by It’s another year, another milestone for the growth of the NFL in the UK.
Two games at Tottenham last year made it 30 to be played in London since the first in 2007.
Only one of the NFL’s 32 teams has yet to make the trip across the Atlantic.
But this year London is finally calling for the Green Bay Packers, winners of a record 13 NFL championships, including the pre-Super Bowl era.
Their game against the New York Giants is the pick of this year’s lineup, with two sell-out games at Tottenham and another at Wembley.
They start with a matchup between two regular playoff players and end with a mouth-watering matchup between two very different star quarterbacks.
And after a muted return last year following the Covid-19 pandemic, the NFL’s traditional pre-game celebrations are returning across the English capital.
Saints arrive early for Vikings clash
To kick off this year’s series, the NFL is doing a “takeover” of London’s South Bank, with fan events at four locations before this Sunday’s game, where Yungblud will perform the halftime show.
The Minnesota Vikings face the New Orleans Saints, both teams hoping to make the playoffs this season after narrowly missing out last year.
The Saints lost Drew Brees and Sean Payton — their Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and coaches since 2010 — within 12 months.
And they may have started the season with a 1-2 record, but new coach Dennis Allen reiterated his support for quarterback Jameis Winston, who still has some big-name offensive threats at his disposal in Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.
The Saints flew straight to London after Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, while Minnesota is 2-1 under new coach Kevin O’Connell, who was offensive coordinator last season’s Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams;
Kirk Cousins has been one of the NFL’s most consistent quarterbacks in recent years, while wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook have been two of the best at their positions, so there will be plenty of offensive talent in Tottenham.
Rodgers ready for second Super Bowl win?
Just like last season, there will be games on back-to-back Sundays at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of North America.
And it seems fitting that Green Bay’s British arc is coming up against the Giants on October 9th. Not only are they another of the NFL’s most well-known teams, but they were the ones who won the first London game in 2007.
Since the Packers last won the Super Bowl in 2011, Aaron Rodgers has been the league’s MVP four times. including the last two seasons. However, a second Super Bowl ring continues to elude the 38-year-old.
Catching up. Matt LaFleur had the most wins by a coach in their first three seasons in the NFL, with the Packers enjoying three straight 13-win seasons but falling short of the playoffs.
Although Green Bay let their leading receiver Davante Adams go and lost their season opener to the Vikings, they are now 2-1 after beating the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the last two weeks.
The Giants have made the playoffs just once since winning their fourth Super Bowl in 2012, but things are looking up for Big Blue.
They won their first two games under new coach Brian Daboll before losing to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, and Saquon Barkley now appears to be fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in 2020.
Future star takes on Super Bowl-winning veteran at Wembley
The Jacksonville Jaguars are regular visitors to the UK. They have played in every London series since 2013 and are committed to playing one home game at Wembley every year until 2024.
This year’s game is against the Denver Broncos on October 30 and UK fans will be in for another cracker after last year’s trip.
The Jaguars fought back beat the Miami Dolphins with the last kick of the game and give them number one draft pick of Trevor Lawrence the first victory of his career.
Considered a “generational talent”, the 22-year-old quarterback had a rough rookie year, with the Urban Meyer fires Jaguars head coach after just 13 games again with a league worst record, 3-14.
But under new coach Doug Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl glory in 2018; They seem to be turning the corner as they are currently 2-1, with Lawrence already throwing half of his touchdown passes from last season (six).
After calling time on the Seahawks to join the Broncos in one of the most valuable deals in NFL history, Russell Wilson may have been waiting for a frosty reception when he returned to Seattle for his Denver debut.
But getting booed before halftime of Denver’s first game certainly wasn’t in the script either. The Broncos rallied for a win over the Houston Texans and then another win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
Wilson, 33, is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and if he can get the offense going in Denver, he could lead the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time since they won their third Super Bowl in 2016 and finally gift a long-term successor to Peyton Manning.
And the milestones keep coming for the NFL as this year’s international games don’t end there.
As the league continues its global expansion, a The regular season game will be played in Germany for the first time, with Tom Brady’s Buccaneers facing the Seahawks in Munich on Nov. 13.
The NFL then returns to Mexico for the first time in three years as the 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 21, bringing the international series back to its peak of five games before the pandemic in 2019.
