28 of the NFL’s 32 teams have played a game in London and that number will rise to 29 when the Philadelphia Eagles make their first London appearance on Sunday to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars have one big advantage over the Eagles in London this week
In the Eagles’ first appearance overseas, it’s safe to assume the Jaguars will beat the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
No team has played in more London games than the Jaguars who are 3-2 and have won their last three games across the pond. When looking at the London game outcomes, you’ll see first-time teams in London often lose, or simply don’t win. Of the 16 teams who have played one game in London, nine lost and two tied.
NFL London games
Year | Date | Visiting team | Score | Home team | Score | Stadium | Attn. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | October 28 | New York Giants | 13 | Miami Dolphins | 10 | Wembley Stadium | 81,176 |
| 2008 | October 26 | San Diego Chargers | 32 | New Orleans Saints | 37 | Wembley Stadium | 83,226 |
| 2009 | October 25 | New England Patriots | 35 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | Wembley Stadium | 84,254 |
| 2010 | October 31 | Denver Broncos | 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 24 | Wembley Stadium | 83,941 |
| 2011 | October 23 | Chicago Bears | 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 18 | Wembley Stadium | 76,981 |
| 2012 | October 28 | New England Patriots | 45 | St. Louis Rams | 7 | Wembley Stadium | 84,004 |
| 2013 | September 29 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 | Minnesota Vikings | 34 | Wembley Stadium | 83,518 |
| October 27 | San Francisco 49ers | 42 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 10 | Wembley Stadium | 83,559 | |
| 2014 | September 28 | Miami Dolphins | 38 | Oakland Raiders | 14 | Wembley Stadium | 83,436 |
| October 26 | Detroit Lions | 22 | Atlanta Falcons | 21 | Wembley Stadium | 83,532 | |
| November 9 | Dallas Cowboys | 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 17 | Wembley Stadium | 83,603 | |
| 2015 | October 4 | New York Jets | 27 | Miami Dolphins | 14 | Wembley Stadium | 83,986 |
| October 25 | Buffalo Bills | 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 34 | Wembley Stadium | 84,021 | |
| November 1 | Detroit Lions | 10 | Kansas City Chiefs | 45 | Wembley Stadium | 83,624 | |
| 2016 | October 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 30 | Wembley Stadium | 83,798 |
| October 23 | New York Giants | 17 | Los Angeles Rams | 10 | Twickenham Stadium | 74,121 | |
| October 30 | Washington Redskins | 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | 27 | Wembley Stadium | 84,448 | |
| 2017 | September 24 | Baltimore Ravens | 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 44 | Wembley Stadium | 84,592 |
| October 1 | New Orleans Saints | 20 | Miami Dolphins | 0 | Wembley Stadium | 84,423 | |
| October 22 | Arizona Cardinals | 0 | Los Angeles Rams | 33 | Twickenham Stadium | 73,736 | |
| October 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 33 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | Twickenham Stadium | 74,237 | |
| 2018 | October 14 | Seattle Seahawks | 27 | Oakland Raiders | 3 | Wembley Stadium | 84,922 |
| October 21 | Tennessee Titans | 19 | Los Angeles Chargers | 20 | Wembley Stadium | 84,301 | |
| October 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | TBD | Jacksonville Jaguars | TBD | Wembley Stadium | TBD |
Only the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers are undefeated in London after two or more games overseas. And there are currently no teams that are 1-0 in London, while there are nine teams that are 0-1.
It’s not easy to win your first London game; even the Jaguars lost their first appearance there, which came at the hands of the 49ers. San Francisco was playing in their second London game when they beat the Jags.
The Dolphins were part of the first-ever London game, a 13-10 loss to the Giants. Miami went on to win its next London game, which came against the Raiders (who were playing in their first London game). It took the Rams three London games before finally getting a win overseas. The Rams lost to the Patriots (it was the Patriots’ second London game) and then lost to the Giants (it was the Giants’ second London game, too) and then beat the Cardinals (in their first London game) in 2017.
The Lions and Falcons faced off in London in 2014 in both teams’ first game overseas. The game was decided by one point and Detroit won. Just last week the Chargers played in their second London game (though, their first in 10 years) and came away with a one-point victory over the Titans, who — you guessed it — were playing in their first game in the UK.
When the Bengals and Washington faced off across the pond in 2016, it was both teams’ first time overseas and they fought so hard to break tradition that nobody won and they left London with a tie.
Records in London by the numbers
Records | # of teams |
|---|---|
| 3-2 | 1 |
| 1-3 | 1 |
| 1-2 | 1 |
| 2-0 | 5 |
| 1-1 | 7 |
| 0-2 | 2 |
| 0-0-1 | 2 |
| 0-1 | 9 |
Adjusting to the time difference, knowing how to best plan for an international game, and learning the intricacies of a different stadium are some of the reasons why having experience may be beneficial when playing in London.
On Sunday in the final London NFL game of the season, it’s safe to assume the Jaguars will beat the Eagles in Philly’s first appearance across the pond. Yes, Blake Bortles was benched last week, and yes the Jaguars are 3-4 after three straight (ugly) losses, but London Bortles is among the best versions of Bortles. Going into their sixth appearance in the UK, it’s safe to expect a Jaguars win over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
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