Tag: Wembley Stadium

Bills to stay put as NFL names home teams for 2024 international games

No Europe #Bills in 2024:

The NFL designated four home teams out of the five international games taking place in the 2024 NFL season.

The league will play three games in England, one game in Germany, and one game in Brazil next year.

The Buffalo Bills’ full list of opponents in 2024 was finalized following the end of this year’s regular season. Buffalo was considered the “home” team when they played the Jacksonville Jaguars in October in London. Bills players did not enjoy that game with multiple injuries and jet lag decimating Buffalo’s chance to win against the Jaguars in their international home game at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium.

The only home team not announced is the game in Brazil.  There is still a chance the Bills might have to play internationally – but definitely not in Europe where it is considered overseas and multiple time zones away.

For those curious, here is the full list of home teams playing in the European international games.

Back-to-back London games possible for Jaguars with Bears in U.K.

The Bears in London means the Jaguars could potentially play back-to-back games overseas again in 2024.

The NFL announced Thursday that the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars will all play home games in London during the 2024 season, which raised the possibility that the Jaguars will again play back-to-back games overseas.

In October 2023, Jacksonville became the first team to play two international games in the same season when they played the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in London in consecutive weeks. The Week 4 game against the Falcons was designated as a home game, while the Week 5 game against the Bills was on the road.

“I think we want to see how it goes, what are some of the learnings from it, and I think if it works, we’d like for it to continue in the future,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said before the first of the two games.

The trip worked out well for Jacksonville with the team picking up back-to-back wins that sparked a win streak through the remainder of October. Still, the Jaguars were fortunate that good weather allowed them to practice outdoors leading up to a game against the Bills.

The Bears are one of nine road opponents for the Jaguars in 2024. While it remains to be seen who Jacksonville will host at Wembley Stadium, the Jaguars could theoretically be the team that faces the Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The NFL typically announces the schedule for the upcoming season in May.

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Doug Pederson: ‘We’ll probably each year play 2 games’ in London

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson doesn’t think 2023 will be the last time his team makes a two-weekend trip to London.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ extended trip to London was a success for the team. They arrived in the United Kingdom with a 1-2 record following a pair of losses, but return to the United States at 3-2 after back-to-back wins overseas.

No NFL team had played multiple games out of the country in the same season before, let alone in consecutive weeks. But Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson doesn’t think it’ll be the last time it happens for his squad.

“I think it’s relatively safe to say that we’ll probably each year play two games over here,” Pederson said Sunday after a 25-20 win against the Buffalo Bills. “I don’t know that. I don’t have a crystal ball. I hope the rest of the league plays two games over here at some point.

“But again, it was good for us, and it was good to get out of Jacksonville at that time. We needed to, I think, bond a little bit as a football team, and we’ve done that.”

The Jaguars have played an annual home game in London since 2013 (with the exception of 2020 when international games were cancelled due to COVID). Their contract to play a game every year at Wembley Stadium ends in 2024, but Jaguars owner Shad Khan isn’t ready for the partnership to end.

“Hopefully we’ll get this thing renewed,” Khan said last week, via Jaguars.com. “It’s been great for the city of Jacksonville. It’s great for the players. It’s been great for us.”

If the Jaguars continue to cede home games to the United Kingdom, it only makes sense for the team to do more two-weekend ventures to London by adding road game to the annual trips.

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Shad Khan wants more back-to-back London games if 2023 works well

Shad Khan hopes the Jaguars have more back-to-back London trips in the future, so long as 2023 works out well.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, beating the Atlanta Falcons in a “home” game, 23-7. Now comes the uncharted territory.

Instead of flying back to the United States like the Falcons, the Jaguars will be the first team ever to stay overseas for another international game. Up next is a Week 5 “road” game against the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Jaguars will need to change hotels, but the hope for the team is that the pair of games makes for an easier trip as opposed to a weekend roundtrip across the Atlantic. And if it works out well, team owner Shad Khan likes the idea of making it an annual two-game trip.

“What’s great is that some of our fans couldn’t make it this week, they can come from Duval next week,” Khan told Brent Martineau of Action Sports Jax on Sunday. “Also, the fans we have in London, U.K., and Europe, it’s another way for us to connect with them and really develop the Jaguars, Jacksonville brand here in the U.K.

“I think we want to see how it goes, what are some of the learnings from it, and I think if it works, we’d like for it to continue in the future.”

The Jaguars have played a home game in London every season since 2013, with the exception of 2020 when all international games were cancelled due to COVID. The team has six games at EverBank Stadium left on the 2023 schedule.

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Doug Pederson: London trip ‘hitting us at the right time’

A change of scenery could be just what the Jaguars need right now, according to Doug Pederson.

Something has to change for the Jacksonville Jaguars. A week after a frustrating loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at home, the Jaguars were embarrassed by the visiting Houston Texans on Sunday.

So a change of scenery for the next couple weeks doesn’t sound too bad to Jaguars coach Doug Pederson. With the team headed to London for games against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills, the coach is feeling optimistic that it’s just what the Jaguars need.

“I’m really hoping that this trip — obviously, it’s hitting us at right time, I think,” Pederson said Sunday in an interview with team reporter Bucky Brooks. “I think it’s a good opportunity for us to reset a little bit. Be together and be away, hopefully be away from distractions around Jacksonville right now.”

The Jaguars have played a home game in London every season since 2013 with the exception of 2020 when the international slate was canceled by the NFL due to COVID. Jacksonville is 4-5 all-time in its United Kingdom trips.

Most recently, the Jaguars lost 21-17 to the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in October 2022. It proved to be a turning point for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who said the two-interception performance “kind of flipped a switch” for him. He threw 15 touchdowns and two interceptions over his next nine games.

Like Pederson, the Jaguars’ third-year quarterback is hoping this year’s trip to London can get the team back on track.

“I think if we use it the right way, it can be good for us,” Lawrence said Sunday. “I don’t think that we should need that to, you know, get the sense of urgency and to play better and execute. I don’t think that we should need that. But if that’s what we need, then it’s coming at the right time and we’re going to take advantage of it.”

Despite their recent struggles, the Jaguars opened as a three-point favorite against the Falcons. After their “home game” at Wembley Stadium against the Falcons, the Jaguars will be the designated road team during the Week 5 game against the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Jaguars vs. Falcons will have alternate ‘Toy Story’ broadcast via ESPN

Viewers on ESPN+ will be able to watch an animated version of the Jaguars’ Week 4 game from Andy’s room.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons will have an alternate broadcast of their Week 4 game from Andy’s room, ESPN announced Monday.

The “Toy Story” themed broadcast will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Disney+ which will show animated versions of the two teams competing in real time.

Earlier this year, ESPN had a similarly kid-focused broadcast of an NHL game between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Players in that game were animated into the world of the Disney Channel show “Big City Greens.”

According to an ESPN press release, characters such as Woody and Buzz Lightyear will all make appearances and players from the Jaguars and Falcons will contribute to the broadcast with pre-recorded segments and interviews.

The announcers for the alternate broadcast will be Drew Carter, Booger McFarland, and 12-year-old Pepper Parsley.

If you’d rather watch the usual ESPN broadcast, that’ll be available on your cable network along with ESPN+. Kickoff of that Oct. 1 game is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.

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5 stadiums that could host Jaguars during TIAA Bank Field renovation

If the Jaguars are forced out of TIAA Bank Field for a couple years, where would they call their temporary home?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the lookout for a stadium that can be their temporary home in future seasons, according to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.

In an interview with 1010XL on Wednesday, Curry said that renovations of TIAA Bank Field could happen in 2025 and 2026, and the Jaguars will likely need to find a temporary home elsewhere while the construction is ongoing.

While Curry said that the Jaguars hope to keep the games in Jacksonville, that plan doesn’t exactly seem feasible. No stadium in the city outside of TIAA Bank Field can even seat 10,000 fans for a football game.

So if the Jaguars really do need to find a temporary home two years from now, where could it be? Here are the five most logical options:

Jaguars to face Falcons, Bills in back-to-back London games

The Jaguars will travel to London to play a “home” game against the Falcons in Week 4 and a road game against the Bills in Week 5.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will meet the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in a pair of London games in Weeks 4 and 5, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Jacksonville has played one of its home games in England every year since 2013 with the exception of 2020 when the NFL’s international slate was cancelled due to COVID-19. That’ll be the case again when the Jaguars “host” the Falcons at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1.

A week later, the Jaguars will play an away game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the Bills on Oct. 8.

Both games will kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET with coverage of the Week 4 game on ESPN+ and coverage of the Week 5 game on NFL Network.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping, who previously told the Florida Times-Union that consecutive games in London was a strong possibility for the 2023 season, said that the back-to-back games will allow the team to maximize efficiency on its trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Jaguars are the first team in NFL history to play two international games in the same season. They will presumably have an advantage over the Bills who will attempt to acclimate to the travel to play a team that has already been in London for nearly two weeks.

Jacksonville’s remaining schedule, including a slate of eight games at TIAA Bank Field, will be revealed Thursday night.

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NFL 2023 schedule leaks will begin Wednesday

Will the Commanders play overseas in 2023?

The next-most anticipated day on the NFL calendar is Thursday when the league-owned NFL Network hosts a three-hour primetime show to release the 2023 schedule.

While some fans don’t find schedule-release day particularly interesting, others view it as another exciting stop on the NFL’s widely popular offseason carousel.

Throughout the day on Thursday, different media members who cover the team will have bits and pieces of your favorite team’s schedule, so by the time 8:00 p.m. ET comes around, you have a good idea of what the new schedule will look like.

However, the day before the league releases the 2023 schedule, the NFL will have strategic leaks to build toward Thursday. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, at least three announcements will come out a day early on Wednesday.

How does this impact the Washington Commanders? Will Washington play overseas for the first time since a 2016 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium in London? We could also find out if the Commanders have any prime-time games — and when — on Wednesday.

 

Jaguars reportedly considering back-to-back London games in 2023

The Jaguars may play back-to-back games in London during the 2023 season, according to team president Mark Lamping.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the NFL’s quasi-ambassador in the United Kingdom for a decade now, and that international effort may ramp up in 2023.

On Friday, Jaguars team president Mark Lamping told the Florida Times-Union that there’s a possibility the team will play back-to-back games in London during the upcoming NFL season.

“The stars are aligning with the Jaguars’ home schedule and the NFL schedule of London games for the first time,” Lamping told the Times-Union’s Gene Frenette. “There’s a much greater likelihood this year we could be asked to play as a visitor.

“The NFL knows who our road opponents are. We knew there was a possibility we could be asked to play [a second game in London].”

The Jaguars have played one home game in England in nine of the last 10 NFL seasons. The only exception was 2020 when the league’s international slate of games was scrapped due to COVID-19. The Jaguars will again play one home game overseas in 2023 and will reportedly only consider a second game in London if it’s as a visitor.

In January, the NFL announced that the Jaguars would host a game at Wembley Stadium in 2023 and both the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills would play games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With both the Titans and Bills on the Jaguars’ list of road opponents in 2023, the possibility of consecutive games in London makes sense for Jacksonville.

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