NFL Releases International Schedule, Jacksonville Jaguars To Play Back-to-Back London Games

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets

The NFL has released its 2023 international schedule in advance of the full schedule reveal happening on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM EDT.

There are five games planned this season: three in London, England (in two different stadiums), and two in Frankfurt, Germany.

They occur in Weeks 4-6 and 9-10.

The Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and New England Patriots are the teams involved in the international games.

For the first time ever, the Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London in Weeks 4 and 5.

In Week 4, the Jaguars are the home team against the Falcons at Wembley Stadium.

The Week 5 game has the Jaguars as the visiting team against the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Jags Are Regulars In International Games, But Double-Duty Is New

For nine of the past ten years (except for the COVID-19 2020 season when no international games were played), the Jacksonville Jaguars have played in an international game.

Traditionally, the Jags act as the home team in these games.

The fact they are getting back-to-back games is not a complete surprise.

It was somewhat expected since the Jaguars have both the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans as road opponents, and both are hosting an international game this season.

About The Logistics

There is plenty of time for the Jaguars to plan how they will handle this schedule, but it does raise questions about how they will train, travel, and plan practices during the two-week period.

It also points to the possibility that the Jaguars could have a Thursday night game in Week 3 or a Monday night game in Week 6 to allow them sufficient time to prepare and recover.

Will the Jaguars stay in London for the duration of the games instead of traveling back and forth between the games and enduring the long flights and jet lag?

A direct flight from Jacksonville to London takes approximately 9 hours.

With the time difference, the Jags could get home by Sunday night and go through their normal early week routine at home before traveling again.

Whereas some teams and players tend not to enjoy the rigors of international travel and the games, the Jaguars have weathered it well in the past and presumably will have a plan in place to make all of this work out to the maximum benefit of the players and coaches.

Stay tuned throughout the day on Wednesday for more NFL schedule small reveals in advance of Thursday’s complete announcement.

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