By Charlie Mullen, UK contributor
Throughout the season, we review and preview the matches involving the NFL teams that will play in London. Of the eight teams preparing for a trip across the Atlantic this season, only two managed to get their campaigns off to a winnings start. The LA Rams beat Carolina by three points while Oakland showed they don’t need Antonio Brown to win after beating Denver by eight points at the Coliseum on Monday night. Can the Raiders and Rams maintain their perfect starts in week two?
Buccaneers @ Panthers
The second of the four International Series games taking place in London this season will be the reverse match-up of these two NFC South teams. Both are licking their wounds after losing their season openers. Turnovers were costly for the Panthers in their 30-27 loss to the Rams where Carolina lost two fumbles while Cam Newton was picked off once. Christian McCaffrey had a big game with 209 yards from 29 touches and he will be key to the Panther beating Tampa Bay. Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston had a day to forget after throwing, not one, but two pick-sixes. Those 15 points San Francisco scored proved to be the difference in a 31-17 loss for the Buccs. Playing on Thursday night means both sides can quickly put right the wrongs of last week. Last season’s series was split with a win each, but home advantage should see Carolina win this one.
Panthers by eight.
49ers @ Bengals
Cincinnati will feel they did enough to beat Seattle in their opener last week, holding the Seahawks to just 12 first downs and ending the game with 196 more yards than Russell Wilson’s team. However, fumbles were the undoing for the Bengals with three of the four committed, ending up in the hands of Seattle players. Cincinnati, who will play the Rams in London on October 27, saw Andy Dalton find John Ross seven times through the air for 158 yards and two TDs. But they will know the perils awaiting them against the 49ers who restricted Carolina to 194 yards passing and returned two of three interceptions for TDs. San Francisco needed their defense to bail them out after a lackluster performance from their offense which managed a total of 256 yards behind Jimmy Garapollo. The 49ers will hope to be more efficient on third down after converting five of 13 they faced last week. The Bengals should come out of this one with the win.
Bengals by three.
Jaguars @ Texans
Houston were reminded how quickly a game can turn during their 30-28 loss in New Orleans on Monday night. Deshaun Watson led the Texans downfield on what he thought was a game-winning drive with 37 seconds left on the clock. That was enough time for Saints QB Drew Brees to march down the field to set Wil Lutz up for his game-winning field goal from 58 yards. A failure to protect Watson returned to haunt the Texans as he was sacked six times. Last season, Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times. Houston should get their first win of the season against a Jacksonville team they beat in both meetings last year. The Jaguars went down by 13 at home to the Texans who won the reverse fixture by 17 in the final game of the regular season. Jacksonville only managed one TD in those two games. With Nick Foles placed on IR after breaking his collarbone on his Jaguars debut, Gardner Minshew looked good completing 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards and two TDs in their 40-26 loss to the Chiefs. However, JJ Watt and the Texans defense will make it difficult for Minshew to have another good game. And even if Watson is not 100 per cent fit after picking up an injury against the Saints, Houston should still get the win.
Texans by 13.
Chiefs @ Raiders
Last season’s MVP Patrick Mahomes showed exactly why he was awarded the prestigious accolade with another masterful performance for the Chiefs in their 40-26 win. The 23-year-old threw for 378 yards and three TDs and overcame the adversity of losing key WR Tyreek Hill to injury like a seasoned pro. However, the Chiefs, who have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Raiders, still have issues with their defense giving up 26 points to a Jacksonville team led for the majority of their game by their back-up QB. In Oakland’s 24-16 win over Denver, Derek Carr threw just four incompletions from his 26 pass attempts. If Carr can replicate that form at home to the Chiefs, it should make for a high-scoring game. Raiders fans are glad they don’t have to put up with Antonio Brown’s antics any more and in Tyrell Williams, they now have a player they believe will be better than Brown. Williams caught six passes for 105 yards and a score on Monday night. Playing for the Chargers in the same division, Williams failed to get in the endzone against the Chiefs catching eight passes for a total of 141 yards. The Chiefs should go 2-0, but they will be pushed all the way by the Raiders.
Chiefs by 14.
Bears @ Broncos
Arguably, the biggest disappointment of the opening weekend was Chicago’s performance in their 10-3 loss to NFC North rivals Green Bay. The Bears have had 10 days to make the adjustments needed to get their season back on track in Denver. Mitchell Trubisky’s redzone interception just before the two-minute warnings the end of the game ended all hopes of a Bears victory. Up to that point, the Bears would have been pleased with what they did in their opener where they held their opponents to 213 net yards and sacked Aaron Rodgers five times. The Broncos lacked a spark in offense when it mattered most. Their first three visits to the redzone ended in FGs and when they did find the endzone, it was too late against the Raiders. If they can find a way of turning those FGs into TDs, then the Broncos have a chance. However, the Bears defence should be too strong for the Broncos in Colorado.
Bears by 10
Saints @ Rams
If this game is half as good as the two meetings last season, then we are going to be treated to another 60 minutes of brilliant football. Or longer if, like the NFC Championship game, overtime is needed to decide the winner. Both meetings last year were played in New Orleans and produced a total of 129 points. Thankfully for the Rams, they have home advantage this time so they won’t have to deal with disgruntled Saints fans still smarting from a controversial pass interference call that ended New Orleans’ hopes of reaching the Super Bowl. Whichever team wins this game, they will edge a potential play-off tiebreaker to decide home advantage in the post-season. The Rams had a balanced offense in their 30-27 win over the Panthers with 166 yards coming on the ground with the other 183 yards coming from the arm of Jared Goff. Todd Gurley looked back to his best with 97 yards from 14 carries and with New Orleans giving up 180 rushing yards against Houston on Monday night, Gurley will hope for another productive game on the ground. The Saints ran for 143 yards of their own against the Texans with Alvin Kamara also running for 97 yards from 13 carries. This has all the ingredients to be the game of the week, with the outcome possibly being decided by the team who has the ball last.
Rams by three.
NFL International Series matches:
Chicago @ Oakland (October 6 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
Carolina @ Tampa Bay (October 13 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
Cincinnati @ LA Rams (October 27 – Wembley)
Houston @ Jacksonville (November 3 – Wembley)
