The NFL said Eagles-Jaguars was the most in-demand regular season game this seasonGETTY IMAGES
Eagles-Jaguars yesterday in London drew a crowd of 85,870 to Wembley Stadium, marking a "record crowd" for an NFL game at the venue, according to Ed Malyon of the London INDEPENDENT. The league said that it was the "most in-demand regular season game anywhere in the league this season" (London INDEPENDENT, 10/29). In London, Gibbs & Finnis notes with the '18 London NFL games now complete, it marks "another set of tests passed" for the league's experiment there. This was the "third game in consecutive weeks, the first time the games have been so condensed." The stadium "remains full, the fanbase is holding up," and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at the game yesterday "speaking about how ready London is for a franchise." Everything is in "fine shape" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/29).
THAT'S THE TICKET: CBSSPORTS.com's Jason La Canfora cited sources as saying that one of the concepts gaining traction among league execs and owners is the "idea of a 'London season ticket' that would work much like a normal season ticket would in the U.S., with eight regular-season games, only with a few quirks." The purchaser would "get a full slate of regular-season games but it would feature, for the most part, an array of different teams, with the Jaguars the one exception." The Jags would "play two games in London at the onset, with the rest being comprised of other NFL teams." While there is "no timeframe being kicked around for an expansion of the number of games the Jags would play in London, the idea of playing a full slate of games there is something seen as conceivable by the time the NFL and NFLPA hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement" (CBSSPORTS.com, 10/28).
AT THEIR BEST: Goodell said the league wants to "bring the best teams" to London when they are "playing at the highest level, and the fans deserve that." He added, “The fanbase is here for a team in numbers and passion. The business community/commercial community is strong enough. The political support we have for this is extraordinary, so all of those elements are here. The one that I’m still not comfortable with yet is the competitive side. How do we do this and not only be fair to the team that’s playing here, but the teams that have to come over here to play?" Goodell said where it is "most challenging" is in the playoffs, "because you can’t really plan for that." Goodell: "We’ve got to find an answer to that, but other than that, I’m perfectly comfortable that this market, with the size and the passion for football, wouldn’t have a problem" ("Good Morning Football: Weekend," NFL Network, 10/27).
