NFL Announces 5 Games For 2023 International Series, Teams For Game 1 On Black Friday
Jacksonville Jaguars, led by Trevor Lawrence, have set the record as the first NFL team to play two international games in one season. The team will be spending consecutive weeks in London this year, where they will “host” the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on October 1, and “visit” the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 8. The Jaguars were initially scheduled to play two designated home games in London in 2020, but those plans were canceled owing to the pandemic.
The NFL has also announced dates for three more international games, alongside releasing opponents for a few more games, including the first Black Friday matchup. The defending Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs, will “host” the Miami Dolphins to Germany at Eintracht Frankfurt Stadium on Nov. 5. Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will host the Dolphins on November 24th. On Christmas Day in a playoff rematch, the defending NFC Champion, Philadelphia Eagles, will host the New York Giants. The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve in another playoff rematch.
The Jaguars have played nine games in London, including a 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos last October in front of an NFL-record international crowd of 86,215 fans at Wembley Stadium. The team’s first-year head coach, Doug Pederson, who led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl in 2017, led them to win a playoff game last year, becoming the first team to do so after posting a worst record in the previous season.
It will be the second trip to London for the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens. “It’s exciting to witness and play a part in the rise in popularity of the NFL around the world,” said Ravens president Sashi Brown. “This is an incredible opportunity to play upfront and connect with Ravens fans in the UK and across Europe.”
This year’s matches in Frankfurt will be played at Eintracht Frankfurt’s stadium, building on the incredible atmosphere experienced during last season’s game in Munich, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the first NFL regular season game in Germany. The Patriots are 3-0 in international play, while the Chiefs are 2-0.
The NFL’s expansion to 17 regular-season games in 2021 has given teams a ninth home game every other season. Up to four of the conference teams whose teams are eligible for the ninth home game of the regular season are designated to play an international game at a neutral venue each year.
Jaguars Chairman Mark Lamping said, “the addition of the road race against Buffalo allows us to maximize the logistical efficiency of our travel to and from the UK while maintaining a strong slate of games at our very home at TIAA Bank Field.”
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