Jaguars to play twice in London in 2023 (2024)

By Jeffrey Zrebiec, Daniel Kaplan, Chad Graff and Joe Buscaglia

The Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first NFL team to play two games overseas in a single season as the NFL revealed its 2023 international schedule Wednesday. The Jaguars will face the Atlanta Falcons at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium in Week 4 and take on the Buffalo Bills the following week at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Here’s what you need to know:

• The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans will meet in Week 6 at Hotspur Stadium in the other London contest on the schedule.
• The marquee matchup in Germany sees the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs facing the Miami Dolphins at Frankfurt Stadium in Week 9. The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots will close out the schedule a week later in Frankfurt.
• There are no games scheduled in Mexico for the 2023 regular season due to stadium renovations.

Why the NFL is targeting Europe

The NFL is the runaway top sport, if not entertainment property, in the U.S. hands down. Outside the borders, not so much. That’s why, starting in 2007, the NFL began exporting regular-season games to London, and then also to Mexico and Germany (the Buffalo Bills played games in Toronto from 2008 to 2013).

Like any business, the NFL is seeking to tap into new markets and the sizzle of real games is the main selling feature. It is part of the reason the league expanded to 17 regular-season games to make it less painful for teams to give up home dates. Also, teams have in recent years begun their own marketing efforts in individual countries, so they have their hands up to play in those nations. The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots were not chosen to play in Germany by happenstance. They both have marketing rights in Germany.

And then there are the Jaguars, who have been playing games in London since 2013. Could the Jaguars’ two-week plus sojourn over the pond be a test run for a future team or teams there? While commissioner Roger Goodell speculated last year about a European division, chances are unless there are exponential advances in air travel technology that dramatically reduce flight times, the league will be content to send five games, give or take, every season overseas. — Kaplan

The Ravens were due

The Ravens have played in just one international game in franchise history, and that was back in 2017. It was not a good experience for them. They were embarrassed, 44-7, by the Jaguars in what was easily one of the worst performances in franchise history. Ravens coach John Harbaugh made it clear that he was in no hurry to go back overseas for another game anytime soon.

Still, with the number of international games increasing in recent years, you had to know the Ravens were going to have to deal with a return trip at some point. We now know that point will be Week 6 of the NFL season. — Zrebiec

Ravens will rack up frequent flyer miles in 2023

Last season, the Ravens had the third-fewest travel miles in the NFL during the regular season, with their longest trip being to New Orleans for a Week 9 Monday night game. Overall, they traveled less than 10,000 miles for their eight road games. That will turn around dramatically this season, as Harbaugh and company will have to navigate an arduous travel schedule, highlighted by the trip to London.

Baltimore will also face the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers on the road. One trip overseas and three to the West Coast. That’s a lot of travel. — Zrebiec

Patriots head to Germany for first time

The Patriots’ Week 10 contest against the Colts in Germany will count as a home game for them and serve as their fourth-ever international game. Their popularity in Germany rose during the success of the team’s two dynasties over the last two decades and further grew when the Patriots used a second-round pick on German native Sebastian Vollmer, who helped keep Tom Brady upright in Super Bowl XLIX.

The Patriots have played twice in London and once in Mexico City, winning all three games.

“I’m thrilled to play a home game in this new market and to continue to build upon our team’s long history and engagement with German fans,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “Our goal is to connect with fans at the local level and I look forward to expanding that fan base and fostering additional relationships and opportunities for partnership in Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland.” — Graff

Bills cross the pond again

The Bills will be heading back to London for the first time since 2015 and their second time total, but they’ll do so against the same team they played that year — the Jaguars. That game was a helter-skelter bout that featured plenty of turnovers, a massive 24-point in-game comeback by the Bills, a blown fourth-quarter lead by both teams and ultimately a three-point loss for the Bills.

But this version of the Bills is far different from the one London saw in 2015. Now armed with four straight playoff appearances and one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Josh Allen, the Bills will hope to even out their lifetime international record. The last time they went, the Bills left the night of their previous game and spent the entire week practicing in London, but that was under different leadership.

This time the Bills coach is Sean McDermott, who usually prefers a set schedule and routine and practicing in Orchard Park all week before traveling, so they could lean toward leaving later in the week ahead of the game. It will also be a chance for traveling Bills fans to see Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was one of the primary inspirations for the Bills’ new stadium scheduled to open in 2026. — Buscaglia

Full international schedule

• Oct. 1: Atlanta vs. Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium
• Oct. 8: Jacksonville vs. Buffalo at Hotspur Stadium
• Oct. 15: Baltimore vs. Tennessee at Hotspur Stadium
• Nov. 5: Miami vs. Kansas City at Frankfurt Stadium
• Nov. 12: Indianapolis vs. New England at Frankfurt Stadium

Backstory

In January, the NFL announced five of the teams set to play in international games this season.

The Jets and Dolphins will play in the NFL’s first Black Friday game, which will stream on Amazon at 3 p.m. ET. Other holiday games include an NFC East rivalry between the Eagles and Giants on Christmas Day (8 p.m. ET) and the Bengals visiting the Chiefs on New Year’s Eve (4:25 p.m. ET).

The full 2023 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

Required reading

• How NFL teams’ global partnerships are faring in UK, Germany, China and beyond
• The NFL in Germany, an oral history: ‘Beer and brats. It’s like being in Wisconsin’

(Photo: Dan Istitene / Getty Images)