The NFL has "struck a deal" with the Rugby Football Union which will see Twickenham Stadium outside London "play host to at least three regular-season games over a three-year period," according to Anthony Hay of the London DAILY MAIL. The deal will start next October, "with the teams for the first International Series game at the venue to be announced later this year." The agreement also "gives the NFL the opportunity to stage two extra games over the same period." The NFL recently extended its Wembley Stadium deal, "with a minimum of two games per year to be played there" through '20. The league earlier this year also reached a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to "play at least two games per year at the Premier League club’s new stadium" beginning in '18 (London DAILY MAIL, 11/3). ESPN SCRUM's Tom Hamilton wrote the deal is "a ground-breaking announcement." The traditional home of English rugby has "played host to concerts and rugby league in the past but never NFL." A crowd of 80,125 "attended the Rugby World Cup final at the stadium on Saturday" (ESPN.co.uk, 11/3). THE MMQB's Peter King wrote for NFL fans who "rail against their home teams for taking away a regular-season home game and putting it in London (or Mexico City or Germany), it’d be better to rail against the league office." All teams are "going to do it eventually, and soon." The Chiefs had "no desire to play a home game in London on Sunday and take one away from the Arrowhead faithful." But Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt chairs the Int'l Committee, and the Chiefs "want to do everything they can to encourage the NFL to consider a cold-weather Super Bowl" for K.C., Plus, Hunt in the end is "a good league guy" (MMQB.SI.com, 11/2).
QUALITY CONTROL: In Baltimore, Mike Preston writes the NFL's on-field product has "dropped in quality," and a lot of games have "lost appeal." Officiating has "been horrendous and seems to get worse every week." It has "reached the point" where NFL owners and the NFLPA "need to hire full-time referees." Injuries "continue to mount, especially to star players who are disappearing as fast as the fundamentals" (Baltimore SUN, 11/3).
