Tag: nfl international

14 Broncos players to wear international flags on helmets

Fourteen Broncos players will wear international flags on their helmets this week, with six players representing Nigeria.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”ieO0A1Rcf0-2267110-7498″]

More than 200 players, coaches and executives across the NFL will participate in the league’s recognition of nationalities and cultural heritages in Weeks 4 and 5.

As part of the NFL’s initiative, 14 Denver Broncos players will wear international flag stickers on the back of their helmets this week. Here’s the list of players:

DL McTelvin Agim (Nigeria)
CB Essang Bassey (Nigeria)
RB Devine Ozigbo (Nigeria)
CB Michael Ojemudia (Nigeria)
TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Nigeria)
DL Eyioma Uwazurike (Nigeria)
WR Jerry Jeudy (Haiti)
OLB Jonathan Kongbo (Republic of the Congo)
TE Greg Dulcich (Croatia)
CB K’Waun Williams (Jamaica)
DL Mike Purcell (Samoa)
G Netane Muti (Tonga)
OL Luke Wattenberg (South Korea)
P Corliss Waitman (Suriname)

“The NFL is proud of the extensive collection of nationalities and heritage of its players across the League,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We recognize the many cultures they represent and the excitement they bring to their home fans, which ultimately helps grow our game.”

Sunday’s game against the Raiders will begin at 2:25 p.m. MT (TV map).

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=686967]

Broncos international history: Denver’s record by country outside the U.S.

The Broncos have played in six countries outside the U.S. since 1987, mostly recently in London in 2010.

The Denver Broncos are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, England this fall, marking just the second time in franchise history that the Broncos will play a regular season game outside the United States.

Denver’s no stranger to playing overseas for preseason games, though. The Broncos have played eight international games in their history, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.

Regular-season overseas trips are also about to become more frequent for Denver as the league now requires every team to play at least one international game every eight years.

Here’s a quick look back the Broncos’ record in every country they’ve played in outside the U.S. since 1987.

Broncos weighing options for London travel this season

“Everybody’s won and lost doing it different ways,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said of deciding what day to travel to London.

The Denver Broncos are set to return to England this fall to play in London for the third time in franchise history. Denver will be the “road” team against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 on Oct. 30.

The NFL has increased the number of games played in the United Kingdom in recent years and different teams have handled travel in different ways. Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett is no stranger to international travel for NFL games — he coached with the Jags from 2015-2018 and experienced their frequent trips to London.

Hackett was just a coordinator then, though. He’s the head coach now and the team’s travel schedule falls in large part on him. The first-year head coach plans to collaborate with coaches and players to form a game plan.

“There’s so many different ways to do it,” Hackett said on May 13. “I’ve been lucky [that] I’ve gone to London, gosh, four times now. We left on Thursday. You talk with guys all across the league, guys leaving on Monday, some on Tuesday. Everybody has done it a little bit different, and everybody’s won and lost doing it different ways. So I think for us, we’ll evaluate how we do it. We want to do what’s best for our team.

“We want to see what those guys are into. I know Russell [Wilson] went out there a couple years ago, so talking with him, giving him my experience [and] going through his experience, and just trying to figure out what’s good for everybody. The idea is to get there and get acclimated as fast as you can. But at the same time, still be able to put together a solid game plan for the Jaguars. As we continue to work through it, we’ll figure out what’s the best way.”

Denver will host the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 23 one week before their overseas clash with Jacksonville. After playing in London, the Broncos will receive a much-needed bye in Week 9 (view the full schedule).

If Hackett follows the approach of his former team, fans can expect Denver to travel to England on Thursday, Oct. 27. If they follow the lead of over teams that have gone out earlier in the week, the Broncos could make the trip over on Oct. 24 or 25. Whatever travel schedule Denver decides on, the Broncos will aim to win in London for the first time in franchise history this October.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[pickup_prop id=”24395″]

[listicle id=679189]

Broncos are winless in London, but Russell Wilson is undefeated

The Broncos are winless in London, but Russell Wilson is undefeated (small sample size for both).

The Denver Broncos are set to travel to London for a “road” game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in Week 8 this season. That will mark the third trip to England in franchise history.

The Broncos are 0-2 in London all-time, with their most recent trip across the pond being a 24-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. Before that, Denver lost to the Los Angeles Rams 28-27 in a London preseason game in 1987.

While the Broncos are winless in the United Kingdom, new quarterback Russell Wilson is undefeated.

Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a 27-3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in London during the 2018 season, making him 1-0 in the U.K. — sure it’s a small sample size, but a win’s a win.

Wilson completed 17-of-23 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns in that game with one interception. He also rushed six times for 20 yards.

Wilson will now aim to break Denver’s London losing streak on Oct. 30.

[pickup_prop id=”24395″]

[listicle id=678692]

Broncos QB Russell Wilson discusses London game on ‘GMFB’

“It feels like International Super Bowl in a way,” #Broncos QB Russell Wilson said of playing games in London.

The Denver Broncos are set to travel to England this fall to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in a “road” game on Oct. 30 in Week 8.

After the league announced its 2022 international schedule on Wednesday, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson joined the “Good Morning Football” crew on NFL Network to discuss the team’s trip across the pond.

“Well, obviously, to be able to go to London to go battle overseas against the Jaguars … to be on this football team is just a tremendous honor,” Wilson said. “We’re excited about it.”

Wilson has played in London once before, leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 27-3 win over the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders in 2018. He’ll aim for a similar performance with the Broncos.

“Obviously I got to play in London before in Wembley Stadium, it’s an amazing tradition,” the QB said. “Just all the people there, it’s electric. It’s really, really special — it feels like International Super Bowl in a way so I’m excited about it.”

Denver’s complete 2022 schedule will be announced on May 12.

[pickup_prop id=”21491″]

[listicle id=678485]

Jags to play Broncos in London Week 8

The Jags’ 2022 international opponents have been decided and they will be taking on the Denver Broncos Week 8.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ opponents for their 2022 international game have been decided, and as expected, that team will be the Denver Broncos. The league made the announcement official on Wednesday, and they also announced that the game will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The Jags will be returning to Wembley Stadium after playing the last game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season. The Jags were able to defeat the Miami Dolphins in that game by a score of 23-20.

As for the network, it will air on ESPN+ nationally and will air locally, too, though that information is to be determined.

This announcement comes after the Broncos team president, Joe Ellis, revealed that they were one of the teams interested in playing in the United Kingdom earlier this offseason.

“I’d love to see us [play there],” Ellis said at the annual owners meetings in March. “We play the Jaguars. We’ll see if that becomes a possibility. I don’t know right now for sure. But I’ve expressed interest on behalf of the team. Coach [Nathaniel] Hackett is bullish on it, George [Paton] is bullish on it, Russell Wilson is bullish on it. We’re lobbying as hard as we can.”

The Broncos and Jags game will be one of five international contests played this year. The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints will have the first international game of the year in London on Oct. 2. Then, during the following week, the New York Giants will take on the Green Bay Packers in London. Lastly, in November, the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Bucs will play in Munich, and the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals will play in Mexico.

The Jags have a 4-4 record in the United Kingdom. They are also .500 (7-7) against Denver in terms of their all-time series against each other.

NFL international games: 49ers to face Cardinals in Mexico

The #49ers will head to Mexico to face the Cardinals this season.

The NFL on Wednesday announced its slate of international games for the 2022 season. The 49ers will head to Mexico City to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, November 21. The Week 11 matchup will be a home game for Arizona, which means the 49ers will still have a full slate of nine home games at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers were likely set to play an international game in Mexico in 2020 vs. the Cardinals, but the NFL cancelled international games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Francisco last played at Estadio Azteca vs. Arizona in 2005. They were blown out 31-17 in that game. It’s their first international game overall since 2012 when they trounced the Jaguars 42-10 at Wembley Stadium in London. They also beat the Broncos 24-16 at Wembley Stadium in the 2010 season.

The rest of the 49ers’ schedule is set to be released later this month.

[listicle id=677099]

Broncos won’t lose a home game to play in London this season

Great news for European Broncos fans — the team will play in London! Great news for Colorado-based fans — the team won’t lose a home game!

Great news for European fans of the Denver Broncos — your favorite team is set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London this season!

And great news for Colorado-based fans — your favorite team will not lose a home game despite playing in England this fall!

The Broncos are still scheduled to play all eight home games at Empower Field at Mile High this season. Denver will be the designated “road” team when Jacksonville “hosts” the Broncos at Wembley Stadium in October.

This will mark the first time Denver has played in London — or in any international game — since 2010. The Broncos faced the San Francisco 49ers at Wembley that season and it ended up being a disaster. Denver lost the game 24-16 but the bigger story was an off-field cheating scandal that led to then-coach Josh McDaniels getting fired.

The Broncos will undoubtedly hope this trip across the pond goes better. This fall will mark just the second time Denver has played an international game during the regular season. The Broncos will play many more games outside the U.S. in the future as NFL teams are now required to play at least one international game every eight years.

After playing in England, Denver’s next international game will likely be played in Mexico at some point down the road.

The Broncos’ full 2022 schedule will be announced on May 12.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Broncos will play Jaguars in London in Week 8

The Broncos will travel to London to face the Jaguars this fall.

The Denver Broncos will face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 30, the NFL announced Wednesday. Jacksonville will be the designated “home” team, which means Denver will not lose a game at Empower Field at Mile High this season.

The game will begin at 7:30 a.m. MT and will air on ESPN+.

The Broncos will likely have a bye in Week 9 after facing the Jags.

Denver was scheduled to face the Atlanta Falcons in England in 2020 but that game was moved stateside due to COVID-19. The Broncos had been lobbying for another chance to play in London since then and the NFL will grant their request this fall.

Denver is also a candidate to play a future game in Mexico — all NFL teams are required to play an international game at least once every eight years, so the Broncos will play outside the U.S. again before 2031.

Denver’s full schedule for 2022 will be announced on May 12.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Broncos will find out May 4 if they’re playing in London this season

Broncos fans will find out on Wednesday if Denver is going to play a game in London this fall.

Story update: The Broncos will play in London this year, the NFL announced Wednesday. See our original post below.

The Denver Broncos will find out if they will play in London this fall when the NFL announces its international schedule on Wednesday, May 4.

Well, technically, Broncos fans will find out Wednesday — the team has likely already been informed of the league’s decision.

Denver is a candidate to play a “road” game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have already been announced as a “home” team for a game in England this year.

If the Broncos are picked to face the Jaguars in England, the game will be played in October at Wembley Stadium. Denver would still play all eight home games at Empower Field at Mile High.

The Broncos were previously scheduled to play the Atlanta Falcons in London in 2020 but that game was moved stateside due to COVID-19. Joe Ellis, the team’s president and CEO, has been campaigning since then for another opportunity to play in the United Kingdom.

Denver is also a candidate to play a future game in Mexico. First things first, though, the league will announce Wednesday morning if the Broncos are scheduled to play in London this fall.

Denver’s complete schedule will be announced on Thursday, May 12.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=678353]