In honor (well I think it is pretty dumb) - so I guess dishonor - of the first NFL London game of the season, I thought it would be cool to compare NFL teams with their Premier League counterpart. Will I be doing all 20 PL clubs? Nope. I don't think anyone cares which NFL team is most like Aston Villa. But here are a few I found most compelling. So while you watch Khalil Mack get is 54th sack of the game against his old team, sit back and see that our sports are not as different as they seem.
Dallas Cowboys - Manchester United:
Starting off pretty easy here. They are called America's team for a reason, as you might have heard they are pretty popular and never short of media attention. Manchester United share that level of limelight, and also have another important detail in common - mooooooolah. According to Business Insider, the two clubs are members of the top ten wealthiest sports teams in the world, with Dallas being first (valued at $5 billion) and United being sixth ($3.81 billion). Throw in a history of dominance, famous coaches, and controversial owners, and you have a match made in entitled heaven!
Washington - Newcastle United:
Again, this is easy stuff. The team in Washington has been a trainwreck and lacking any discernable plan for over two decades. Even better, they boast potentially the worst owner in American sports, who doesn't seem to care about the fans and consistently makes poor personell decisions at every turn. Sound familiar Newcastle? Yeah it does, doesn't it. Since the days of Alan Shearer Newcastle has struggled to live up to the size of the club, even finding themselves in the lower Championship at one point. They have a putrid owner of their own in Mike Ashley, who has been holding the club hostage under his inept stewardship since 2007. Additionally, both clubs have had brilliant coaching staffs that have now departed, Sean McVay & Kyle Shannahan for Washington, and Rafael Benetiz for Newcastle. All the Magpies are missing is incredibly offensive and racist team branding - so they have some catching up to do.
Chicago Bears - Crystal Palace:
This isn't an exact like-for-like comparison, but it is pretty close. Both teams are known for and prioritize defense - while missing the bite on offense. Chicago's defense has a chance to be an all-time great D, yet going all in on Mitch(ell) Trubisky now seems like the mistake we all pretty much thought it was. On the other hand, Roy Hodgson's Palace makes it hard on any opponent to score (unless they are running against Patrick van Aanholt that is) with a compact defensive line. Meanwhile their signing of striker Christian Benteke has only led to 18 goals in 90 appearances - 15 of those goals coming his first season in 2016/17. Da Bears have much more league success and have a few of those little Super Bowl thingys, but nowadays I have a feeling both fanbases have similar experiences on the weekend.
Philadelphia Eagles - Leicester City:
I feel good about this one. Leicester City shocked the world by winning the PL in the 2015/16, in my opinon still the greatest sports story of my lifetime. Philly had their own against-the-odds feat, defeating the mighty Patriots to win their first title while being led by backup quarterback "Big-Richard" (we are a PG program here) Nick Foles. Each championship was the first in their histories, and they now both have speedy players on the rosters that are synonomous with the club's recent history. Jamie Vardy has led the attacking line for the Foxes and is easily their greatest ever player, and while DeSean Jackson may lack the icon status of Vardy, his countless TD streaks down the field are unforgettable.
Kansas City Chiefs - Liverpool:
A lot of this comparsion boils down to the coaches. Andy Reid and Jurgen Klopp are brilliant minds in their industry and have created the two most exciting offenses their leagues have seen in some time. Patrick Mahomes and Liverpool's gegenpress of Salah, Mane, and Firmino are must-see TV, and have rabid fanbases behind them in iconic stadiums. Yet, Andy Reid is still without that elusive Super Bowl victory, and although winning the Champions League last season, Klopp is still waiting to bring the PL title back to Merseyside. This could be the year for both.
Arizona Cardinals - Sheffield United:
Kliff Kingsbury left college football and joined Arizona with a sense that he would be revolutionizing the NFL with a fast-paced, Air-Raid offense that featured TE-less sets galore. Chris Wilder's Sheffield United team ran through the Championship last season and earned PL promotion using his 'overlapping CBs' tactic - which sees the center-backs becoming wingers in attack. Sheffield lacks any kind of dynamic star like Larry Fitzgerald or (potentially) Kyler Murrary, but as a unit have been strong. Both clubs have found success so far this season, Sheffield drawing Chelsea and defeating Everton, and Arizona uhhh...tying Detriot. OK so maybe Kingsbury hasn't hit the ground running yet.
New England Patriots - Manchester City:
Dun dun duuuuuun. Time for big bad. Few sports organizations have managed the sustained success of New England, whose strong infrastructure of Brady, Belichick, and Kraft is unrivaled. Man City find themselves a few years deep in their own dominant period, beginning in the 2011-2012 season with a historic first-ever PL title. Belichick is now widely regarded as the best coach of all time, and Pep Guardiola has established himself as the best manager in the soccer world, winning wherever he goes. Brady is better than anyone who has worn the City kit, yet City have had world-class icons such as Kun Aguero, David Silva, and Vincent Kompany. Ownership is rough around the edges, but good at what they do for both sides. Robert Kraft has made...interesting decisions, while City is operated by a bunch of Saudi princes and oil tycoons. So yeah, some pretty likeable people.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Norwich City:
You know why we are here. Why else? You think I want to talk about the stupid Jags? Sadly the 'stache Gardner Minshew II has encaptured the hearts of America, literally (knock on wood) being unhatable. He is so cool. Now I am blushing - where am I? That's right, the PL equivalent of Minshew is Teemu Pukki, who has not only been really freaking good so far, but has a similar charm as the Jags QB. Without both of these shooting-stars, we probably would go back to not talking much about Jacksonville or Norwich - and they have changed that. So shame on them.