| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOQB CALEB WILLIAMS has quietly been mounting an assault on an NFL rookie record. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com fills us in: After a rough start to the season, Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has played much better football recently. And he’s been as good as it gets for a rookie quarterback in avoiding interceptions. Williams hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 193 pass attempts, and he’s closing in on Kyler Murray’s NFL rookie record for the most consecutive passes without an interception. As the first overall pick in 2019, Murray threw 211 consecutive attempts without an interception. So if Williams throws 19 passes today against the Lions without getting picked, he’ll break Murray’s record. The bad news for the Bears is they’re finding ways to lose despite Williams’ improvement. They’ve lost five consecutive games, and the last game they won, on October 13 against the Jaguars, was also the last time Williams threw an interception. |
| DETROITThe Lions have lost sneaky valuable WR KALIF RAYMOND for at least four weeks with a foot injury. Ian Rapoport: Ian Rapoport@RapSheetThe #Lions are placing WR Kalif Raymond on Injured Reserve, source says, because of the foot injury he suffered last Sunday. He’s expected to return and could play again before the regular season finishes. Either way, he’s almost certainly back for the playoffs.– – -A number from Seth Walder of ESPN.com: Stat to know: The Lions will be the seventh team in the past 40 seasons to play on Thanksgiving as the NFL’s highest-scoring offense. Each of the previous six teams went on to win their games. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASKalyn Kahler of ESPN.com with a long look at the sunny side of things in Dallas: DAK PRESCOTT DIDN’T talk about it afterward, because by the time he threw his second interception at the start of the fourth quarter against the Lions, the Cowboys trailed by 31 points. It didn’t matter to the box score that the $240 million quarterback faced a second opponent — the sun — as he took a deep shot at midfield on fourth down, or that instead of finding his own receiver Jalen Brooks, he found Lions safety Brian Branch. “He’s staring right into the sun,” Tom Brady said as Fox’s broadcast showed the replay of the pick. It was Oct. 13 in Arlington, Texas, before the end of daylight savings time, so the sun was beginning its long descent just before 6 p.m. Central Time, through the southwest windows of AT&T Stadium. A month later, at the next 3:25 p.m. game at AT&T, the sun claimed another couple of Cowboys against the visiting Eagles, this time around 4:45 p.m. as those southwest-facing windows framed the setting sun with two minutes left in the second quarter. On second down from Philadelphia’s 3-yard line, the sun momentarily blinded tight end Jake Ferguson and receiver CeeDee Lamb as they turned to face quarterback Cooper Rush from the east end zone. Ferguson put his hands up to surrender just as the ball sailed past him at the goal line. Lamb was wide open crossing behind Ferguson deep in the end zone but couldn’t react in time. After the ball fell untouched to the turf, he pointed two fingers to his eyes. “I couldn’t see the ball,” Lamb said after the loss, confirming what he’d gestured after he missed the ball in the end zone. “The sun.” Lamb emphatically declared a belief that curtains in the southwest-facing windows would help him do his job. “One thousand percent,” Lamb said. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismissed the sun as a factor to be addressed via curtains, drapes or perhaps large Venetian blinds — “Let’s just tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?” — even if Lamb, his teammates and some of Dallas’ opponents might believe differently. At AT&T Stadium, during the middle and later chunk of the NFL season, the sun travels the exact path of the football field, from northeast to southwest, and the five panels of 120-foot tall glass in the southwest end zone funnel the giant star’s fire onto the field as it descends to the horizon. The New York Giants arrive Thursday (3:25 p.m. CT, Fox) as the first team since the Eagles to play in the late-afternoon time slot at Jerry World. A team spokesperson for the Giants declined to make their director of football data and innovation available to talk about how New York prepares to play a late-afternoon game at AT&T, citing competitive reasons. They’re not interested in helping anybody else figure it out. That’s because the Giants and others within the league, including the Cowboys themselves, spend time scouting the sun in Arlington. The nature of the scouting reports vary, the data on the impact of the light streaming through those Arlington windows is open to interpretation. But plenty of people around the league will tell you that the sun at A&T Stadium… yes, it’s a thing. “That f—ing glare coming through that end zone in the afternoon is f—ing ridiculous,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast. “Absolutely ridiculous. It’s like the glass makes it f—ing like spread more. It’s like the sun is bigger and brighter than it’s ever f—ing been.” BRICE BUTLER, WHO played receiver at Jerry World for parts of four seasons from 2015-2018, thinks this whole conversation is useless because Jones is never going to put up curtains. “It sucked, but our coaches would say, you just gotta make plays,” Butler said. “You’re paid to make plays, so…” Back in 2017, Butler said he talked to Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones about addressing the issue after a win against the Chiefs where he and Dez Bryant both lost balls to the sun. “Dak threw me a nice rope nine ball [fade route], and I was open,” Butler says now. “I was trying to catch in the sun, and I squeezed my hands closed right as the ball got to my hand, so I didn’t catch it.” Jerry Jones says the sun equally affects both teams, and he has seen both Cowboys players and opponents drop catches or interceptions, so he doesn’t see the use in changing anything. The difference this season is that everything that can go wrong has gone wrong in Dallas. As the frustration builds with each blowout loss, the nuisance of the sun at AT&T is up for reexamination. AT&T is one of only two NFL stadiums built on a southwest-northeast axis, and it is the only NFL field that has a transparent southwest end zone. The only other field on that axis, Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, has a solid wall blocking the southwest end zone. Nineteen of 30 NFL stadiums have end zones situated on a north-south axis. It’s most common for NFL game natural lighting to change from shady to sunny as the sun crosses the north-south field on a mostly horizontal path. One side is shaded, and one side is bathed in sun. Home teams will often strategically place their bench on the side that is shaded in the afternoon so their players can stay out of the heat. And in some cases, such as Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the engineers actually designed the structure to protect the home sideline in the shade for the entire afternoon, while the visitors are forced to sweat it out in the sun. Thirteen of those 19 north-south stadiums are outdoors, so the sun is overhead. The sun sets directly west on the fall equinox, this year on Sunday, Sept. 22, when the Cowboys hosted the Ravens at 3:25 p.m. But every day after the first day of fall until the first day of winter, the sun moves south to take up a lower position in the sky. “This time of year, the sun angle is low enough that the sun actually can stream into your windows,” said Rick Mitchell, chief meteorologist for NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Mitchell notes the way dogs and cats curl up in that bright, warm patch of sun in the house this time of year. “Once they find that, they’re like, ‘Oh, this is heavenly,'” he says. “It doesn’t happen all year. That’s kind of what this is.” The Cowboys have played a disproportionate amount of games while the sun is setting at home, owing to the team’s popularity among television viewers and the presence and time of the annual Thanksgiving game. Since 2009 when AT&T Stadium opened, the Cowboys have played 43% of their home games in the 3 p.m. central time window, and 22 home games in the 3:25 p.m. time slot, mainly reserved for nationally televised games, the most of any team not in the AFC or NFC West. Thursday’s 3:25 CT game against the Giants is next on the schedule, and it’s right at the time of day and period of the year the meteorologist cites as an impactful time for the sun. “It’s easier for the sun’s rays to beam through that big set of windows that they have in that end zone,” Mitchell says. “And that’s why it’s not as big of a deal earlier in the fall. Plus, the sun sets earlier. When football season first starts, sunset is probably 7:30. But we’re just at that perfect storm of the year for those rays to affect AT&T Stadium.” The story goes on quite a bit further, but we will cut it off here, partly because the sun probably won’t be a factor today: ARLINGTON FORECAST1:00 pm Mostly Cloudy 50°2:00 pm Cloudy 50°3:00 pm Cloudy 51°4:00 pm Cloudy 51°5:00 pm Cloudy 50°6:00 pm Mostly Cloudy 48° |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOIt sounds like QB BROCK PURDY could “play” Sunday night in the Buffalo blizzard – but can he throw at an NFL level? Josh Dubow of the AP: Brock Purdy threw one short pass in the open portion of practice for the San Francisco 49ers as he remains slowed by an injury to his throwing shoulder that has already forced him to miss a game. Purdy spent the bulk of the session of Wednesday’s practice open to reporters as either a spectator or executing handoffs outside of one short pass to Jordan Mason. Purdy hurt his shoulder during a loss to Seattle on Nov. 17. He tried to throw at practice last Thursday but had soreness in his right shoulder and shut it down. He missed a loss to Green Bay but was able to do some light throwing on Monday. His status for this week remains in doubt as the Niners (5-6) prepare to visit Buffalo on Sunday night. Purdy isn’t the only key player for San Francisco dealing with injuries. Left tackle Trent Williams and defensive end Nick Bosa remain sidelined at practice Wednesday after missing last week’s game. Williams was using a scooter to get around the locker room as he deals with a left ankle injury. Bosa has been out with injuries to his left hip and oblique. Bosa said the week off helped him make progress and that he hopes to be able to take part in individual drills later in the week. Bosa wouldn’t rule out being able to play on Sunday. One of the few Niners stars playing, actually is doing so with a broken ankle. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com: While star teammates such as quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, receivers Deebo Samuel Sr. and Brandon Aiyuk and defensive end Nick Bosa have missed games because of injury this season, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has been a stalwart. But, as it turns out, that’s not because Warner hasn’t been dealing with his share of pain. Warner revealed for the first time Wednesday that he has been playing through a fractured bone in his ankle that he sustained in a Sept. 29 win against the New England Patriots. That means when the Niners meet the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, Warner will be playing his eighth consecutive game with the ankle injury. “It’s something I deal with every game,” Warner said. “I get on that table before every game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll. But it’s not an excuse. It’s just what it is. That’s the NFL. You’re not going to be healthy. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to find ways to execute, to play at a high level and to win every single week.” Warner initially injured the ankle against the Patriots near the end of a first half in which he had already posted seven tackles and an interception for a touchdown on just 27 snaps. He did not play in the second half and expressed optimism after that game that he’d be OK. In the following week, before the Week 5 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, Warner was limited in practice but played in the game, finishing with 12 tackles, including one for loss. Warner has been a full participant in practice before every game since, though the injury has hindered him at times. Still, Warner has 84 tackles, 1 sack, 4 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions on the season. Asked whether the ankle would be able to heal before the end of the season, Warner acknowledged that was unlikely and he’s going to have to continue playing through pain in order to reach the finish line. “Any time you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself,” Warner said. “So, just got to continue to just fight through.” |
| AFC WEST |
| KANSAS CITYAdam Teicher of ESPN.com with a Chiefs injury update: The Kansas City Chiefs plan to activate running back Isiah Pacheco off the injured reserve list and defensive end Charles Omenihu off the physically unable to perform list in time for them to play in Friday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. Pacheco and Omenihu will play, Reid said, “as long as they’re OK. We’ll check on it again today, try to take it day by day. If they’re good after today, then we’ll play them.” Pacheco, the Chiefs’ leading rusher the past two seasons, has been on IR since early in the season with a broken leg. Omenihu tore an ACL in last season’s AFC Championship Game and hasn’t played this year. Kareem Hunt has filled in for Pacheco as the Chiefs’ featured back. He leads the Chiefs in rushing with 577 yards and is second on the team in touchdowns with five. Pacheco rushed for 830 yards as a rookie in 2022 and 935 yards last season. He rushed for 135 yards in two games this season. Omenihu had seven sacks in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2023, his first season with the team. He would give the Chiefs another pass rushing option to go along with Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, recently acquired Joshua Uche and others. The Chiefs will play against the Raiders without rookie kicker Spencer Shrader, who made the winning field goal last week against the Carolina Panthers in his first game with Kansas City. Shrader has an injured hamstring. He will be replaced by Matthew Wright, who was signed to the practice squad this week. Wright kicked briefly for the Chiefs in 2022. The Chiefs’ regular kicker, Harrison Butker, is on injured reserve after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSThe good news is that RB J.K. DOBBINS was not immediately declared to be having surgery on his knee and done for the year. The bad news is, he’s not playing Sunday in Atlanta. Eric Smith of Chargers.com: Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that J.K. Dobbins is “working through something with his knee” and that he expects the running back to “miss some time.” Dobbins did not practice on Wednesday as the Bolts began preparing for Sunday’s road game in Atlanta. The running back had nine touches for 69 yards (7.6 yards per touch) Monday night before injuring his knee late in the first half against the Ravens. Dobbins did not return to the game. Dobbins’ teammates on Wednesday expressed frustration for the 25-year-old who has dealt with multiple injuries already in his career. “We feel horrible for him,” Justin Herbert said. “He’s such a tough teammate and the way he’s fought through so many injuries, we have no doubt he’s going to be back better than ever.” Hassan Haskins added: “I was definitely kind of bummed out that happened to him. He’s been having one hell of a year. I know how he’s feeling and what all he’s been through, but he’s going to bounce back.” Dobbins had played in all 11 games thus far and is on pace for a career year. He currently leads the Chargers in rushing attempts (158), yards (766), rushing touchdowns (eight) and runs for a first down (39). Dobbins is less than 40 yards from setting his career best and is also on pace for the first 1,000-yard season of his career. If Dobbins misses extended time, the Chargers will rely on a trio of running backs in Gus Edwards, Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal. “Like them a lot,” Harbaugh said. “Gus is heating back up, great to have him back in there. “Hassan is really playing spectacular football. Special teams, he’s playing really good. Pass protection, he’s had some crucial first down pickups for us in short yardage,” Harbaugh added. “And Kimani, excited to see him out there as well.” Herbert ranks second on the team with 211 rushing yards, followed by 206 from Edwards, who spent time on Injured Reserve earlier this season. Haskins played a season-high 31 snaps Monday night but didn’t have a carry, meaning he spent a lot of time in pass protection. “I pride myself anytime I go into the game,” Haskins said Wednesday. “I’m trying to help the team win, so anything they need me to do, I’m going to do it to my best.” He later added: “I’m just ready whenever they need me.” Vidal’s best moment this season came on his first NFL touch, which was a 38-yard touchdown catch in Week 6 against Denver. The Chargers currently rank 13th in rushing yards per game (118.1) and are 15th in rushing EPA per play (-0.073). Herbert said Wednesday it will take a collective effort to make up for Dobbins’ absence. “It’s up to us, it’s our responsibility to hold it down while he’s gone,” Herbert said. “We know how much he cares about this team, about our success, about our performances. “We got to do a good job of making right by him and making him proud,” Herbert added. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDIs QB JAMEIS WINSTON the answer in Cleveland? Mike Florio notes positive comments from Sean Payton in forming his conclusion, at least for 2024: Monday night’s Browns-Broncos game has an interesting subplot that traces to New Orleans. Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston spent two years with the Saints, working for Broncos coach Sean Payton. Payton reflected on his time with Winston during a Wednesday press conference. “I enjoyed it,” Payton said. “He’s big. He’s tremendous in the locker room. I said this already — he’s got this infectious personality. [He has] a smile on his face every day he’s at work. You hear him before you see him — that type of guy. . . . I really enjoyed coaching him and having a chance to work with him. He’s the ultimate pro. He has natural leadership abilities, and you feel that with him. You have to remember now there were years when he was in Tampa playing against us. I hated him because that was one of the opposing teams’ quarterbacks, but we always had some good battles. When he came to our program, he was a sponge as a backup. . . . It will be good to shake his hand and see him after the game.” Winston was the Week 1 starter in 2021, the year after Brees retired. Winston led the Saints to a 5-2 record before tearing his ACL. Now, Payton will be facing Winston again. “He has tremendous arm strength,” Payton said. “He can get the ball down the field. He can get rid of it, and he can still slide up in the pocket and run. You’re defending the system in the offense and what we’re currently seeing. Then we look at the body of work. I don’t know that there’s anything I’m sharing with the defense that’s significant. You kind of see it on tape.” It jumps off the screen. Winston has been the best quarterback on the Cleveland roster this year. And if they’d benched Deshaun Watson for Winston earlier, Monday night’s game could have a lot to do with jockeying for the No. 7 seed in the AFC. For his part, Winston is quite happy with the Browns. Florio: Quarterback Jameis Winston has taken to the Browns, and the Browns have taken to him. But will he be taking off to another team in 2025? On Wednesday, Winston was asked whether he wants to stay in Cleveland beyond the expiration of his current one-year deal. “Of course,” Winston told reporters. “In terms of my family — when I think about my family, I think about moving my kids, my wife having to find new friends. I think anytime where you’re able to solidify a role and a place and play good at that place, you like to be home. However, that’s out of my control. Again, my focus is on, ‘One play at a time’ . . . and just stacking it up day after day after day.” He wants those days to keep him where he is. “I’ve truly embraced this city,” Winston said. “I love the hard-nosed [attitude]. I love the beautiful trees, three months out the year. Everywhere I go, I always talk about, when I have my introductory [press conference], I talk about, ‘I’m grateful’. And it’s as simple as that. Man, I’m grateful for the fans challenging me. I’m grateful for the fans lifting me up. I’m grateful for you all challenging me and lifting me up, man. It’s a process that I really take to heart because I feel like all of us are in this together, and that’s just how I approach it.” His approach works. He’s a natural leader. He’s authentic. He’s unique. He’s like Jim Harbaugh; a little nutty but always himself. And Winston has played well. But here’s the problem. The Browns have Deshaun Watson under contract through 2026. They owe him $46 million fully guaranteed in 2025, and another $46 million fully guaranteed in 2026. They need a cheap alternative, if Watson isn’t the starter next year. Of course, Watson might be. The Browns don’t seem to be willing to admit that the Watson trade-and-sign was a disaster, and they seem to think that, eventually, he’ll play like he did in 2020 and before. Could Winston be for Cleveland what QB JARED GOFF has been for Detroit? A former first overall pick who finds his footing in the Midwest. |
| PITTSBURGHDianna Russini on the fine rehab job OC Arthur Smith is doing on his reputation: The Steelers are thankful for Arthur Smith’s arrival: For the first time since Ben Roethlisberger’s heyday, it appears Steelers fans are not calling for the firing of their offensive coordinator. Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was brought into Pittsburgh because his coaching philosophy aligns perfectly with the Steelers’ identity: tough, physical football with an emphasis on the run game. During his time with the Tennessee Titans, he crafted one of the league’s most effective rushing attacks, helping Derrick Henry emerge as a superstar while balancing the run game with effective play-action designs. Smith’s adaptability is another key strength. He’s shown he can tailor his offense to fit the personnel he has, which is exactly what the Steelers need as they continue to develop their young offensive core around Russell Wilson. I expect Smith’s name to come back up during the head-coach hiring cycle in January. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| HOUSTONDianna Russini of The Athletic with her take on the state of the Texans: What’s going on with the Texans?The Houston Texans aren’t falling apart; it’s more like they’re going through some growing pains. After a strong start they’ve hit a few bumps, sitting at 7-5 as they head into Sunday’s road game at Jacksonville. I had high hopes for this team, even making them my preseason Super Bowl pick, but they just don’t look the same. Some of their toughest losses have come in heartbreaking fashion, like two games decided by walk-off field goals. And their second-half struggles are a real issue — turnovers and inconsistent execution have cost them in critical moments. They just haven’t been as sharp as they need to be to close out games. It’s not all bad. One area in which they’ve improved is pass protection; it has been noticeably better since a Halloween night disaster against the Jets. That’s a big deal for C.J. Stroud and the offense. But a perfect example of their 2024 failings was last week. Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn broke an NFL single-season record with his 12th field goal of 50-plus yards on Sunday, then missed a crucial 28-yarder late in the upset loss to the Titans. That pretty much sums up the Texans’ year — capable of doing incredible things, but falling short when it matters most. In Jacksonville, look for the Texans to get running back Joe Mixon going, which will help with play-action and with the team’s emphasis on taking care of the football. What’s wild is the Texans have lost two games this season in which they were plus-3 in turnover margin. Think about that: Teams win 91 percent of the time when they’re plus-3 in turnovers, yet the Texans have managed to lose twice under those conditions — that’s almost unheard of. It just shows how tough it’s been for them to close out games, even when the odds are stacked in their favor. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDDianna Russini says Patriots fans should be thankful today for QB DRAKE MAYE: The six New England states are thankful for the Patriots rejecting massive draft night offers for the third pick: “Don’t get cute” is the unofficial NFL draft motto, and the Patriots took it to heart last spring. Remember, the organization held the third overall pick and received significant trade offers from teams eager to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. The Minnesota Vikings proposed a package that included the 11th and 23rd picks in the 2024 draft, along with a ’25 first-round selection. The New York Giants also made a substantial offer, including their 2024 first-round pick and a ’25 first-rounder. Despite these proposals, the Patriots chose to retain their pick and selected Drake Maye as their quarterback of the future. Based on what we’ve seen and what people around the league think of Maye already, Patriots fans should be elated. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| DAWN APONTEDianna Russini of The Athletic makes the case for Dawn Aponte to be a GM or Team President – and hints the Jets would be a likely landing spot: Dawn Aponte’s GM candidacy gains steamIf you’ve been keeping up with the buzz around the many expected general manager and coaching changes coming this offseason, you’ve seen the name Dawn Aponte, the NFL’s chief football administrative officer, come up as a potential GM candidate. At first glance, some might assume her inclusion on these lists is about optics, a way for the NFL to demonstrate its commitment to diversity and women in leadership. But make no mistake, her credentials are impressive, and the interest is real. Dawn Aponte, who has taken the stage to announce picks during Day 3 of the NFL Draft, has also worked for the Jets, Dolphins and Browns. (David Eulitt / Getty Images)Teams are looking at Aponte as a potential GM or team president tasked with overseeing football operations. She’s long been viewed in league circles as someone capable of taking on such a position. One league source described the value of Aponte as someone who would carry out ownership’s vision while creating streamlined processes, forcing accountability, and aligning the organization at all levels. She doesn’t have a scouting or personnel background but her leadership qualities and strategic mindset are what have some teams excited about her potential. If she was hired, Aponte would focus on structure and alignment — two areas where struggling teams often fall short — while partnering with an experienced personnel executive to handle the roster-building side of things. It’s a model that makes sense for teams needing a broader, big-picture approach to success. One coach who is interested in collaborating with Aponte texted: “She’s a tough, no-nonsense leader with a better résumé and background in football than most of the men up for these jobs. This should be the year she gets a shot.” This wouldn’t be new to Aponte; she’s worked at the highest levels of the league, holding roles with the Jets, Dolphins, Browns and the NFL office, all jobs that required sharp decision-making, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of football operations. Last offseason she interviewed for the Chargers’ GM position, which ultimately went to Joe Hortiz. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, who has worked with Aponte, was recently hired by the Jets to help with the search for their next GM. Those close to Tannenbaum say he has a mantra: “The winning edge is to do things differently, not just better.” No one in NFL history has put a woman in charge of football operations. Being the first team to do so — with a hyper-qualified candidate in Aponte — would certainly fit that philosophy. |
| NFL DOWN UNDERTom Subak-Sharpe of SportCal.com with this update on the NFL’s plans to play games in and recruit players from Australia: To date, the NFL has played over 50 regular-season games internationally – in England, Canada, Mexico, Germany and Brazil. Recent reports have indicated that Australia could be a new market that regularly hosts NFL games. Australia was selected by the league in April to be the location for a new NFL Academy, based in south-east Queensland. This new project will aim to expand the NFL’s search for new global talent, with the prospect of Asia-Pacific players joining the American football college system and potentially going on to enter the NFL. Since the NFL Academy in the United Kingdom was set up in 2019, several graduates from the Academy have gone on to play for ‘power four’ conference schools. Both Sydney and Melbourne have been rumoured to be the host cities chosen to stage NFL games, with the league being undeterred by the time difference issues – Sydney is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Time, 14 hours ahead in September when the regular season begins. The NFL continues to show immense drive to expand its presence across the globe. Currently, the league hosts five international games annually with three played in the UK. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, has stated that he plans to explore adjusting the league schedule to fit more international games into the NFL regular season. Goodell, it seems, has big aspirations to increase the league’s international games to 16 a season. How well do you really know your competitors?Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge. He stated in September: “We feel like this game is destined to be global. We expect to be in Asia soon. We expect to be in Australia soon. We’re going to make sure that our game is available around the globe.” In 2025, the NFL could be playing as many as eight international games. The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid is a confirmed host, with the league also expected to announce Dublin as a host city, as the Pittsburgh Steelers are keen to play a game in Ireland. Furthermore, the league is set to return to Mexico City and Brazil. When the NFL targets a new region, new commercial opportunities are created with the league open to associating itself with brands from outside its home market, which are keen to become regional partners. Across the 2024-25 NFL season, the league is estimated to have generated roughly $10.43 million from nine partnerships that are regional agreements based in the UK. The most lucrative of these is The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s one-year agreement to serve as the NFL’s lead partner across the UK and Ireland, as well as becoming the presenting partner of the 2024 NFL London Games, worth $3 million. Three of these agreements are with brands based in the UK, highlighting the potential for the NFL to partner with Australian-based brands in the future as the league looks to embed itself into Australian sport. A key reason the NFL is looking to break into the Australian market could be to try and tempt some of the Oceania region’s top young athletes to take up the sport. The NFL has already seen many players with Polynesian heritage compete in the league. In 2013, a group of former NFL players set up the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame which honors Polynesia’s greatest players, coaches and contributors. A significant amount of Polynesian sporting talent live in Australia, with many of these athletes playing rugby union and rugby league. By increasing its presence in the country, the NFL will be aiming to sway athletes to compete in American football, selling them the dream that they could follow in the footsteps of the Australian Jordan Mailata who in 2018 converted to American football from rugby league. The former rugby league professional player took part in the NFL International Player Pathway Program and was subsequently drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Six years later, the Australian, who has Samoan heritage, is one of the highest-paid players in his position group, earning a guaranteed $48 million. The Mailata success story is the perfect sales pitch the NFL wants to make to Australian-based athletes with the potential to play the sport at the highest level. It is clear the NFL is fully committed to its latest international expansion, bringing NFL games to Australia and putting in place a pathway for athletes to enter the league one day. With flag football, a limited contract variant of American football, being chosen as an Olympic sport for the 2028 games in Los Angeles, the NFL will clearly use this momentum so it can be confirmed as an Olympic sport for a second consecutive summer edition in Brisbane, Australia in 2032. The time difference and weather conditions could be tricky obstacles for the NFL to tackle. However, it seems these are minor concerns for the league. It is likely NFL games taking place in Australia would kick off at roughly midday local time, which would mean fans in the United States could watch the games in the evening, so television figures should be strong, potentially even better than London games which are broadcast in America in the morning. Other cities that have been evaluated by the NFL to potentially host games include Abu Dhabi, Paris, Barcelona and Rome. This further highlights the NFL as one of the most ambitious sports properties in growing its product internationally. Under the stewardship of Goodell, the sporting world should expect to see the NFL decisively increasing its presence in more regions across the globe. |
