Tottenham Hotspur Stadium showing why it has earned the title as the home of the NFL in the UK
Travelling Buffalo Bills fans lined the streets of north London in staggering numbers on Sunday afternoon to form a corridor through which they funnelled those making the 30 minute stroll from Seven Sisters station to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Bills Mafia had brought home with them, only to be reminded that this town belonged to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The brother of Trevor Lawrence, Chase, once recalled his talented sibling leaping onto the table during a property viewing with his parents as a child before yelling “THIS IS MY HOUSE, BABY!” in front of the shocked realtor.
He did the same again on Sunday, only instead swapping any declarative monologue for a clinic in ice-amid-chaos to guide the Jags to a 25-20 victory over the strongly-favoured Bills and cap a two-week business trip that could not have gone much better.
Sunday in many ways always carried win-win potential for the NFL in London. The Jags adopted a considerably-fresher, clearer-minded and far more settled appearance than the slow-starting Bills, who flew in late in the week, to add to their win over the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley in a delivering welcome piece of history as the first team to play back-to-back regular season games in London. They arrived 1-2, they leave 3-2.
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Highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Buffalo Bills in Week Five of the NFL season
NFL London statistics
| First regular-season game | 2007 (Miami Dolphins vs New York Giants, Wembley Stadium) |
|---|---|
| Number of games | 35 (as of Week Five, 2023) |
| Highest attendance | 86,215 (Jacksonville Jaguars vs Denver Broncos, Wembley Stadium, 2022) |
| Most team appearances | 11 – Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Most wins | 6 – Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Highest-scoring game | San Diego Chargers 32-37 New Orleans Saints (2008) |
The optics of local pubs brimming with the royal blue and red of Buffalo coupled with the deafening sound of jeers on every Jags third down meanwhile created one of the great atmospheres in London games history, previewing what might come to be expected inside the future Bills stadium, which will be partly based on Tottenham.
Spurs was the amphitheatre for an occasion that would embrace but quickly supersede the traditional light-hearted festivities to a London game with a cagy, turbulent battle of nerve between two pressure-ridden teams while surrounded by suffocating noise. It could have been Orchard Park.
“I ran out and it was just so many boos,” said Jags running back Travis Etienne. “I feel like I never heard that in London. I thought we were the London team, honestly. And I realised today that we weren’t. Not today. And I just wanted to kind of just give them something to show. It was my first time playing in this stadium. I wanted to go out there and just put on a of a masterpiece for everyone out there.”
Lawrence was magnificent on the day; a performance highlighted by his sucker-punch sideline throw to Calvin Ridley for 32 yards on third-and-four just moments after the Bills had moved within five points on a Gabe Davis touchdown with four minutes to play. The pass was rewarded when Etienne burrowed through a narrow crease before dashing home for a 35-yard touchdown.
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But London, too, had become the house of Darious Williams, who followed up a 61-yard pick-six off Desmond Ridder against the Falcons by out-muscling Stefon Diggs as the last line of defense against a Josh Allen deep-shot to come down with a defining interception in the fourth quarter.
Roars of enamour at the sight of an Allen splash play and Diggs separation would fluctuate between fun and fear for the duration of an agonising hang-time, before wobbling in uncertainty as a retreating Williams met the Bills receiver at the catch-point and spectacularly came away with the ball. Add it to the best London games moments compilation.
“He’s got a cannon and everybody knows it. He’s got a rocket,” Williams told Sky Sports in the locker room. “I just saw the ball flying and tried to out-run him, undercut the ball, we came down in a tangle and I was able to get it out.
“I knew he was kind of behind me but I didn’t think he was going to be able to react to the ball when I did, that’s just about flight of the ball.
“I saw the ball from Josh Allen, there was so much spin on it, all I tried to do was undercut. We both had it on the ground, we both definitely pulled it down at the same time.”
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses the possibility of a Super Bowl being played in London and whether there will be a UK franchise in the future
While existing fans continue to set the tone with their breadth of deep-rooted knowledge, London remains a vital gateway for new generations of supporters to be exposed to football. It’s for that reason both Wembley and Tottenham present unique opportunities for the less-celebrated stars of the league to take centre stage.
“When I saw it was Darious I figured he’d have position on the ball because the way he was playing it and the way he was in front of him I had faith in my guy,” Jags outside linebacker Travon Walker told Sky Sports.
“Once he came down with it I was like, that’s what big time players do in big time moments. He’s one of those guys that stepped up in the moment when we needed him to step up. He’s playing great, he’s been working hard all offseason and is trying to build off that.”
Jaguars media personnel that had accompanied the team on their 10-day trip had spent some downtime watching the World Grand Prix Darts as well as attending a Fulham match, while head coach Doug Pederson is said to have made use of the hotel golf course on the Saturday afternoon before his team’s win over the Bills.
Upon speaking to reporters on Friday both Allen and Bills head coach Sean McDermott raved about the coffee and the English breakfast provided at their London base, while Von Miller tried his hand at Liverpool, London, Manchester and Geordie accents.
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“It’s been really exciting being out here for the two weeks, a lot of guys under one roof every day, 24 hours around each other and continuing to build chemistry and carry that over, I feel like that’s going to take us a long way,” said Walker.
“Most definitely looking forward to getting back across the pond, but I’ve enjoyed it out here.”
For all that might be said about a future franchise, it would admittedly be a shame to lose the Christmas feeling that comes with the league bringing football to these shores for one month a year. But London’s continued success only continues to move the needle, evidenced by the NFL’s desire to take a game to Brazil and Spain.
From a UK perspective, consecutive wins for the Jags might well have ticked the box on extended stays for good.
“I think it’s relatively safe to say that we’ll probably play two games over here,” said Coach Pederson. “I don’t know that, I don’t have a crystal ball. I hope the rest of the league, you know, plays two games over here at some point.
“But again, it was good for us. It was good to get out of Jacksonville at that time. We needed to, I think, bond a little bit as a football team and we’ve done that. And now we get to go back with two wins.”
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An injury-hit Bills teams were left to rue an offensive performance that was largely flat until the fourth quarter, whether down to jetlag or not, while the Jags defended London like it was their own to the sound of boos in front of the most one-sided crowd seen at a UK game.
It was a day that meant a lot to the NFL. A union of European and New York-bred Bills fans made for one of the most special celebrations of football’s expansion overseas, while a slick performance from the well-rested Jags swerved any discussion over whether two weeks was too long.
Next up: Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, the Baltimore Ravens and the Tennessee Titans. Tottenham awaits.
You can watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday October 15, with kickoff at 2.30pm.
https://www.skysports.com/nfl/news/12118/12980886/nfl-london-basks-in-the-glory-of-another-landmark-moment-as-darious-williams-the-jaguars-and-the-bills-mafia-put-on-a-show
