Titans in London next season: Who they could play

The NFL announced on Thursday that the Tennessee Titans are one of three teams who will play a home game in London in 2023, along with the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The NFL also announced that the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs will play in Germany. The Titans last played […]

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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The NFL announced on Thursday that the Tennessee Titans are one of three teams who will play a home game in London in 2023, along with the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The NFL also announced that the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs will play in Germany.

The Titans last played in London, as the "visiting team", in 2018 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mike Vrabel, who was in his first season as Tennessee's head coach, went for two to try to win the game with just 30 seconds on the clock. The two-point attempt failed and the Chargers won 20-19.

This time around, the Titans will be the home team. That means there are nine potential opponents Tennessee could play.

So which opponents are most likely?

Well, we can likely rule out the Jaguars, since they're also hosting a home game in London in 2023. We can also probably rule out the Chargers since the Titans played them in London in 2018.

The NFL has played divisional games in London, but that hasn't been the norm. So I think matchups against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are also unlikely.

That leaves five possible teams:

  • Carolina Panthers
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Baltimore Ravens

The Falcons played in London in 2021 and I doubt the NFL would send them back this quickly.

Carolina and Cincinnati played in London in 2019 and Seattle played in London in 2018. The Ravens last played in London in 2017.

It would make sense for the choice to be the Ravens since they've gone the longest without playing in London.

I could also see the choice being the Bengals because Joe Burrow is wildly popular and it would give the NFL a chance to send one of their biggest stars to London.

Carolina and Seattle were both the away teams in their previous trips to London. That doesn't seem to be a dealbreaker for the NFL and I don't think either franchise would be opposed to playing in London since they wouldn't be giving up a home game.

Ultimately, my bet would be on the Ravens or the Bengals being the opponent with the Panthers and the Seahawks also being a strong possibility.

Last year, the NFL announced the opponents for the international games in early May, so I'd expect a similar timeline for an announcement this year.

Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports