is it as painful to watch as Tom Brady sliding head first into a tackle? Yes.
Do you think that Bill actually eats at Subway? Hells no.

At any rate, it is nice to kick off the NFL again, and those tummy jitters that come with the start of an impending season.
The Patriots are kind of like a sub…they have a white bread bottom, lots of flavour on offence, a smothering sauce of a defence, and Cam Newton is like the pineapple and jalapeño you throw on just to make it yours. It might be gross to taste this season, but that’s the way they made it.

What’s your favourite NFL food?

 

Cool Helmets

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The NFL Draft is done, so now we wait. And wait, and wait and wait.
Supposedly the NFL 2020 dates are to be announced on May 9th, but it doesn’t seem very likely that things will be the same.

So to keep things all things NFL and fun, we thought we would share some of the awesomeness out in the NFL community. Take a gander at some of these cool helmets by artist Ted Hyman.
He has taken a very awesome approach to designing these, and it shows that he is an incredible artist.

While no NFL team would be willing to change their logo’s to a crowd-designed format, it is amazing to see what the fans can do when they are bored.

At the very least, it would be cool if these helmets could be added to video games, or other forms of media.

Which one of these helmets is your favourite?