NFL International Series 2023: This week, the NFL returned to London with an all-star roster for this year’s international series.
Five regular-season games will be played on this side of the Atlantic for the first time, continuing the league’s expansion in Europe.
Two of them are in Germany in November, including a matchup between the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the in-form Miami Dolphins, but first there are three games in London on consecutive Sundays, all beginning at 14:30 BST.
The series commences this Sunday at Wembley, with the Jacksonville Jaguars returning to their second home. Since 2013, they have participated in each London series, and they will continue to do so until at least 2024.
As stated by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, they are not only playing their 10th game in London this year, but they are also “double-dipping” as the first NFL team to play two regular-season games outside of the United States during the same season.
This is because they will face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills next Sunday at Tottenham, marking the first time since 2016 that two playoff teams from the previous season will meet in London.
Then, at Tottenham, more of the NFL’s modern greats will be on display as two teams who have been play-off regulars in recent years clash.
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Trevor Lawrence earned his first NFL victory against Tottenham in 2021, one of the few highlights of Urban Meyer’s turbulent inaugural season. Under Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson last season, Lawrence demonstrated why he was hailed as a ‘generational talent’ when chosen first in the 2021 draft.
The Jaguars reached the playoffs for the first time in nine years due to the 23-year-old quarterback’s leadership in seven of their last nine games. He was not finished there.
After a poor start against the Los Angeles Chargers, Lawrence rallied his team to a 31-30 victory despite trailing 27-0. The following week, the Jaguars were narrowly defeated by eventual champions Kansas City.
Despite their current record of 1-2, their offense still includes running back Travis Etienne, tight end Evan Engram, and wide receiver Christian Kirk. With the return from suspension of veteran receiver Calvin Ridley this season, his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, could confront an aerial assault on Sunday.
“Let’s just go play,” Lawrence said. “We have great players, and I will find them.”
The Falcons are making a swift return to the United Kingdom, having won their previous match in London in 2021. Since then, longtime quarterback Matt Ryan has departed, and his replacement, Marcus Mariota, was replaced by newcomer Desmond Ridder in December.
It was a year of transition for Atlanta, but Ridder, 24, now leads a promising youthful offense that includes tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London, and running backs Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson, all of whom were drafted after 2021.
This offense is based on running the ball, and despite Atlanta’s 2-1 record, head coach Arthur Smith concedes that his team’s passing game has yet to catch fire, saying, “It’s not for lack of trying, but we need to hit more explosives.”
AFC contenders face one another
The Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars both reached week two of the playoffs last season, but while Jacksonville exceeded expectations, Buffalo was the preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl.
The emotional rollercoaster they had been traveling since Damar Hamlin’s injury in the penultimate game of the regular season appeared to have finally overcome them.
After suffering a cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, Bills safety Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, which prompted an outpouring of support across the United States.
Not only has he recovered, but he was also authorized to return to football in April and featured in Buffalo’s three preseason games, despite not being chosen for the team’s first three regular-season games.
The Bills still have a personnel worthy of the Super Bowl and quarterback Josh Allen is still a candidate for Most Valuable Player, but time is running out for this team to make it to the big game after failing to do so for the past three seasons.
This contest will be an opportunity for Jacksonville and Lawrence to demonstrate that they have joined the top contenders in the AFC Conference, which is now extremely competitive and loaded with star quarterbacks. It will also be an opportunity for Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen to outshine his more famous namesake, as he did the last time these two teams met in 2021.
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Lamar Jackson, who signed a new five-year, $260 million (£214 million) contract with the Baltimore Ravens in April, was temporarily the highest-paid player in the National Football League.
The 26-year-old was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2019 and won his first play-off game the following season, but his past two have been cut short by injury. He is one of the most entertaining quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Ravens have also added some new receivers for him.
Odell Beckham Jr., who spent last season recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained while assisting the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl 56, was added to the team’s roster, along with veterans Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers.
The 30-year-old was feared to have suffered a second severe injury in week two, but he should be back from his ankle injury in London, while the 23-year-old linebacker David Ojabo, a Nigerian-born Scot, is eager to return to the United Kingdom.
“Being back home, surrounded by my family and friends, is an unforgettable experience,” he told BBC World Service.
“I’m eager to play alongside Lamar Jackson and to see how far he can take us, and you can’t overlook Odell Beckham. He is a modern-day sports legend.”
The Tennessee Titans scooped up another modern great in the off-season, veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins. This means that the Titans’ offense can rely less on Derrick Henry, their running back who has twice led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns.
Similar to Buffalo, both Baltimore and Tennessee have posted impressive regular-season records in recent years, but have failed to follow through in the postseason. Can they use a victory in London as a springboard for a run that will ultimately lead them to the Super Bowl?
What is taking place around the London games?
This Sunday’s NFL game will be reimagined as a Toy Story film for the first time ever on Disney+. The action on the field will be replicated in Andy’s room, with each participant represented by an animated image.
On Saturday, October 7, the NFL will ‘takeover’ Battersea Power Station to conduct a free, immersive event. In addition to testing their football abilities, fans of all ages can also meet NFL luminaries and analysts.
Then, British fans will flock to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has extended its agreement to host at least two regular-season games annually until 2029.
And this year there will be a ‘fourth London game,’ as the NFL Academy will play a match against Erasmus Hall, a secondary school from Brooklyn, at Tottenham on 10 October for the first time.
The academy, now located in Loughborough, seeks to prepare young African and European athletes for the NFL and previously held tryouts and training at Tottenham.
Beckham Jr. encountered academy candidates during 2019’s first tryouts. Perhaps he and Ojabo will be playing alongside them in a few years.
