5 Ups & 3 Downs From NFL 2019 Live At Wembley
1. Higher Profile Games Are Needed
Any NFL diehard could tell you that the Cincinnati Bengals, bless 'em, aren't exactly league royalty. Going into the Wembley game, they had a woeful 0-7 record, and they weren't expected to lay a glove on McVay's repeat Super Bowl contenders by many inside the stadium.
This had exhibition or routine win written all over it.
If the NFL are serious about growing their audience in the UK, then they might need to start putting on games with a bigger profile. The logistics of this are obviously difficult, but the onus is on the league to create scenarios that seduce paying customers into taking these games seriously. Until then, they'll play before polite crowds rather than feverish ones.
Podcasts like the brilliant 'Around The NFL' regularly take results in England with a pinch of salt, and that must partly be down to the neutral atmosphere. The country, at some point, deserves to see a game like last season's 54-51 belter between the Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs.