It’s been a successful run for the NFL International Series, which this season held games in both London and Mexico. 2016 was the first year that Twickenham Stadium was used, and two more games were played there in 2017. Next year Tottenham should have a state-of-the-art stadium ready, and football will be played across England in October 2018.
The NFL revealed it’s matchups for 2018 live via London on Periscope. Osi Umenyiora was in attendance, helping to break down the matchups as they were revealed.
The Jaguars are the staple of London, having played there for five conseuctive years. The Jaguars are heading back to London next season, but will have a tough matchup against a recovered Carson Wentz and the Eagles. The Jaguars are 3-2 in their five previous trips.
The NFL’s success in London is directly tied to the Northumberland Development Project. The project, which is the construction of a new stadium for Tottenham, was designed with facets specifically for the NFL. Tottenham and the NFL have a 10-year contract to play games overseas.
The new stadium will only host one game this year, but has plans to host additional games in the same season moving forward. As a long-term goal, the stadium was built with the idea of hosting an NFL franchise in London.
Heading into 2018, five teams have not played in the International Series: Carolina, Green Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Tennessee. Seattle played a game outside the United States in 2012, but it was not part of the International Series. The Houston Texans have never played in London, but played an International Series game in Mexico City.
Here are the games for the 2018 International Series:
Week Six: Seahawks vs. Raiders at new Tottenham Stadium
Week Seven or Eight: Eagles at Jaguars at Wembley Stadium
Week Seven or Eight: Titans at Chargers at Wembley Stadium
Its a good list of quarterback for the Brits, who haven’t seen a ton of playoff-caliber football in recent years. There are two out-of-conference games here, but all six teams should be in pursuit of the postseason next year.
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