The Denver Broncos are set to return to England this fall to play in London for the third time in franchise history. Denver will be the “road” team against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 on Oct. 30.
The NFL has increased the number of games played in the United Kingdom in recent years and different teams have handled travel in different ways. Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett is no stranger to international travel for NFL games — he coached with the Jags from 2015-2018 and experienced their frequent trips to London.
Hackett was just a coordinator then, though. He’s the head coach now and the team’s travel schedule falls in large part on him. The first-year head coach plans to collaborate with coaches and players to form a game plan.
“There’s so many different ways to do it,” Hackett said on May 13. “I’ve been lucky [that] I’ve gone to London, gosh, four times now. We left on Thursday. You talk with guys all across the league, guys leaving on Monday, some on Tuesday. Everybody has done it a little bit different, and everybody’s won and lost doing it different ways. So I think for us, we’ll evaluate how we do it. We want to do what’s best for our team.
“We want to see what those guys are into. I know Russell [Wilson] went out there a couple years ago, so talking with him, giving him my experience [and] going through his experience, and just trying to figure out what’s good for everybody. The idea is to get there and get acclimated as fast as you can. But at the same time, still be able to put together a solid game plan for the Jaguars. As we continue to work through it, we’ll figure out what’s the best way.”
Denver will host the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 23 one week before their overseas clash with Jacksonville. After playing in London, the Broncos will receive a much-needed bye in Week 9 (view the full schedule).
If Hackett follows the approach of his former team, fans can expect Denver to travel to England on Thursday, Oct. 27. If they follow the lead of over teams that have gone out earlier in the week, the Broncos could make the trip over on Oct. 24 or 25. Whatever travel schedule Denver decides on, the Broncos will aim to win in London for the first time in franchise history this October.
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