What Teams Should the 2023 NFL International Series Feature?
After a brief absence, the NFL International Series came roaring back with one of its best schedules in years and a new venture in Germany. Even though the games weren’t officially announced for the 2022 series until 5 May of that year, there are already rumors whipping up about the teams going overseas in 2023.
Those being touted so far are the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs potentially playing in Germany. Still, it’d be wise for the NFL to go with much stronger and more competitive teams than it has in the recent past, such as the Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars game at Wembley Stadium in 2019, which ended 26-3. For odds, games, and other fun plays check here.
So, here’s a look at the leading teams in the eyes of the UK public, which ones should be picked, and what another strong slate could pave the way for.
2023 NFL International Series top picks
Sports betting is huge in the UK, and NFL fans will have a strong grasp on the best teams based on the odds at the very least. Right now, the online betting markets in the UK have the Super Bowl LVII frontrunners as the Buffalo Bills at 7/2, Kansas City Chiefs at 9/2, Philadelphia Eagles at 5/1, and Dallas Cowboys at 8/1.
Any one of these four teams would be a huge hit in an international game, especially in London. None of them would drop off too much from their current status during the offseason, and would be able to put on a show on arrival. Of course, a competitive game would also be needed to secure it as a great event for the fans in the UK.
The best team to put up a fight in these games, at least from a spectator’s point of view is one that can find the end zone. Provided that they don’t lose their offensive stars in the offseason, the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, and Miami Dolphins are strong picks, having scored 38, 37, 36, and 34 touchdowns by the 12-game mark, respectively.
In the 2022 season, at the time of writing, the International Series this year featured a game between two teams with losing records (Broncos vs Jaguars), a close game between winning record teams (Buccaneers vs Seahawks), and four of the five games were split by fewer than six points. Only the 49ers vs Cardinals ended in a blowout game in Mexico.
Better games and more stars increase the following
The attendances at Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are regularly strong, so the NFL has, in the past, been able to ship off less competitive teams to fill the schedule when desired. Of course, it’s also given a kind of false belief that the Jacksonville Jaguars have earned a strong following in their nine games and four wins in London.
Still, the NFL has eyes on a London franchise and perhaps even more. It has been reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has again talked up a London franchise, maybe even two, given the strength of the market commercially and from a media standpoint. He even, without a hint of humour, discussed the idea of having a division in London or Europe as it’d be easier.
If the NFL wants to strengthen its appeal and fandom further in outside markets, it should seek to do similar to last season by sending out close competitors and teams set to have winning records. It’s the best of the NFL product that will seal its place in new markets.
