Phil Agius
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The 2022 NFL season got a little nearer today as the dates and matchups were revealed for the 5 International Series games. There are 3 games scheduled for London, with 2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a single game at Wembley Stadium, plus a Monday Night Football game in Mexico City.
The NFL has been to all those venues before, but a new nation on the list this year is Germany, with Munich’s Allianz Arena hosting the nation’s first NFL regular-season game. With Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers among the superstars who could be taking place in this year’s international games, let’s take a look at the early odds for each matchup, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NFL London Games 2022
London has become an established part of the NFL calendar since the first game of the NFL International Series was played at Wembley Stadium in October 2007. Until this year, 31 of the NFL’s 32 teams had visited England, and the set will be completed when the Packers head across the pond for the first time this year.
London’s schedule reached a peak with 4 games in 2019 before the pandemic, but returned to the calendar with 2 games last season and is back up to 3 again this time with games in Weeks 4, 5 and 8. Let’s take a look at the individual matchups for this season’s London games.
NFL Week 4, Sunday October 2, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London: Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a built-for-NFL facility that is the newest building in the EPL, has hosted 4 games, 2 each in 2019 and another 2 last year, when the Falcons beat the Jets and the Jaguars picked up the first of the 3 wins they had all season against the Dolphins.
The Vikings will be playing at their third different London venue, having recorded a Wembley win over the Steelers in 2013 and beaten the Browns at Twickenham Stadium in 2017. The Saints have an identical 2-0 London record after beating the Chargers at Wembley in arguably the most thrilling of all England’s games in 2008, and shutting out the Dolphins at the same venue in 2017.
Another close game is expected with DraftKings making the Vikings just 1-point favorites as their offense, led by QB Kirk Cousins, WR Justin Jefferson and RB Dalvin Cook, prepares for another season. The Saints are entering a new era after head coach Sean Payton stepped down a year after Drew Brees retired, with Dennis Allen now leading the team and Jameis Winston at quarterback. London fans will be looking forward to seeing RB Alvin Kamara and rookie WR Chris Olave among others. The total for this game has opened at 46.5.
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NFL Week 5, Sunday October 9, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London: New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers
The Giants will have fond memories of London, having been the NFL’s first winners there with a 13-10 verdict over the Dolphins in 2007 and gone on to win the Super Bowl that season. They are another team with an unbeaten record in London, having beaten the Rams 17-10 at Twickenham in 2016, when Landon Collins scored an amazing interception return TD. The absence of the Packers from the list of London attendees has long been a bone of contention for UK fans, but now they get what they wanted at last, with Aaron Rodgers set to take the Super Bowl contenders over the Atlantic.
The Packers have been made 6.5-point favorites, which is understandable considering they are 10/1 to win the Super Bowl and 5/1 to become NFC champions this season. They enhanced their defense in the draft with first-round picks Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt from Georgia’s title-winning defense, and attempted to replace the departed Devante Adams with wide receiver Christian Watson in the second round. The Giants also came out of the draft smiling after taking DE Kayvon Thibodeaux and OL Evan Neal with their pair of top-7 picks, and with RB Saquon Barkley out to prove a point this season, they are hoping to improve on last year’s 4-13 record. The early total for this game is 45.5 points.
NFL Week 8, Sunday October 30, Wembley Stadium, London: Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have a residency at Wembley Stadium and will be playing in London for the 9th straight year. They have a 4-4 record across the pond, and will have fond memories of last year’s trip after using it to break their winless start to the season. The Broncos are yet to win in London, having lost 24-16 to 49ers at Wembley on their only visit in 201o.
The Jaguars will be led by last year’s overall #1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence and their lineup should include big-money free-agency signing Christian Kirk, running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne, and this year’s #1 overall pick Travon Walker. Denver made a splash when trading for QB Russell Wilson in the offseason, and the Super Bowl winner with the Seahawks leads an exciting offense including RB Javonte Williams and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. It’s no surprise to see the Broncos as 6.5-point favorites, but the Jaguars have time to gel under new coach Doug Pederson before this game takes place in Week 8. The total is set at 47 points, the highest of the 3 London games.
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NFL Germany Game 2022
The headline news on international schedule release day is the addition of Germany to the schedule, with the likely presence of legendary QB Tom Brady adding prestige to the game at the Allianz Arena, home of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
NFL Week 10, Sunday November 13, Allianz Arena, Munich: Seattle Seahawks vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The NFL has ensured that Germany gets only the best for its first NFL regular-season game, as 7-time Super Bowl winner — and temporary offseason retiree — Tom Brady gets to take the 2020 Super Bowl champions to Munich. The Seahawks have questions to answer at quarterback this season after Wilson’s departure to Denver, but they landed tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris and a pair of first-round picks in the trade, along with QB Drew Lock, who is currently projected to be the team’s starter, despite rumors of a trade for Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs are 8.5-point favorites for the game, which reflects Tom Brady never having lost an international game, although something has to give as the Buccaneers have the worst record across the pond, going 0-3 with losses to Carolina, Chicago and Brady’s Patriots. Seattle crushed Oakland 27-3 in its only London game. The total for this game has opened at 46.5 points.
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NFL Mexico Game 2022
Monday Night Football goes international in Week 11 as NFC West rivals the 49ers and Cardinals will do battle in the famous Estadio Azteca on November 21 to close out the international slate. It will be the 4th game at the venue and the first since the Chiefs beat the Chargers there in 2019.
NFL Week 11, Monday November 21, Estadio Azteca: San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals
The 49ers’ quarterback situation remains in flux as they approach the 2022 season. Trey Lance was expected to inherit the starting role by this point, but his progress has not been rapid, while Jimmy Garoppolo is coming back from an injury. Nonetheless, the 49ers are 2.5-point favorites for the game as they look to build on their 2-0 international record.
Fans will be hoping that WR Deebo Samuel remains on the 49ers roster until this game is played, and the good news for Mexican Cardinals fans is that WR DeAndre Hopkins’ suspension will be over by then, rebuilding his partnership with exciting QB Kyler Murray. The Cardinals have played an international game, but they are yet to score a regular-season point outside America having lost 33-0 to the Rams at Twickenham in 2017. This matchup has the highest total of the 5 2022 International Series games at 48 — perhaps partly because it’s the one that is by far least likely to be played in rain — but also because of the offensive talent on show.
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