Were these the best NFL London games we've seen?

It may be hard to believe, but the NFL has been playing regular season games in London for 16 years now. The international slate of games for the 2023 campaign is about to begin in earnest, as the Atlanta Falcons will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 1. We’ll take a look back at some of the most notable contests played in London thus far.

This was the first regular season game in London in NFL history. New York defeated Miami 13-10. To be candid, the only memorable aspects of this game were its novelty and the fact that it seemed like the Wembley Stadium crew had a long way to go to get their field properly suited for NFL games. The playing surfaces during London games have improved dramatically over the years.

After the first contest in 2007, it was thought that teams would be too fatigued to put their best feet forward internationally to provide London fans with a great game. That changed in 2008, as the Chargers and Saints played in an exciting shootout. The Saints won 37-32, as Drew Brees outdueled his former protegee Philip Rivers.

New England is tied for the record of most points in a London game with 45. They throttled the St. Louis Rams 45-7 in 2012, which was in the middle of their dominant NFL run. Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those passing throws went to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Jacksonville has become London’s unofficial NFL team, as the league has assigned the franchise games there every year since 2013. It took a couple of years for the Jaguars to get in the win column overseas, which they did in a 34-31 victory against the Buffalo Bills in 2015. Jacksonville running back T.J. Yeldon scampered for 115 yards and a touchdown that day.

On October 30, 2016, London NFL fans got to experience something that fans in the United States also see sparingly. Washington and Cincinnati played a full regular and overtime contest to a 27-27 tie. Perhaps this outcome was fitting given the setting of the game, as sports fans in Europe are used to soccer draws all the time. The NFL teams didn’t get a point for their efforts, however.

This game marked the first time that rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to London. Jacksonville got off to a shaky start that season, and Miami was just welcoming quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back to the lineup after an injury. The Dolphins were heavily favored, but Jacksonville triumphed on a field goal by Matthew Wright.

New York prevailed in this game by a final score of 27-22. It wasn’t so much the score that is memorable as the notion that the Giants were not supposed to come out on top against Green Bay. This contest re-ignited conversation about how the Packers might not be as well rounded of a team as everyone thought, which fueled speculation about Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team.

This was an exiting back and forth tilt that featured two of the league’s most exciting young wide receivers. Justin Jefferson of the Vikings logged 147 yards on 10 catches, while Chris Olave of the Saints posted 67 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota was able to hold on to a 28-25 victory in this one.