It's no secret the NFL is trying to grow its business internationally.
The league has played preseason games abroad for decades, competing in nations such as Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The first regular-season game outside the United States was staged in Mexico City in 2005, and games have been held annually in England since 2007. Aside from games played in Toronto, where the added distance is negligible, international games create midseason travel upheaval for everyone involved.
It's important to note that the NFL schedules a subsequent bye week for teams that play abroad. Still, a significant question remains: Does playing internationally put teams at a competitive disadvantage? We crunched the numbers to find out.
Perhaps surprisingly, there hasn't been a noticeable impact. In fact, the teams that played in the previous 14 London games went on to compile an aggregate record of 124-124-2 for the rest of the season -- a .500 winning percentage that matches the league as a whole.
So if you're a fan of one of the six teams slated to play in the U.K. this October (Indianapolis Colts-Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, New York Giants-Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 and Washington Redskins-Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8), you shouldn't fret that it could torpedo your season.
Here we look at each of the 14 previous London games -- all of which were played at Wembley Stadium -- and how the contestants fared afterward.
2007, Week 8: New York Giants 13, Miami Dolphins 10
No one knew it at the time, but the first regular-season game in England matched the eventual Super Bowl champion against the team that would finish with the NFL's worst record. The Giants outlasted Miami in a sloppy, rainy game on the battered pitch at Wembley Stadium. Eli Manning threw for 59 yards in a winning effort. The Giants lost their next game 31-20 on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, who went on to earn the top seed in the NFC. The London game didn't hamper the Giants in the long run, as the team went on to topple the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The Dolphins lost their next game 13-10 at home against the Buffalo Bills -- and the next four games after that. Of course, Miami came within a whisker of going winless that year -- needing overtime to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 -- and fired head coach Cam Cameron after one season.
Bottom line: Giants entered 5-2, finished regular season 10-6, went 4-0 in postseason; Dolphins entered 0-7, finished 1-15.
2008, Week 8: New Orleans Saints 37, San Diego Chargers 32
Drew Brees and Philip Rivers combined for 680 passing yards in a shootout. New Orleans lost its subsequent game 34-20 at the Atlanta Falcons. The Chargers squeaked out a 20-19 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their next game.
Bottom line: Saints entered 3-4, finished regular season 8-8; Chargers entered 3-4, finished regular season 8-8, went 1-1 in postseason.
2009, Week 7: New England Patriots 35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7
Tom Brady threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns as the Pats cruised past the winless Buccaneers. New England won its following game 27-17 against the visiting Dolphins. Tampa Bay earned its first win of the season in its subsequent game, beating the visiting Green Bay Packers 38-28.
Bottom line: Patriots entered 4-2, finished regular season 10-6, went 0-1 in postseason. Buccaneers entered 0-6, finished 3-13.
2010, Week 8: San Francisco 49ers 24, Denver Broncos 16
Frank Gore rumbled for 118 rushing yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Troy Smith efficiently filled in for the injured Alex Smith to lead San Francisco to victory. The 49ers won their next game 23-20 in overtime against the visiting Rams. The Broncos hosted to Chiefs in their subsequent game and won 49-29.
Bottom line: Niners entered 1-6, finished regular season 6-10; Broncos entered 2-5, finished 4-12.
2011, Week 7: Chicago Bears 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18
Matt Forte ran for 145 yards and a touchdown, and Jay Cutler added 226 yards and a touchdown through the air to lead Chicago. The Bears won three in a row afterward, including a 30-24 victory at Philadelphia in their next game -- before a five-game losing skid knocked them out of playoff contention. Tampa Bay was defeated in its subsequent game 27-16 at New Orleans and didn't win again all season.
Bottom line: Bears entered 3-3, finished regular season 8-8; Buccaneers entered 4-2, finished 4-12.
2012, Week 8: New England Patriots 45, St. Louis Rams 7
Brady led New England to touchdowns on its first five drives en route to a romp. In their next game, the Pats beat the visiting Bills 37-31 and won four more in a row after that. The Rams settled for a 24-24 tie at San Francisco in their subsequent game.
Bottom line: Patriots entered 4-3, finished regular season 12-4, went 1-1 in postseason; Rams entered 3-4, finished regular season 7-8-1.
2013, Week 4: Minnesota Vikings 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Matt Cassel filled in for injured quarterback Christian Ponder, throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings won in a battle of previously winless teams. Minnesota lost its next four games, including a 35-10 home defeat against the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers won five of their next seven, including a 19-9 road victory over the Jets in their following game.
Bottom line: Vikings entered 0-3, finished regular season 5-10-1; Steelers entered 0-3, finished 8-8.
2013, Week 8: San Francisco 49ers 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Colin Kaepernick ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the 49ers routed the Jaguars. The 49ers lost their next game 10-9 at home to Carolina and followed that with a loss at New Orleans. Those defeats made for a more difficult playoff road, as San Francisco finished one game behind the Seahawks in the NFC West and then lost at Seattle in the NFC Championship Game. In Week 10, Jacksonville won its first game of the season 29-27 at the Tennessee Titans.
Bottom line: Niners entered 5-2, finished regular season 12-4, went 2-1 in playoffs; Jaguars entered 0-7, finished 4-12.
2014, Week 4: Miami Dolphins 38, Oakland Raiders 14
Ryan Tannehill threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns as Miami easily beat the Raiders. The Dolphins lost 27-24 to visiting Green Bay in Week 6 but won three in a row after that. Oakland lost its next six games, including a 31-28 defeat against the visiting Chargers, and didn't win its first game until Week 12.
Bottom line: Dolphins entered 1-2, finished regular season 8-8; Raiders entered 0-3, finished 3-13.
2014, Week 8: Detroit Lions 22, Atlanta Falcons 21
The Lions overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit and won on a 48-yard field goal by Matt Prater on the final play -- after a penalty for delay of game erased his miss from 43 yards. Detroit won its subsequent game 20-16 over visiting Miami but then lost two in a row. The Falcons ended a five-game losing streak in their next game, winning 27-17 at Tampa Bay.
Bottom line: Lions entered 5-2, finished regular season 11-5, went 0-1 in playoffs; Falcons entered 2-5, finished 6-10.
2014, Week 10: Dallas Cowboys 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 17
Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes to lift the Cowboys, as America's Team triumphed in its first regular-season game outside the U.S. Dallas followed that up by winning five of its next six games, including a 31-28 road victory against the Giants. The Jaguars were pounded 23-3 on the road by the Colts in Week 12.
Bottom line: Cowboys entered 6-3, finished regular season 12-4, went 1-1 in playoffs; Jaguars entered 1-8, finished 3-13.
2015, Week 4: New York Jets 27, Miami Dolphins 14
Chris Ivory rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown as the Jets handed the Dolphins a defeat that would lead to the firing of head coach Joe Philbin the next day. New York beat visiting Washington 34-20 in Week 6 but lost subsequent road games at New England and Oakland. Perhaps awakened by the firing of Philbin, the Dolphins won 38-10 at Tennessee in their next game and followed that by defeating the Houston Texans.
Bottom line: Jets entered 2-1, finished regular season 10-6; Dolphins entered 1-2, finished 6-10.
2015, Week 7: Jacksonville Jaguars 34, Buffalo Bills 31
Chris Clemons and Telvin Smith scored defensive touchdowns seven seconds apart in the second quarter to lift the Jaguars to their first win in the U.K. In Week 9, however, Jacksonville lost 28-23 on the road against the Jets. The Bills won their next game 33-17 against the visiting Dolphins, and they followed up with a road win over the Jets.
Bottom line: Jaguars entered 1-5, finished regular season 5-11; Bills entered 3-3, finished 8-8.
2015, Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs 45, Detroit Lions 10
Alex Smith threw for 145 yards, rushed for 78 and accounted for three touchdowns as the Chiefs romped to victory. Interestingly, both teams seemed to use this game as a springboard, combining to go 14-2 the rest of the season. Kansas City won its next game 29-13 at Denver and followed that with seven more wins in a row. Detroit won its next three games, including an 18-16 victory at Green Bay in Week 10.
Bottom line: Chiefs entered 2-5, finished regular season 11-5, went 1-1 in playoffs; Lions entered 1-6, finished 7-9.
Final tally
Teams that win games in London have gone a combined 72-52-1 through the remainder of the season.
Teams that lose games in London are a combined 52-72-1 through the remainder of the season.
Conclusion: Good teams are more likely to win in London, and bad teams are more likely to lose. Just like anywhere else.
Still not convinced? Eight teams that played in London went on winning or losing streaks of at least three games after their bye. Four of them had losing streaks (2007 Dolphins, five games; 2011 Buccaneers, nine; 2013 Vikings, four; and 2014 Raiders, six), and four had winning streaks (2011 Bears, three; 2012 Patriots, five; 2015 Chiefs, eight; and 2015 Lions, three).
One safe conclusion is that the U.K. has received a lousy batch of games for the most part since the NFL International Series began in 2007.
Note: After the Arizona Cardinals beat San Francisco 31-14 in Week 4 of the 2005 season in Mexico City, both the Cardinals and 49ers lost the next week. Arizona went 4-8 after the game, and San Francisco went 3-8. A second regular-season game in Mexico City is slated for this season with the Texans and Raiders meeting in on Nov. 21.
Meantime, the NFL has long daydreamed about placing a franchise in London. The league is also considering playing regular-season games in China, Germany and Brazil. Stay tuned.