The NFL has continued to make a concerted effort to spread the game of American Football to a global audience. While most countries outside of the United States can watch a game on their television, attending NFL international games is a completely different experience. The best way to to spread the game is by hosting games oversees. It’s the same reason the EPL teams will have matches in the United States.
Over the years, despite the insane time difference, the NFL has given us a handful of great games worth waking up early for. The early games give fans great opportunities to bet MGA casinos and get a great start to their Sunday. Since the games started back up, there have been a few classics.
Classic NFL International Games
2007: New York Giants 13 – Miami Dolphins 10
What game could be the most classic NFL International Game than the first? Kicking off the revived NFL International Series, the Giants and Dolphins flew overseas and treated the London crowd with a three-point affair. Looking back, it was an insane matchup of the eventual Super Bowl Champion and a one-win Dolphins team who was incredibly close to going winless.
New York got off to a 13-0 lead thanks to a 10-point swing in the final 57 seconds of the first half. Miami then scored 10 in the second half and Ted Ginn, Jr. scored with just under two minutes to go but they could not secure the onside kick.
In hindsight, this was not the prettiest game to show to our friends across the pond. Eli Manning finished with just 59 yards passing off of eight completions from 22 attempts. That was against a Dolphins defense that allowed nearly 200 yards per game in their other 15 contests. The 2007 Dolphins team was one of the worst in recent memory.
2014: Detroit Lions 22 – Atlanta Falcons 21
From one game where a team got off to a big lead and were held scoreless in the second half to another. This time, that team ended up squandering their 21-0 lead to a last-second field goal to lose.
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The first half was all Atlanta. They had four drives and three ended with touchdowns while keeping the Lions to three punts and an interception right before halftime. Then, Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions offense went off. They had the ball five times in the second half and scored on all five drives. On the other side, the Falcons had the ball four times and their drives ended in three punts and an interception. As time expired, Matt Prater hit a 48-yard field goal to give Detroit the win.
2016: Houston Texans 20 – Oakland Raiders 27
To this point, the NFL had only played overseas in London. In 2016, they switched it up and headed south to Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Mexico has become an extended family for the Raiders franchise and they have a strong Raiders fandom.
In this one, Houston had a solid gameplan for the majority of the match. After an early third-quarter score, the Texans held a 17-10 lead and were seemingly in control. Then, the Raiders were able to drive down the field and chip into the lead with a field goal. After another Texans field goal, the Raiders took over. They were able to tie the game on a massive 75-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Jamize Olawale and then eventually scored the game-winning touchdown with an Amari Cooper 35-yard catch.
All in all, the Texans should have had control in this one. They out-gained the Raiders 354-325 and 124 of those were on the ground. It was a classic on Mexican soil that was groundbreaking for the league.
2016: Washington Redskins 27 – Cincinnati Bengals 27
What better way to show the soccer-loving English American football than to give them a tie? The lone tie in the NFL International Series as the Cincinnati Bengals and then-Washington Redskins could not decide a winner in 2016. It was a back-and-forth affair that neither team really deserved to win.
Washington put up 546 total offensive yards in this one but were doomed by two turnover-on-downs, two missed field goals, and an interception. Cincinnati, on the other hand, had a missed field goal, an interception, and fumbled it away in overtime.
As the game went to overtime, the teams traded punts before Washington was able to drive to the Cincinnati 16 before shanking a field goal to keep the game going. Then, as Cincinnati got to near midfield, Andy Dalton fumbled the game away. The Cincinnati defense was able to hold strong for the final four plays and a tie was reached. It is the lone tie in the NFL International Series and was the second in the 2016 season.
2022: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21 – Seattle Seahawks 16
While it was not the most exciting of NFL International games, last year’s Buccaneers vs Seahawks game in London was a classic for a few reasons. No reason is greater than the fact it was Tom Brady’s final season and was his third London game and fourth international.
The Seahawks were overmatched at almost every aspect. They were outgained 419-289, gave up three sacks while forcing none, and lost a fumble while forcing none. They did haul in a pair of interceptions which kept them in the game.
Tampa Bay jumped out to a 21-3 lead after a Mike Evans touchdown in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith mounted a ferocious comeback and ended up scoring twice to pul within five. All in all, the Buccaneers were able to hold on to give Brady a perfect 4-0 record outside of the United States.