The Green Bay Packers are headed to London for the team’s first game in the United Kingdom as part of the NFL International Series. The Packers are the last of the 32 NFL teams to play in the UK.
The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the date and opponent aren’t yet known. The NFL will release both when the 2022 schedule comes out later this year.
But we can narrow down the options on the opponent part of the equation.
Here’s what we know:
– The Packers are designated as the “home” team for the London game
– The Packers will play nine opponents on the “home” schedule in 2022: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Patriots, Rams, Giants, Jets, Titans
So who will the Packers play over the pond?
Divisional games are hugely important and rarely used in the NFL International Series, so it’s unlikely the Packers would play the Bears, Lions or Vikings in London. It’s almost impossible to envision the team sacrificing a home division game. Let’s rule them out right away.
The Cowboys, Patriots and Rams will all be huge draws. The Cowboys will be bringing former Packers coach Mike McCarthy to Lambeau Field for the first time. The Patriots made the playoffs last season and are always relevant. The Rams just won the Super Bowl. The Packers want those games in Green Bay. Losing one to London would be a big blow, so let’s rule out these three too.
That brings us to the Giants, Jets and Titans.
The Titans were the No. 1 seed in the AFC last season, and rarely does the NFL pit two playoff teams against each other in London. Don’t fully rule out the Titans as the opponent, but they might be the least likely of the final three.
The NFL likes having the NFC vs. AFC dynamic in play, but the Jets just played in London last season. Would they send a team (that isn’t the Jaguars) over there twice in two seasons? Probably not.
The Giants haven’t played overseas since 2016.
By process of elimination, we get Packers vs. Giants in London in 2022.
Who wouldn’t like this matchup? Two storied and beloved franchises playing in the United Kingdom.
The Packers wouldn’t love giving up a home game against the Giants and the team’s massive fanbase, but New York is also going through a coaching change and hasn’t finished above .500 in a season since 2016. Last season, the Giants won four games. Teams can change drastically in one year, but the Packers probably wouldn’t hate playing a middling team like the Giants in London.
Who do you think the Packers will play in the UK next year? Let us know in the comments below!