Apparently the 2014 early-morning London games were so well-liked around the National Football League that the league decided to welcome them back with open arms in 2015.
This time with only half-open eyes.
We’re not talking about 9:30 a.m. games. We are talking about 9:30 on the east coast. Yes, this means that you left coasters may have to pull an all-nighter in order to catch these games. However, if you’re in London, you can sleep in. Those games won’t be until 2:30 in that time zone.
The first morning game will be held Week 4 when the Miami Dolphins host the New York Jets at Wembley Stadium. Then three weeks later, the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Buffalo Bills.
If you want to see the numbers, this is why the NFL wants those London games back:
That Detroit-Atlanta game garnered a 6.6 Nielsen TV rating, which isn’t great compared to a 1 p.m. NFL game, but it was a strong number for the time slot. The 6.6 rating beat Game 4 of the World Series (6.3), which aired in prime time on the same date (Oct. 26) and on the same network (Fox), adds Breech.
Just make sure you don’t embarrass yourself too much when you start saying things like this:
Photo: USA Today