After not having any action overseas in the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL is ready to pack their bags again and bring the thrilling action of American football back to the UK in 2021. NFL predictions pundits are already hard at work coming up with the best picks and predictions of the two matchups that the UK will see this season, the first one being between the Atlanta Falcons vs. the New York Jets on October 10th and the second one being the Miami Dolphins vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 17th.
Ever since the Dolphins and Giants took the field in Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2007 for the first NFL regular-season game played in the UK, both the NFL and the UK have not looked back and continued to strengthen their relationship by having more and more regular-season NFL games happen in British soil. And now, with the 2021 season well underway and with two great matchups ahead of us coming to the UK, let’s talk about what fans could expect from what’s to come.
Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Jets
Speaking of the New York Jets has become more of a topic of amusement for most NFL fans and a topic of infinite sadness for the loyal green and white fans. Moving forward, it seems like the Jets have not been able to find answers to any of their many problems regarding their team. For this 2021 season, big strides were made by bringing in former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to take over as head coach after the horrific tenure that Adam Gase endured and drafting rookie QB Zach Wilson with the 2nd pick in the 2021 NFL draft. While their week one defeat against the Panthers certain signs of promise were seen, the harsh reality is that anyone waiting for this team to have a complete turnaround and become a contender out of the blue should stay waiting because this team is far from being ready to become a threat in the league once again.
While their defense is pretty solid, except for their usual cornerback problems, it’s the offense, especially the offensive line that protects Wilson, that needs to get their gears in place to play decent football. Until that happens, this team will most likely continue to suffer the perils of losing week in and week out.
The Atlanta Falcons will be on the side of the field. Boy, it’s not an easy season to be a Falcons fan. After seeing their star WR Julio Jones leave to join the Tennessee Titans, the Falcons are focusing on developing a young team that could be a serious threat towards the future, but the reality of the game is that right now, the Falcons are not even a shadow of what they were at one point. While they have very promising players like TE Kyle Pitts, WR Calvin Ridley, and RB Cordarrelle Patterson to help veteran QB, Matt Ryan, the beatings they have taken against the Eagles in week one and tom Brady’s Buccaneers in week two have left more doubt than anything else.
Given how both teams are playing and what the scopes of their seasons look like moving forward, the edge over this game still goes to the Falcons because Matt Ryan can manage the game from a veteran’s perspective to detriment to Zach Wilson. So picking the Falcons as winners in the first UK game of the season sounds like the best choice.
Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
On October 17th, two of the teams that have made the most visits to the UK for official NFL regular-season action will go head to head, looking to revert their negative season records and give UK fans a game full of action and excitement. The Jacksonville Jaguars, still waiting for rookie QB sensation Trevor Lawrence to get fully acquainted with what life in the NFL is like, will be looking to make the Miami Dolphins witnesses of what Lawrence and his team can be able to do if given the time and tools to function accordingly.
It’s understood that moving from college football to pro football is not an easy feat, even if you’re considered a generational talent like Trevor Lawrence, but as reality sets in for Lawrence and his Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s becoming more and more apparent that it does not only take a once in a lifetime talent QB to make the team good all of a sudden. The Jaguars still lack in many parts of the game, and while there’s no real pressure on Lawrence and new HC Urban Meyer to win now, the stigma that follows both of them, being that both are perennial college football legends, is starting to become heavier and heavier as time goes by. After two defeats on the hands of the Texans, a team that everyone expected to go 0-17 this season in week one and against the undefeated Broncos in week 2, will a trip to London be the key for a Jaguars season turnaround? Only time will tell.
While Lawrence and the Jaguars struggle to get their act together, on the other side of the ball will be a Miami Dolphins team, who were initially taken to be a team that could end up surprising everyone in the league but has failed to pick up enough momentum to truly stamp out their claim as a threat in the AFC East division. This Dolphins team is a good one, and there’s no real question that the problem lies in if sophomore QB Tua Tagovailoa can step up and become the game-changing franchise player that this team needs. If Tagovailoa plays his best football, then this team will be an exciting one to watch. If not, then it will continue to be a rough season for the Fins. Although, with how everything is right now, riding with Miami to win in the UK seems like the soundest idea.
