For the first time in nearly a decade, the Washington Commanders are going international. The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Miami Dolphins will host the Commanders on Nov. 16 at Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid. It will be the NFL’s first regular season game in Spain and one of seven international games this year. The Commanders-Dolphins Week 11 matchup will be the final international game this season. “We’re honored to represent the Washington, D.C. area on the global stage in the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Spain,” Commanders owners Josh Harris said in a release. “Playing at the iconic Bernabéu Stadium is a powerful opportunity to connect with new fans and share the energy of Commanders football in one of the world’s great sporting cities. Football has a unique ability to bring people together, and we’re excited to be part of this historic moment that brings the NFL to Madrid and Europe.”
We knew it was coming, but it still sucks. At least the Steelers, Chargers and Jets are forefiting home games this year as well in the AFC.
Do you think that the Commanders since they haven't traveled internationally it might affect them more?
Have we ever won an international game? I hate them because it's not just that week that gets thrown off; it's the week before and after as well. I know we'll have an option to take our bye in week 12, but that's kind of late in the year. It just feels like multiple handicaps to me and we always under-perform during that stretch. The travel is obviously a factor.
Just one outside of North America. 2014 vs the Raiders. It was the start of that really good 5-2 stretch that the team had before a 21-10 lead at Denver turned into a loss and ruined the season, and basically Philbin's coaching tenure.
Plus one in London in 1988 when Dave Archer ran for a late TD to beat the 49ers. I remember, cos I was there That was a pre-season game though, the American Bowl as they were called back in those days. Looking at the Wiki history of them, we also beat the Raiders in Tokyo in 1991, the Broncos in Berlin in 1992 and the Broncos again in Mexico City in 1997. So we were undefeated in pre-season American Bowl games! Unfortunately that's not continued now that they're regular season games since the 2000's.
Oh yeah, I absolutely remember. I watched all of those on TV except the London game. It was a fun time. For a little bit, they would have a lot of teams have a preseason game in a neutral site in the US like a college stadium as well. It gave more people here a chance to watch a game live.