LONDON (AP) — The NFL will reach a milestone Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings face the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It will be the 40th regular-season game in London.
The first one was in the 2007 season when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 at a wet and muddy Wembley Stadium.
Wembley has hosted 26 of the 39 games so far. Tottenham's stadium opened in 2019 and has staged 10. Twickenham Stadium, the home of English
rugby, has held three games.
Here are some facts and figures:
There have been two shutouts — and both were in 2017. Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in New Orleans' 20-0 victory over Miami at Wembley on Oct. 1. Three weeks later, Todd Gurley ran for 106 yards and a touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams in a 33-0 win over Arizona at Twickenham.
The Vikings are 4-0 in London with victories in three different stadiums: 34-27 over Pittsburgh in 2013 at Wembley; 33-16 over Cleveland in 2017 at Twickenham; 28-25 over New Orleans in 2022 at Tottenham; and 23-17 over the New York Jets last season, also at Tottenham. It’s been a different quarterback each time. Kirk Cousins was at the helm three years ago in Kevin O’Connell’s first year as head coach, and it was Sam Darnold last season. Carson Wentz has started Minnesota's past two games this season in the place of the injured J.J. McCarthy.
The kickers took center stage in Baltimore's 24-16 win over Tennessee in Week 6, connecting on a total of nine field goals. Justin Tucker was 6 for 6 for the Ravens; Nick Folk 3 for 3 for the Titans.
The number of interceptions Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks have thrown in the English capital in three games. Josh Johnson threw three interceptions, including a pick-6, in their 35-7 loss to New England in 2009; Josh Freeman threw four interceptions two seasons later in a 24-18 loss to Chicago; and Jameis Winston topped both with five picks — and a fumble lost — in a 37-26 loss to Carolina in 2019.
The number of games the Jacksonville Jaguars have played in London. The Jags have a 7-6 record in their lucrative home away from home. They play at Wembley on Oct. 19 against the Los Angeles Rams. The Jags played back-to-back London games the past two seasons — winning three of the four games. Speculation of relocating to London was silenced a year ago when the Jaguars got NFL approval for a $1.4 billion “stadium of the future” in Jacksonville.
The Atlanta Falcons blew a 21-point lead — hello, foreshadowing — in a 22-21 loss to the Detroit Lions at Wembley on Oct. 26, 2014. Matt Stafford led a drive from Detroit’s 7-yard line with 1:38 on the clock and needing a field goal to win it. Matt Prater’s 43-yard attempt was wide right but the whistle was blown for a delay of game penalty. Prater connected on his second chance, this time from 48 yards.
There’s only been one tie — or “draw” as the locals say — in a London game. Washington and Cincinnati finished 27-27 at Wembley on Oct. 30, 2016. Washington’s Dustin Hopkins missed a 34-yard field goal attempt with 2:13 left in overtime. The teams combined for 65 first downs and 961 total yards. Kirk Cousins threw for 458 yards.
Joe Flacco’s nightmarish day for the Baltimore Ravens ended after three quarters, benched for Ryan Mallett, after completing 8 of 18 passes for just 28 yards and two interceptions in a 44-7 loss to the Jaguars in the 2017 season. The 40-year-old Flacco returns on Sunday with the Cleveland Browns when they face the Vikings.
Chris Ivory had a career-high 166 rushing yards on 29 carries to help the New York Jets beat the Dolphins 27-14 on Oct. 4, 2015, at Wembley. His 3-yard touchdown run opened the scoring in the first quarter.
Cooper Kupp caught seven passes for a career-high 220 yards in a 24-10 victory for the Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 27, 2019, at Wembley. His day included a 65-yard TD reception on a trick play in the first half.
Total yards of offense compiled in the New Orleans Saints’ 37-32 win over the San Diego Chargers in 2008. It made up for the stinker the year before when the Giants beat the Dolphins 13-10 in the first-ever regular-season game in London. Eli Manning went 8 of 22 for 59 yards in ’07. A year later, Philip Rivers threw for 341 yards, and Drew Brees went for 339 yards — and both had three TDs.
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