NFL U.K. Managing Dir Alistair Kirkwood feels four is the "right number of games for London to host at the moment and is not ruling out a return" to Twickenham Stadium in the future, according to PA SPORT. Next season sees the "start of a contract with a third stadium in London, the under-construction new home" of EPL club Tottenham Hotspur, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "hinted at increasing the number of U.K. games" before Sunday's Vikings-Browns game, the last of '17. But Kirkwood is "not sure that would be possible logistically right now." Kirkwood said, "I don't expect us to go up from four any time soon. The more games we play, the more pressure we place on the domestic schedule" (PA SPORT, 10/30). The AP noted Goodell yesterday "paid a visit" to the site of Tottenham's new stadium. The NFL has a 10-year deal with the club to "play games at the 61,500-seat venue in North London" (AP, 10/30).
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert wrote the NFL delivered the U.K. a "weak on-field product" in '17, even as fans "appeared to embrace the game and league with its usual fervor." There were two shutouts and another game that finished 44-7 before the Vikings "edged" the winless Browns 33-16 on Sunday. Even the NFL's GamePass product, offered to European customers as a live streaming option for weekly games, has "encountered third-party technological problems" and prompted a 20% refund earlier this month. All of this "brings the NFL to a crossroads" in the Int'l Series. Kirkwood acknowledged that this season's games were "disappointing" from a competitive standpoint. He said, "You can't control what's on the field." Kirkwood predicted that '18 will bring better games because "things swing around" in cycles. He also noted that the sellout crowds, which averaged 84,000 at Wembley and 74,000 at the smaller Twickenham Stadium, "stayed in their seats through the end of the game." A total of 26 teams have made the trip at least once, and Kirkwood said that he is "focused on the remaining six" for the '18 schedule. That list contains the Eagles, Titans, Texans, Packers, Panthers and Seahawks (ESPN.com, 10/30). ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported signs have "pointed to a possible" '18 Packers game in London for some time. Kirkwood said that the '18 London schedule "should be finalized in December." Teams have been "unwilling to give up a home game against the Packers to play them in London" (ESPN.com, 10/30).
