Yes, the most popular sport in the world is football, or soccer as they call it in the USA and Canada. But American football has made a lasting impact on the world’s sports fans population that cannot be denied. The amount of fans, especially those who like to bet on NFL games and events around the world continues to grow day in and day out and in the UK that is not the exception whatsoever.
Ever since the NFL decided to start to host two games per season in London in 2007, the effects of this move have been some of the most positive for both the sport of American football and the loyal UK NFL fan base who are able to catch a couple of live games in their own turf. Now, after having seen the 2020 season be the first in as much time without any games in the UK because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the 2021 season almost upon us the NFL is coming back to London.
While we wait for October 10th to roll around, here is our first look and prediction of what fans can expect from the first of the two annual NFL season UK matchups, this one being between the Atlanta Falcons against the New York Jets.
What Version of the Falcons Will London See?
The first of the two NFL season games scheduled to be played in Wembley Stadium in London in 2021 will be between the Atlanta Falcons hosting the New York Jets. For both teams this will be their second time each playing in front of the UK NFL loving crowds. While both teams might not be two of the most attractive options for football fans looking for exciting winning franchises to root for, that doesn’t mean that this game will not be as action packed as possible.
On the one hand you have the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons, who somehow came up with even more ways to avoid being a dominant team in the NFC South, after being one of the most offense heavy teams in the past few years, will be looking at the 2021 season as one for a cultural and sporting overall change. After getting rid of both general manager Thomas Dimitroff Jr. and head coach Dan Quinn in favor of Terry Fontenot at GM and Arthur Smith at HC, the Falcons are ready to turn the page on their horrific past few seasons and become championship contenders once again.
While all this sounds promising, the fact that the Falcons will be entering the 2021 season with a 36-year old, past his prime to some experts QB like Matt Ryan and without their main offensive weapon, WR Julio Jones, who is now a part of the Tennessee Titans, the horizon for the Falcons does not look that much brighter than in the last few seasons. The addition of rookie tight end Kyle Pitts might end up being the brightest spot on a rather dim Falcons roster though.
Is This The Season The Jets Remember How To Win Games?
Then we have the New York Jets. If the Falcons were looking at 2021 with a promising vision for improvement, the Jets are looking at the 2021 season with a dire need for something positive to happen. If you are looking at betting on football you might want to check their form carefully. After being the second worst team in the NFL last season, only behind the Jaguars, general manager Joe Douglas started a total rehaul of the Jets organization that is starting to pay off in a very positive way. After landing former BYU QB Zach Wilson with the 2nd pick of this year’s draft, a move that is really showing great dividends as Wilson looks poised to be the franchise’s much needed answer at QB for the future and with some other key offseason moves, the most important being the hiring of former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as head coach, the Jets finally can say that they do not look half bad.
Other draft additions like former USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker and former Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore and some key free agency moves like bringing in offensive tackle Morgan Moses as well as WR Corey Davis and RB Tevin Coleman will surely add to a Jets squad that is looking to finally give their faithful gran green fan base, both in the US and UK a reason to feel hopeful. Now taking into consideration that this is the New York Jets we’re talking about, expectations could be all over the board, but feel safe in knowing that these Jets will surely put on a better show than some of their previous versions.
Initial Prediction
There are some matchups that are easier to predict than others because of the competitive disparity that may appear between both teams competing, but here, given the fact that the Jets will be running on a hype train set to prove that this is the first year of their new look and form of seeing football, all signs point to the Jets scoring a victory in London against the Falcons.
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