NFL in London

National Football League in London

Pittsburgh Steelers

London Hotels

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The NFL games in London are almost here, and many of you will be looking to book your London-staycation to watch the games.
If you have never been to London, then we have a little advice to help you on your search for hotel rooms.

Tottenham

The Tottenham Hotspurs stadium is located in North East London, a little further afield than Wembley-if that’s where you are use to going.
The area around the stadium is ‘up and coming’, which translates as a bit nasty after dark.
We would NOT recommend staying in the area, as not only does it not have much of an atmosphere (yet), it will be dead as a door knob after the game.
That being said, it is easily accessible via numerous tube, train and bus routes.
We should note that Sundays are notoriously bad for transit in London, as this is when service is often reduced.
Travel around London is usually impacted.

North London

There are loads of great neighbourhoods close to Tottenham stadium to consider for the October Sunday games.

Archway

Archway is on the Northern Line, and has numerous links to the stadium via bus, train, and is under £15 for an Uber.
As of this article, there were numerous rooms at the Premier Inn (Archway) for £35 per night.
Archway is close to most London hubs, and has a vibrant and safe atmosphere at night.
Book via the website https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html

Wood Green

You can literally walk to the Tottenham Stadium from Wood Green.
This area is up and coming, and has added some funky new bars and pubs as of late.
There are plenty of sports bars on the main drag, and ‘The Mall’ is always worth a look.
Rooms were currently at £122 per night, but some sleuthing should be able to get you a good deal on rooms.

Kings Cross

Centrally located and boasting more transit connections than any other area of London, Kings Cross is the ‘hub’ for accessibility.
There are plenty of hotels around the KC junction, and you should be able to score a great deal on a hotel if you want to book.
The area has plenty of hotels and a thriving nightlife.
A word of caution that in some areas of KC get quite sketchy at night, so stick to the main drags and avoid any ‘heroin looking’ folks.

Crouch End

More of a local neighbourhood than a tourist destination, this leafy ‘village’ is a quick bus ride (or 30 min walk) to the stadium.
Known as the place where celebrities live, Crouch End has some NFL plans for the London games.
We work with the Princess Alexandra pub, which will be open until 4AM on both Sunday nights.
It’s a great place to eat, drink, watch the games…and you never know which cast member of Harry Potter will be sitting at the table next to you.

 

Old Street

Old Street is one of the hippest locations for your London stay.
20 minutes by transit to the stadium and on the edge of Shoreditch, staying in this area is hip, safe, and bound to offer plenty of adventures.
We are working with the Sports Bar and Grill Old Street, so you can pop in before and after the game for a wicked party until 4am.
Home of the famous Silicon Roundabout, the area is full of bars and cool restaurants.
There are LOADS of hotels there, and we have already found a few for cheap.
The hipster CitizenM has rooms for under £120 per night.

Areas to Avoid

Like any major city, there are places that might not be the best for your London or NFL experience.
Some of these areas include:

West London

Chiswick, Richmond and Chelsea are all wonderful places to visit…just not stay if you’re hitting Tottenham. Notoriously far away and difficult to access on gameday.

Leicester Square

A steady decline in recent years have made this place a shady place to be at night.
Post COVID the Leicester Square area has become very dark at night, and loads of news stories of robberies, assaults, and even worse are increasing.
It’s ok to be there in the daytime, but we would NOT recommend walking around the Leicester Square/ Oxford Circus streets at night time unless you have a stab vest.

Wembley

Wembley stadium is a far toss from Tottenham, and a huge pain in the butt to get to from Tottenham.
Sundays are not fundays for transit to this hub, so you will deffo need Ubers (which will be busy) on a Sunday night.

South of the River

Unless you’re ‘living in a van by the river’, anything south of the Thames will be a ball ache to get from on a Sunday.
Be prepared for a long journey.

We will keep you updated on all the travel and hotel issues we see as they arise!

 

2021 Win Picks

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NFL Training Camp is officially here, which means we finally get a chance to see these teams in action, kitted out with all their new players.
With the season almost upon us, it’s time to take a look at some of the pundits predictions, as we offer up our 2021 Win Picks.

With an extra week of games at play, all the records are either set to shatter, or just get an asterix for all eternity.

Looking at the 2021 NFL regular season win total odds, a few glaring things stick out.
Vegas is hot on some of the returning teams, while sluggish on some of the mediocre teams that showed promise at the end of the season.

Here are some of our picks for win totals in the 2021 season.

Indianapolis Colts (UNDER 9 wins)

In the snap heard round the world, Carson Wentz went down again in a rather predicable scenario for the Colts.
Despite starting strong under Rivers last season, the Colts faded away like ripped jeans, and impressive efforts from the likes of Jonathan Taylor were quickly forgotten.
Indianapolis hasn’t made that many changes to think that they will be that much better this year compared to their division rivals.
Heck, they may even lose to the Texans this year.

Carolina Panthers (OVER 7.5 wins)

The Panthers had a rough season of injuries last season (like most teams), but it was the loss of Christian McCaffrey that really sent the Panthers into tumble mode.
CMac is back, as well as a young studly from the Jets named Sam Darnold.
With fewer ghosts in Carolina, Darnold has the chance to connect with some very speedy receivers, and a comfortable O line to develop under.
Carolina is in a tough division, but they are also the most likely to be ignored by the big boys, given them a fighting chance.
Panthers will win over 8 games.

Las Vegas Raiders (OVER 7)

Can you still feel the NFL Las Vegas?
No? Well thank COVID for that.
The Las Vegas Raiders opened last season to a brand new stadium…with no fans.
Jon Gruden and the boys struggled in almost every capacity, except determination.
There were bright moments in Josh Jacobs, Derek Carr, and anytime that Darren Waller touched the ball, something magical happened.
The bright lights of Las Vegas are back, and so are the fans.
The Raiders are in a tough division, but they have the best home field advantage ever.
Too many visiting teams are going to get sucked into the seedy elements of Las Vegas on a Saturday night that makes them slow poke their Sunday.
Raiders win OVER 7 games.

Seattle Seahawks (UNDER 10 Wins)

Even with an extra week this season, it still is going to be tough for the Seahawks to eek out 10 wins.
The Seahawks haven’t really had a distinct running back in recent years, and Wilson is falling apart as fast as his O line.
Seattle’s D was also a mess last season, as they failed to stop even the worst opponents.
Pete Carroll is the oldest coach in the NFL, and a highly respected leader…but times change.
Seattle seems to have lost its fierceness, turning as damp and cold as the city itself.
Seahawks WON’T win 10 games.

There will be a lot of other factors at play this season.

COVID has the ability to come back harder & faster than a Tom Brady led Patriots.

Lockdown has led to a radical increase in fan violence at games since we have returned.
Every league has seen a shocking amount of fisticuffs, and even Week 1 of preseason NFL had several fights.  Do we really need THESE fans back?

It’s exciting to have the NFL back in any capacity, and extra week of games makes it all the more sweeter.

 

OTA Days

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The NFL is back!…Sort of…the OTA’s are back, and we chat about all the NFL news we can find in our OTA Days podcast.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull dig the depths of their brains to find anything football to talk about in this episode, highlighting their desperation for the return of football.

Summer is almost here, and once we get these pesky days of sunshine, family and ice cream out of the way…football is finally back!

While there hasn’t been any massive NFL breaking news stories, arrests, Kardashian marriages, or reality show appearances, that doesn’t mean stuff isn’t simmering below the surface.

In this episode, Wade and Ryan talk about some of the most pressing NFL issues heading into the summer of 2021.

Julio Jones

Bye, bye Atlanta, Julio is gone. But where will Julio go? While he does’ have the explosive speed of a few years back, Julio is still a valuable target for any team heading into 2021.
With many teams pleading empty pockets, it’s hard to see how a team will entice Julio with the right concoction. He’s not going to roll up to a half-baked team without playoff chances, he’s going to want a shot at finally getting a ring.
The potential suitors in this one?
Patriots, Raiders, Titans, and maybe the Packers?

Aaron Gone

Aaron Rodgers sure knows how to bring the drama with him, perhaps a casualty of dating so many Hollywood starlets?
Many Packers fans thought this was all part of the package when Rodgers started getting hissy at the start of the season.
He obviously hates the GM, and won’t budge until he’s gone.
Rodgers didn’t report to the OTAs, instead traveling with actor Miles Teller, to watch him get punched in the face across the islands of Hawaii.
Maybe he’ll just retire?

NBA Myles

A video emerged this week of Browns beast Myles Garrett slamming down a dunk and knocking the poor lad into a cushy wall.
The NFL and Browns were not amused, and have politely asked Myles to not play basketball like this during the offseason, just in case he destroys a knee or two.
Luckily for the dunkee, Myles didn’t have a helmet at the ready.

Ertz Don’t It?

The Buffalo Bills need a TE, and the Eagles are ready to serve up a scoop of Ertz.
The Bills are in need of more depth for Josh Allen, so snagging the ageing Ertz might be a good hands option to take the heat off the deep threats down field.
Zach and the Bills make a good fit, and they even moved some numbers on Diggs contract to be able to make it work.
Now, they just need the Eagles to play ball.

Jay Cutler-Businesswoman

Jay Cutler wants to get paid! After whoring out the family dignity on a reality show, the Cutler’s are now breaking up the houses for the final throw down.
In true Cutler form, he hasn’t prepared much-but is willing to ‘ball down’ when it comes to the nitty gritty.
Jay apparently wants half of his wife’s trinkets and bobbles boutique, so he can throw that shit down too.
With little NFL drama in the world, other players are jumping on social to throw their support behind Jay and his coup.
‘NFL Divorces’ the TV series we didn’t know we needed.

London Games

Are you vaccinated? Are you from a green country? Can you read minds?
Then you’re all set of the London games!
It’s still too early to tell what will happen for the London games, but all signs point to ‘business as usual.’
We will keep you updated on news about the games, as well as any other tidbits and trinkets of knowledge that we find out.
Please DO NOT buy tickets from unlicensed sellers, we hear horror stories from fans every year, and it truly is crappy what people do to one another.

Stay safe, stay sane, and keep listening to our podcast!

London Hosts Two-2021 NFL Games

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Wee ha!
The NFL is coming back to London, and it looks like we are getting not ONE, but TWO matches, as it was announced London is to host two, 2021 NFL games.

So who is coming, when, and how can you get tickets?
We’ll have all that information for you shortly!

Atlanta Falcons

It was announced earlier this year that by Falcons own Arthur ‘Blank-itty-Blank’, that the birds would be perching at Tottenham stadium for a 2021 game.
While we don’t know WHO that they are to play, there are certain clues that the NFL has dropped to allow us to figure out which team might be playing here.

We know that their opponent MUST come from the opposing conference, which means that Atlanta would be facing an AFC team.
After looking at the schedules, attendance figures, past London schedule and potential COVID situation, we determined that their opponent would be the New England Patriots.
We still believe that they will be the team that the Falcons play.

The NFL also likes to take advantage of the week long gap during the time changes between Europe and North America.
With only a scant 4 hours between us, it makes game viewing a little easier on the West Coast, so that fans don’t have to get up at 3am to watch the game.
This makes the last weekends of October the most logical choices for London games.

We had originally thought that with one game, the NFLUK would want to balance the game out during the month.
With the news that Jacksonville would also be coming to the UK, we pushed that Sunday back a week, so that one of the games falls over the time change gap which occurs on Sunday October 31st, which will most likely be a game date.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville announced this week that they would also be returning to London in 2021 for ONE NFL regular season game.
With an expanded 17 game season, and a roster buoyed by young and excitement, the Jags could be an interesting game to watch.

Trevor Lawrence will certainly bring the hype train to London, along with his cast of young, plucky stars who probably have never crossed the ocean on a flight.

As previously mentioned, the NFL International games are comprised of two teams from different conferences.
The Jaguars have 8 home games at TIAA Bank Field this season, and the London game is considered one of their home games.
Looking at Jacksonville’s home schedule we can see that they have 6 matches against AFC rivals (Titans, Colts, Texans, Bills, Dolphins, and Broncos), with 2 NFC games against the Cardinals and 49ers.
Given schedule, team priority, travel time, and local newspapers, we believe that the 2021 Jacksonville opponent will be…the Arizona Cardinals.

The NFL has a history of scheduling these international games back to back, so it makes sense that this game will be on continuous weekends.
This allows them to put all the banners across London, keep their staging facilities up, as well as package the games into a marketable, big event.
Given this, the weekends of Sunday the 24th and Sunday the 31st most likely.

Covidity

What’s the deal with Covid? Will visitors need a vaccine? Will there be passports of health? Can Americans visit?
No idea.
All of this will be a wait and see from the UK government.
For those of you from abroad, the UK is due to open to ‘normalcy’ by the end of June 2021.
Should this hold, and we stay clean and healthy, we SHOULD be able to host the games without issues.
Given the nature of the virus, it is unlikely that Tottenham stadium will be at full capacity, but it should be quite full of fans.
Again, this will take a while to figure out.

The whole schedule is released on Wednesday May 12th, at 8pm EST.
Once it’s released we will know a bigger picture, as well as how close we were to picking the right teams and dates.

Are you ready for some NFL in London?

2021 Wins

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Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
A phrase you might hear ripping through the cavernous casinos of Las Vegas of olde, but not so much these days.
But now we’ll take a look at the 2021 wins.

British betting giant William Hill has already taken a look at the 2021 NFL teams, and released a set of projected win totals for teams this season.
If you’re a betting fan, you can look at these odds and think ‘malarky, I’ll have a bet on that!’
Or you might get pumped up with anger that the betting world thinks so lowly of your team.
Or…you might be a Jets fan.

It comes as no surprise that the ‘super league’ teams of the NFL have the most predicted wins for the 2021 season.
The Kansas City Chiefs once again emerge as the big favourites, with the pundits picking them to win 12 games in 2021.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how many wins you get if you’re going to eventually lose to the Buffalo Bills.

Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heralded to win 11.5 games this season (yes, .5 of a game), in a testament to the champs tuning up their late season surge in 2020 to open a bigger can oh whoop-ass.
The champ always has a target on their head, and the Bucs will be ‘the team’ other teams will use to set as their playoff bar.
This number might even go up higher if Julian Edelman decides to jump out of the broadcasting booth.

Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens are both predicted to win 11 games by William Hill, despite lingering questions on both sides.
Aaron Rodgers has been asking questions all off-season like ‘Why am I filling in for Alex Trebek?’, ‘Why do people care about my personal life’, ‘Can I host Jeopardy full time’ & ‘They’re never going to get me a #1 receiver, are they?’
Lambeau is turning into an NFC north drama, and if the Packers don’t make it far enough to choke in the NFC final again, maybe they will show Jordan some Love?

Baltimore is an interesting pick for 11 wins given their up and down past 2 years.
The Ravens are missing several key players to make a threatening push for the playoffs, and unless Lamar Jackson is given a porta-potty-tent on the sidelines, his heroic ‘number two’ performances may become less frequent.
Baltimore feels like they’re still discovering the pronoun that they want to describe them.
Are they a ‘running team’, a ‘passing threat’, ‘Lamar’s Lament’ or a ‘Harbaugh-apocalypse’?

Pumping out with a projected 10.5 wins are the LA Rams and Buffalo Bills, both of whom will be massive threats to the two previous teams.

The Rams finally have their QB to go with that staunch defence and solid coaching by McVay. Unlike the previous Rams appearance in the Super Bowl, this feels like a whole new team with more options and attack than ever seen before.
LA will be looking to showcase their ‘post-off’ body, and the NFC is going to see a whole different Rams team.
Look out Green Bay.

Buffalo Bills predicted to win less games than the Baltimore Ravens? Pishaw! Josh Allen was the sweetheart of the league last year, racking up loads of touchdowns, highlights and ‘aww shucks’ moments.
Buffalo has always been that underdog team that America forgets about, and Canada wishes was theirs.
Although their stadium sucks, it starts snowing in September, and Rachel Bush posts more Insta than the city itself…they have wings.
Both chicken and spiritual wings that guide them through collapsable tables.
And this season, the Bills should be flying high.

Among some of the other win projections that seem off:

Cleveland Browns-10 Wins

The Browns won 10 games in 2020, so why are they predicted to win the same amount this year? Cleveland is a way better team than last year and were a victim of circumstance as much as they were tools of their own ineptitude.
Browns will win more than 10.

Indianapolis Colts-10 Wins

It’s the Carson Wentz led Colts, with a projected win total of 10. Really? The Colts limped into the last half of the 2020 season like they ran half the Grand National before dumping the rider and trotting along to the finish.
They had one of the best O-lines and used Jonathan Taylor well to gash for yards…then they lost tough games.
With other teams spending huge and others looking for fresh blood, it’s hard to believe that they can win 10 in 2021.

Are you ready for the NFL Draft?
We will be making our predictions shortly, as well as on our next podcast.

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