Ranking the International Series matchups from WORST to BEST
By Andy Davies
The NFL schedule has been released ahead of the upcoming 2024 season. As well as the usual games located in the States, the league announced their annual International Series game matchups in full.
Once again, fans outside the US can look forward to watching a game and not need to go on a plane to do so. For many years, only Mexico and London had the rights to host regular season games. However, now Germany have gotten involved and this year we will see the first ever NFL game being played in Brazil.
In total, there are five regular season games being played outside of the United States in 2024, three in the UK, one in Germany and one in Brazil. Here is a ranking of the International Series matchups from worst to best.
Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants (Munich – November 10th)
Germany may have gotten the best matchup last season, arguably the best in International Series history when the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt. However, this season they have the worst of 2024 as the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants face off at the Allianz Arena..
Of course, it is only the worst on paper. Nobody knows what the record of these two teams will be by the time they meet in November and even if they have just a handful of wins between them, sometimes games between two bad teams can be the most entertaining.
Nevertheless, it is hard to not put this game at the bottom of this list. Bryce Young vs Daniel Jones is a hard sell.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots (Wembley, London – October 20th)
Easily the least exciting game of the three London games. Whilst you have rookie quarterback Drake Maye suiting up for the New England Patriots and the many offensive weapons available for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, there are simply more exciting players on display in the other two games.
Due to the dynasty that we saw for twenty years in New England, the popularity of the Patriots in the UK and the rest of Europe has risen. They will now be treated to watching their team play on British soil for the first time since 2012.
The 2024 season marks the Patriots’ first without head coach Bill Belichick since their 1999 campaign and international fans will get a glimpse first hand of the new look New England led by former player Jerod Mayo, who spent five seasons as the inside linebackers coach .
Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Tottenham, London – October 13th)
The Jaguars will once again play two games in London in the same season as they take on the Chicago Bears as the road team. Whilst some of the UK fans can be guilty of getting bored of seeing a rubbish Jags team in the past, this is far from the case nowadays. Despite missing the playoffs last season, they still have exciting players and the Bears have arguably won the offseason.
The 2024 International Series features each of the last four number one overall picks, and three of them feature in this game in Caleb Williams, Travon Walker, and Lawrence.
Speaking of Williams, he will be box office for the Tottenham crowd and brings with him an exciting brand-new look offense. Already boasting DJ Moore and Cole Kmet, the Bears have added Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Rome Odunze to make this team one of the more intriguing across the league.
We will know a lot more about the Bears when they play in London in October.
Minnesota Vikings vs New York Jets (Tottenham, London – October 6th)
If Justin Jefferson leaves the Minnesota Vikings before the time they face the New York Jets in the first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this year, then this would massively impact this game’s ranking on this list. After all, he is one of the best receivers in the league and one of the NFL’s true superstars.
Having him once again playing in London would be a massive bonus for the fans attending the game. After all, he recorded 147 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown when the Vikings played against the Saints in London back in 2022.
Speaking of superstars, Aaron Rodgers makes his return to London. He finally got his chance to play in the UK’s capital in 2022 when the Green Bay Packers took on the New York Giants in Tottenham and will hope that he can come away from the stadium with a win this time.
It is always great to see good players come over to the UK, but when there is a four-time MVP and one of the greatest ever quarterbacks to do it, then it is extra special.
The Vikings quarterback situation will be far from clear when the time comes for this matchup. Minnesota could start tenth overall pick from this year’s draft in quarterback JJ McCarthy in this game, but may want to sit him early on in his NFL career behind Sam Darnold.
Not only will you have some exciting players on display, but you will also get the chance to experience the Skol chant inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Whilst it will not be as loud as it would be in US Bank Stadium due to every team being repped in London, this is something that immediately sets it above any of the other games in the UK this season.
Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers (Sao Paolo - September 6th)
Brazil will get to host an NFL game for the first time in history and what a game to have as the Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Not only do you have the NFC Champions from two seasons ago in the Eagles, but you also have one of the most exciting young rosters in the entire league via the Packers.
The Eagles may have collapsed massively last season, but this should not take away from the fact that they are a good team. Whilst Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have retired this offseason, there is still enough talent there for this team to be a contender once again.
Running back Saquon Barkley signed with the team this summer and will hope to be that missing piece that takes them back to the top. Quarterback Jalen Hurts will hope for a bounce back year after some struggles in 2023 and with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert to throw to, the team always has a chance.
The Eagles added two excellent rookies to a defence that already has plenty of studs. Defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were selected in the first and second rounds respectively. They will join a room featuring Darius Slay and a returning C.J. Gardner-Johnson. With nose tackle Jordan Davies, defensive end Jalen Carter and veteran linebacker Devin White, this is a scary defensive unit that will cause the Packers offense concerns.
Speaking of the Packers offense, they really impressed down the stretch. They started the season 2-5 but ended it 9-8 and a shock Wildcard Round win over the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Jordan Love showed exactly why the front office deemed him worthy of being the heir to Rodgers’ throne. Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontavyion Wicks all impressed, combining for 20 touchdowns between them.
In similar fashion to the German fans getting to watch two AFC contenders play last season, these will be two NFC teams that could very easily go deep in the playoffs.
Not only is it the first game in Brazil but it is also the first time that there has been an International Series game on the opening week of the season. More specifically, it will be the second game played in the entire NFL season, being played on a Friday, just a day after the Chiefs open up the defence of their title against the Baltimore Ravens.
This is another ground-breaking moment for the status of the NFL outside North America in what should be another great season
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD, FINS NATION UK AND EURO TRIPZ PODCASTS AND HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, DOUG PEDERSON, DERRICK HENRY, TREVOR LAWRENCE AND MIKE VRABEL.