It is just a couple of days before the full schedule for the new NFL Season is released, but we can already fill in some blanks on the fixture list from September.
Last week we saw the five International Series games announced, which will see three games played in the United Kingdom, one in Mexico and for the first time ever, one in Germany.
And yesterday we learned that the first Monday Night Football will see a double header with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Tennessee Titans in the first game, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles welcoming the Minnesota Vikings in the second.
Then today, we learned that Christmas Day will see a potentially decisive match up between the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos, with both teams viewed by many as genuine playoff contenders this year.
Monday Night Football Double Header
The first Monday Night Football will give us a chance to see the Super Bowl favorites Buffalo
Bills in action against the top team in the AFC last season, the Tennessee Titans.
The teams have met in the past couple of seasons and it has been the Titans that have come out on top in those games.
In Nashville in October 2020, the Titans ran out comfortable 42-16 winners in what was arguably one of their finest performances of the season.
Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns, Jonny Smith caught two and Ryan Tannehill and A.J.Brown added two more touchdowns for the Titans in what was a fantastic win for Mike Vrabel’s team.
Then last year, the teams met once again in Nashville and once again the Titans came out on top in a much closer game, winning 34-31.
A field goal from Randy Bullock in the fourth quarter followed by a Derrick Henry 13 yard rushing touchdown enough to give the Titans another win.
Indeed, the Titans lead the 49 game series against the Bills by 30-19.
However, after a superb off-season, the Buffalo Bills are now the team to beat in the AFC and it is likely they will start this game at home in Buffalo as the clear favorites for the win.
And part of the reason for that will be evident in the second game of the evening.
Eagles Set To Unveil A.J.Brown
One of the biggest surprises in the draft was that the Tennessee Titans elected to trade their
star wide receiver A.J.Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, drafting Treylon Burks to replace him.
Well, Brown will get to showcase his talents on Monday Night Football in Week 2 as he goes up against the Minnesota Vikings with his new team.
The Eagles had a very solid draft and have made some good acquisitions in Free Agency and they should be amongst the challengers in next years NFC East.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was signed for another year by the Vikings this summer, while some shrewd moves down the draft saw them pick up some valuable picks which should stand the team in excellent stead in the NFC North.
With A.J.Brown working alongside DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor, quarterback Jalen Hurts will have plenty of talented receivers to work with this year and that should be hugely exciting for Eagles fans.
Christmas Treat For Rams And Broncos Fans
Fans of the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos will be able to enjoy their Christmas
dinner with some potentially crucial playoff-deciding action on Xmas Day as these two teams will go head-to-head in what should be a game with major playoff implications.
The Denver Broncos have addressed their need at quarterback by snapping up Russell Wilson, a super bowl winning quarterback and future Hall of Famer to give them their first top ranking quarterback since Peyton Manning.
The Rams, of course, are the Super Bowl winners from last year and while they were unable to keep Von Miller (who has moved to the Bills), they retain many of that talented roster from last year, including superstar QB Matt Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp.
This promises to be a hugely exciting game as the Rams and Wilson lock horns again.
