The 2020 NFL season is set to be a unique one. With the coronavirus pandemic already affecting things like free agency and the draft, there’s no way to know how or even if it will impact the season. But according to Judy Battista of NFL.com, the league has been planning as though the season will start on time.
“All of our discussion, all of our focus, has been on a normal traditional season, starting on time, playing in front of fans, in our regular stadiums, and going through a full 16-game regular season and full set of playoffs,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash said.
One change the NFL will make this season is keeping all the games domestic. It will be the first time since 2006 that every game has been played in the United States.
“After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico, and the UK,” NFL executive vice president Christopher Halpin said in an official statement. “We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.”
The NFL on both sides of the Atlantic has been quick to emphasize that this is merely an interruption to the International Series, not an end.
Regarding no London games in 2020… From @NFLUK Managing Director Alistair Kirkwood: "Ahead of our games returning next season, we will continue to strengthen our ties to the UK community this season through programmes such as NFL Flag and the @NFLAcademy"
— Neil Reynolds (@neilreynoldsnfl) May 4, 2020
There were supposed to be five games in the 2020 “International Series”, with one in Mexico City and four in London. Two of the games would have been at Wembley Stadium, which has staged the bulk of the London games since the 2007 season, with the other two at Tottenham Hotspur’s new dual-purpose stadium.
While it is disappointing to see the NFL lose an opportunity to continue to grow its fanbase outside of the US, this decision isn’t likely to affect the Baltimore Ravens all that much. They were not set to play in any of the overseas games, and considering the comments made by John Harbaugh the last time they did it would be a surprise to see them do so again.
Speaking in 2017, Harbaugh said, “To be honest with you — and maybe I’ll get into trouble for saying this — don’t plan on going over there any time soon to play again.” At the time, Harbaugh was impressed by the fans at the Ravens game in London, noting that “They were loud, and they were into it”. But the logistics involved prior to the game gave Baltimore some issues.
“There were some certain things that came up that you look at it and you go, ‘That wasn’t ideal’. But we really had no way of knowing that. We have no control where we stay, how far the bus ride is, how long it takes to get to the stadium.”
While acknowledging the fans as well as the pregame difficulties, Harbaugh was unlikely to have taken too many good memories from the game itself. In Week 3 of the 2017 season, the Ravens were walloped 44-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the second-most points allowed by any team that has played at Wembley. Joe Flacco endured a miserable day out in the UK capital, as he completed eight of 18 pass attempts for just 28 yards.
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