NFL in London

National Football League in London

sam darnold

2021 Season Schedule

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The official NFL 2021 season Schedule is out, and boy did we guess wrong!
The NFL tickled us with surprise for this year, and what a pleasant surprise it is.

Wade & Ryan talk all about it in our 2021 Season Schedule Podcast.

Using the clues and hints dropped by the NFL, NFLUK and other rambling journos-we had anticipated a late October matchup with the Falcons and AFC opponent.
With the addition of the Jags to the mix, we then thought an NFC opponent would be plucked from the schedule to fill the role.
Given that the NFLUK likes to schedule games on consecutive weekends, we thus concluded the Patriots and Cardinals would be the visiting team at the end of October.
Nope and nope.

So, now we know the following NFL games

Sunday October 10, 2021-2:30pm GMT

NY Jets vs Atlanta Falcons

Sunday October 17th, 2021-2:30pm GMT

Miami Dolphins vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Some great games that we are highly looking forward to.

Among some of the other things the guys discuss in this episode includes.

London Games

When do tickets go on sale? How much are they? Do I need a vaccine?
We don’t know anything about this yet, but will let you know when we do.
Things are looking good Covid-wise for the 2021 London games, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The NFL must be dealing with a logistical nightmare of moving parts, and a myriad of questions.
With a new variant, travel opening up, and vaccination target rates being reached, we are hopeful that everything will go off swimmingly.
Let’s just get through the summer.

Week 1 Games

What are the top games everyone is looking forward to on week 1?
Browns vs Chiefs? Dolphins vs Patriots? Bears vs Rams?
There are loads of tough contests out there to kick off the season, and no one likes to do it with a W.
The ‘odds’ are out for week 1 games, and Ryan wants to make some bets!

Falc-Off

Julio Jones doesn’t seem happy. He’s left off the Atlanta 2021 hype package, and he’s getting less love each year.
Will the Falcons double down on Pitts, or try to make everyone happy?
Falcons need a winning season for any sense of pride.

Sad Pack

Aaron Rodgers wants to break up with Green Bay because they aren’t nice to him. We don’t know what he wants exactly, but he is totally putting the big ‘D’ in the drama here.
After some great NFC dominance the future of the Packers playoff runs could be in jeopardy. (get it?)
Fortunately the Packers brought in the double B in Blake Bortles, who has been spending his free time listening to his name on ‘The Good Place’ reruns.
Green Bay has buckets of talent and primed to actually contend for the title if they are able to make a few deft moves, as well as prime up the locker room motivation.
Thus far, they seem like a family on edge.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) ORG XMIT: WIMG111

Timma!

Tim Tebow is back, and he’s ready to convert! To tight end.
The NFL free agency world went loopy this week at the announcement that Tim Tebow would be returning to the NFL.
Why not Kaep? Why this washed up white boy?
Have some ‘faith’ in Urban Meyer.
Tebow took the 90th and final roster spot to return to a state where he is held as a football ‘God.’
Tebow might jump on a few surprise snaps, but will find himself riding the pines most of this season.
Considering the jump in lumber prices, he might have the most expensive seat in the house.

Have a laugh and a listen to the podcast.
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Football is coming back! Are you ready?

London Balling Podcast

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The NFL is officially returning to London!
That’s right, in 2021, the Atlanta Falcons will pop over the pond to Tottenham for a non-divisional contest in October.
So what does that mean for NFL fans around the world?
Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull break it down in this London Balling Podcast.

Covid 19 was definitely the player of the season in 2020, gashing the league for over 85% of their profits from the previous year.
Virus be damned, the games are back on and Mr. Goodell is promising 100% capacity at the stadiums this season.
It all seems very positive…

Among the hot topics in this edition of the podcast include:

London Games

We have one game in the can for 2021, with a whole host of potential games over the next eight years. Sure, we have to split them with Germany, Mexico and even Canada…but at least the games will be spread across the globe.
Wembley looks to be out of the mix for now, but you would have to expect the stadium to make a push a Khan to help heal the wounds of his downtown Jacksonville implosion.
Tottenham already has a head start on the rest of the world by building a purpose built stadium for the NFL, it’s a matter if other countries are willing to build up to keep up.

Falcons at Tottenham

We know that Atlanta is playing in London in October 2021. Further breadcrumbs reveal that the opponent will be non-divisional, which only leaves 5 teams to choose from.
The Eagles last played in London in 2018, so they would be the least likely to return.
The Lions, Jets and Washington are all fan ‘duds’ when it comes to drawing a crowd, so it would be tough for the NFL to promote such a lack lustre game.
New England Patriots are no longer the massive draw that they once were under the TB12 dynasty, but they are still a much bigger ticket than any of the other bum teams available.
If you only have one game this season, go out swinging.
Bring back a 28-3 iconic Super Bowl game for UK fans to enjoy.
It’s doubtful that any foreign fans will be attending the game, so let’s make Britain ‘New England’ again.
That’s our two cents anyway.

Green Bay for $200

Aaron Rodgers tests out a new career path this week, as he hosts Jeopardy for 2 whole weeks. A huge Jeopardy ‘nerd’, Rodgers will be looking to open up his lexicon and fan base by hosting the nighttime quiz for a fortnight.
Don’t worry Packers fans, he won’t be leaving you…this season.

AB Gone

Antonio Brown is ready to get paid! Again.
After finally winning a ring (thanks to the generosity of TB12), Brown is ready to hit the free market and see what he’s worth.
This ageing and outspoken player might find that the turf is a bit frosty in the league, especially given that he still has some pending lawsuits lined up every month.
While Brown doesn’t exude the same drama that he did in his younger Steelers years, his petulance is far too advanced for a man of his age.
It’s nice to get paid, but if the team can only muster 4 wins in a season, was it worth it?

Sam Darnold

Darnold was traded to the Panthers just after this podcast was recorded.
This will have some big implications for the Jets, and their 2021 Draft.
By all accounts, it looks like that the Panthers got a great deal off the Jets for Sammy D.
New York has a lot to change, so it’s good to get the bad memories out of the way.

London Stuff

London is going to host a game! Will you need a vaccine passport?  Can you visit from the US? What does that mean for you and I?
We will be exploring all of this in the weeks ahead, and letting you know as soon as we do. We are still hopeful that we will be hosting NFL events this season, just watch this space for more info.

Here’s the podcast:

MNF

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Monday Night Football

I’d like to apologise. I’d like to formally apologise. I’d like to formally apologise to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and the entire New England Patriots organisation. I’d like to formally apologise to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and the entire New England Patriots organisation for having the gaul to believe that for one second the Jets might have stood a chance in last night’s game.

New England

I mean… wow. That defence is nasty. It pains me to compliment the Patriots: I’m a Dolphins fan. How could I possibly like them? They murder my team every year, and are pretty much the only reason why I’ll likely not see the Dolphins make the playoffs in the next 50 years, until Belichick finally retires having won 24 Super Bowls and building a new dynasty with Tom Brady’s son Benjamin at Quarterback. I can’t cheer for them. But I can’t argue with greatness. If anything exemplified the Patriots mean streak it was Bill Belichick using NFL rules loopholes to run a whole extra 90 seconds off the clock up 33-0 and smirking about it when the Jets allowed him to do so but declining the penalties the Patriots had committed. They are stone cold killers. They suffocated the Bills into submission and made a talented young quarterback look like he was 6 years old and throwing the football for the first time. And then I wake up this morning and they’ve added Mohamed Sanu to their already impressively deep and varied receiving corps. However, I do think talk of a 16-0 record is a little premature – they have a significantly tougher second half of the season schedule – and the Ravens, Cowboys, Texans & Chiefs could all rest this defence in very different ways. However it isn’t outrageous to suggest already that the road to the AFC Championship will absolutely run through New England. 

NY Jets

Let’s talk about the Jets. I actually thought their defence played relatively well. Brady was finding holes in their zones, but wasn’t lighting them up. The New England defence won them that game. Okay, fine, they had some help. Sam Darnold was bad. Really bad. When you throw four interceptions and lose a fumble, it’s never gonna be a good night, but when you’re wearing a mic and admit to “seeing ghosts” you’re reeeeeeally in trouble then. The memes, the tweets, the mockery… oh Sam. I’d stake a rather large amount of money that a lot of Jaguars fans (the Jets’ week 8 opponent) turn up wearing bedsheets with eye holes cut out of them. And on the weekend before Halloween as well; spooky and topical, you’re welcome Duval. 

But, in the interest of fairness, let’s say some nice things about the Jets… Errrrr, LeVeon Bell was good! The lone bright spot in an otherwise terrible offensive display. He was his usual patient self, waiting for the right time to scythe through the defence. In stark contrast with Melvin Gordon’s current form, Bell’s holdout doesn’t seem to have curtailed his ability to be a playmaker. Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder are good receivers who will have better nights against people not named Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. You just beat the Cowboys! That’s no walk in the park. Furthermore, just as the Patriots schedule worsens, the Jets looks more favourable! Jags, Dolphins, Giants, Washington, Oakland, Bengals & Dolphins again are their next 7 games. I’m gonna boldly predict the Jets win… at least 5 of those!? Miami twice, Washington and Cincinnati seem like free wins right now, and you’d have to hope Jamal Adams and Quinnen Williams could get one of Andy Dalton, Daniel Jones or Gardner Minshew to turn the ball over a few times. It’ll be too late for them to make a playoff push this season, but at least the future is brighter for the Jets. Darnold, Bell, Anderson, Crowder, young and exciting Tight End Herndon is back next week too… that’s a decent offense, and the defensive side is growing stronger too.

The only problem is, the Patriots aren’t going anywhere. And they might just be getting better.

Callum Squires
@callumjdsquires

AFC East Prediction

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Can we really choose anyone else in this division other than the New England Patriots?
How did they get even stronger this year when Tom Brady is at least 109 years old!
Wade & Ryan both take a stab at how they think this division will end up, and it’s pretty predictable.
UNLESS Tom Brady is somehow mangled on the field this season, the Patriots should comfortably cruise on through unscathed to the post-season.
Wade sees the Patriots going all the way to the big game, while Ryan thinks that they will have some problems in the AFC battle in January.

Buffalo present an interesting dilemma, as they have a huge talent of running backs to choose from, as well as a plucky running QB in Josh Allen.
Will their defense be able to stifle the opposition again this year? Have they strengthened their line by shovelling snow in the offseason?
Buffalo could well be a 500 team again this year, causing problems and turmoil to all teams in this division.

The New York Jets are interesting as you have a team whose coach has essentially run rough-shot over the whole team. He is not a huge fan of Le’veon Bell, so it will be interesting to see how they respond to him.
Will their QB-Sam Darnold continue to impress with his play, or will he switch back to erratic?
There is a ton of pressure on the Jets to succeed this year, sadly it doesn’t see like Wade or Ryan think that will happen.

Lastly the lowly Dolphins of Miami, where the hurricanes seem to intensify every year.
The fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to secure the starting job says a lot about how this team will progress.
Miami traditionally starts off modestly ok, then quickly turns as Florida can turn into ‘Florida Man’…
(Have you tried Googling that followed by your birthday?)

Suffice to say, this is another Patriots year.
Even without Gronk.