Football fans from around the globe rejoice because the NFL is going back on tour once again and taking their best action across the sea into Europe and down into Mexico City for the upcoming 2022 regular season. While the NFL has made countries like England and Mexico two of their favorite stops in their usual season tours, a new country will be making its NFL debut this season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks will be throwing down on the gridiron in Munich, Germany on November 13th.
So, without further ado, and while we wait for all of the best pro football action in the world to get rolling, let’s talk about this season’s NFL international games.
Let’s check the latest NFL picks, NFL predictions, reports, and NFL picks against the spread for this upcoming NFL season.
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Saints vs Vikings
If you want to talk about a recent rivalry that has given football fans plenty of heart-stopping moments, yes, we’re talking about Steffon Diggs’ catch in their 2017 divisional round thriller of a game, aka the “Minnesota Miracle”, then look no further than the game that is slated to happen on Sunday October 2nd, at 9:30 EST, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK. It’s on this date that the Vikings and Saints will lock horns once again in a game that is usually filled to the brim with action and highlight reel plays on both sides of the ball.
The last time these two teams played each other NFL fans will surely recall the scoring party that game ended up being with the Saints edging out the Vikings by 52-33, yes, you read right, 52-33. For both teams the experience of playing overseas will not be a novelty though with the Saints having already played in London in both 2008 and 2017 and the Vikings having played in 2013 and 2017, both teams with positive 2-0 records. So, what should British fans expect? A full out, offensive brawl between two teams who love to score and would love nothing more than to put on a true show for their London fans.
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Packers vs Giants
In order to remember the last time that the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants played in an NFL regular season we have to go back to 2019 when the Packers took over NY and beat the hometown Giants by 33-13. Well, 2022 will mark the occasion for both teams to meet up on the gridiron again but this time on Sunday October 9th at 9:30 am EST at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK. Interestingly enough, out of all the teams in the NFL, Green Bay was the only one that still hadn’t played in the UK, with this game marking their first time ever that the Packers will be leaving the States to play in the NFL’s now typical international series.
For the Giants on the other hand, this game will mark their 3rd time playing overseas with them having participated in the inaugural game of the NFL’s series in London back in 2007 against the Dolphins and back again in 2016 against the Rams. Now that the Packers have secured Aaron Rodgers once again and the Giants will be trying to show off their new look with newly appointed HC Brian Daboll at the helm, this game feels like it will be a special matchup to watch.
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Jaguars vs Broncos
If there is one team that can be considered the king of overseas games in London, it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are the team with the most UK based games ever since the series started back in 2007, and 2022 will have them play once again in Wembley Stadium on Sunday October 30th at 9:30 am EST against Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos who have only played in the UK once, back in 2010 in a losing effort against 49ers.
The last encounter between these two teams happened last season when they met in Jacksonville, with the visiting team Denver taking the W home by a score of 23-13. Their game in the UK will mark the 8th time the two squads have played each other and given the hype around what Denver is preparing around Wilson, the stage could be set for a very good showing from Denver.
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Buccaneers vs Seahawks
Moving on to the newest city to welcome NFL action, the Seattle Seahawks will be playing Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Munich, Germany, a city best known for their soccer giants Bayern Munich, their beer and above all, their undying love for sports. The game, which is slated to happen on November 13th, at 9:30 AM EST, will be the first time two NFL teams bring their talents and action to Germany, a country that has shown throughout the years their continuously growing love for pro football.
So what better way to celebrate that than by having Tom Brady, aka, the GOAT of pro football and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now coached by former DC Todd Bowles, take on a Seattle Seahawks team who now without Russell Wilson will still be looking to bring the heat at all times. While Tampa Bay is more accustomed to playing overseas with the team having played already 3 times in the UK, for Seattle this will be their second time playing in Europe, their only time coming in 2018. As for the last time these two teams played, we have to go back to November of 2019 when the Seahawks took down the Bucs by 40-34 at home in Seattle.
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Cardinals vs 49ers
Last but certainly not least, the always competitive NFC West division will have two of their most exciting teams, the Cardinals and 49ers travel down to Mexico City for their Week 11 matchup on November 20th, 2022 at 8:15 EST for a game that could carry a lot of added importance into how the divisional standings towards the playoffs might be shaping up. Given that they are divisional rivals, both teams play each other twice each season, with both matchups last season ending up as wins for the Arizona Cardinals.
Both teams are not strangers to playing outside of the US too, as both the Niners and Cards have played before in the UK, but this Week 11 game will mark the first time both teams play in Mexico in the mythical Estadio Azteca.
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The NFL Hitting Up Germany
As previously mentioned, the Buccaneers vs. Seahawks game slated to go down on Week 10 of the 2022 NFL regular season will mark yet another historic moment for the league as it will be the first game ever to be played in Germany. The European country though is no stranger to hosting football games as before, between 1991 and 2007 it had a total of five teams playing in the now extinct NFL Europe League, making the choice of taking football to Germany a rather obvious and very promising one.
Germany has positioned itself as the biggest and most rapidly growing international market for the NFL, not only for viewing purposes but for merchandise purchases, fantasy football leagues and Madden football video game purchases. With all this said, it comes as no surprise that the NFL is planning on this first game in Munich be the first of four games, slated to go down through the next four seasons, with two games to be played in Munich, including this first one and two more in Frankfurt.
And if that wasn’t enough, if this is to be Tom Brady’s last season in the pros, allowing the diehard German football fans to be able to see Brady in action one last time in their home country will be something that will surely mark a before and after point in the relationship between the NFL and Germany.
