With their plans to play in London in 2021 (and beyond) uncertain, many Jacksonville Jaguars fans were left wondering if they would be getting a full slate of home games in North Florida this season. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case this season, per Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic.
With the league set to release its schedules for all 32 teams on Wednesday, Kaplan reported that the NFL is set to have two international games at Tottenham Football Club’s stadium. The Jags will be the home team in one game, and the Atlanta Falcons, who are on the Jags’ schedule, would be serving as the home team in the second game.
Kaplan also singled out the Miami Dolphins as an opponent for the Jags in London this season. They are a franchise that isn’t foreign to the NFL’s international series, taking part in four contests in London.
Aside from the Dolphins and Falcons, the Jags’ home schedule includes their three divisional rivals (Tennessee, Houston, and Indy), plus the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos. Of the aforementioned teams, the Jags have played Houston, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and San Francisco in London.
The most interesting nugget of the Jags’ upcoming international game is the fact that it’s not being played at Wembley Stadium, a venue the Jags have a connection with. However, the league’s new international deal requires them to play at the new Tottenham Football stadium. With that being the case, it will be interesting to see how this factors into the Jags’ interest in playing at London when considering Shad Khan’s ties to Wembley Stadium.
Kaplan noted that the United States is on the United Kingdom’s list of countries whose travelers need to quarantine (for 10 days) and test (two times) once they arrive in the country. The rule even applies to vaccinated people. That said, it’s unknown if these travel restrictions apply to the NFL, but we’ll have more on that as the details come out.
