Bills in London next season: Who they could play
The Buffalo Bills are worried about taking care of business on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, the Bills failed to get past the Divisional Round after falling in one of the best games in NFL history to the Kansas City Chiefs. But even though players and coaches are likely not even remotely interested […]
The Buffalo Bills are worried about taking care of business on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, the Bills failed to get past the Divisional Round after falling in one of the best games in NFL history to the Kansas City Chiefs.
But even though players and coaches are likely not even remotely interested in looking ahead to next season, the good news is we're not playing. So we can do exactly that.
Especially after the NFL's announcement on Thursday morning. The league announced the five designated teams set to play International Games around the world in 2023.
The Buffalo Bills are set to play a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of the US. Details on dates, pricing, and opponents will be announced later in the year.
This isn't the first time the Bills go on an international adventure, as pointed out in the league's announcement:
"This will be the second trip to London for both Buffalo and Tennessee, with the Bills having played there in 2015 and the Titans in 2018. The Jacksonville Jaguars, also an NFL IHMA side with marketing rights in the UK, will play their landmark 10th game in London this year. The Chiefs and the Patriots will make their debuts in Germany, following the inaugural international game there in Munich in 2022. "
The Bills will be "hosting" an International Game as part of the league's plans when it adopted a 17-game schedule in 2021. Each year, the AFC and NFC alternate between having nine home games. Teams in the conference with the "extra" home game are eligible for an international game.
"With the expansion of the NFL schedule in 2021, up to four of the teams from the conference whose teams are eligible for a ninth regular-season home game are now designated to play a neutral-site international game each year."
Who could the Bills play in London?
Besides their AFC East opponents, the Bills are also drawing the Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Jaguars, and Buccaneers, as home opponents next season.
Considering the Patriots and Jaguars are each hosting an international game themselves in Germany, we can rule them out. The Giants, Buccaneers, and Broncos played abroad in 2022 which makes them a little bit more unlikely to happen but they're not ruled out.
Although the NFL has played divisional games abroad, it seems to avoid them for the most part. That leaves the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys as the most likely opponents in London for the Bills in 2023.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
