New York Jets win at Wembley

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NY Jets power past Dolphins (October 5 2015)

One year on from their last trip the Miami Dolphins found the Wembley tables had turned as they were brushed aside 27-14 by the New York Jets in London. ..

The Dolphins, 38-14 winners over the Oakland Raiders here 12 months ago, were outplayed on both sides of the ball by the Jets in front of another sell-out crowd of 83,986 under the arch.

Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 218 yards and one score while Chris Ivory rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown, and New York hung on despite Jarvis Landry's almost single-handed attempts to make a game of it in the fourth quarter.

It was the 12th NFL game to be played at Wembley in nine years - and the first of three this season - rounding off a week in which Chancellor George Osborne outlined his ambition to have a team permanently based in the capital within five years following more talks with the league.

The Dolphins were making their third trip to Wembley but this was not one for them to write home about.

They arrived facing questions over a 1-2 start - well below par following an expensive off-season which included a US dollar 114million contract for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh - and will board the plane home with coach Joe Philbin's future in question.

From the moment the game kicked off, Miami appeared disjointed against a New York team eager to prove they are no longer the Same Old Jets.

Joe Namath's former team have followed a path of frustration over recent years but easily outclassed Miami - and things might have been worse for the Dolphins.

Back-up quarterback Fitzpatrick, starting in place of the injured Geno Smith, missed a string of wide-open receivers - mistakes which kept the game competitive longer than it might have otherwise been.

On the Jets' first drive, Fitzpatrick picked out Brandon Marshall with a 58-yard pass and Ivory rumbled into the end zone two plays later.

New York added two more field goals before the Dolphins were handed a lifeline by two big penalties against the Jets - gifting Miami 58 yards on back-to-back pass interference calls, including one against star cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill capitalised with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jake Stoneburner

But despite Fitzpatrick's often wayward throws, the Jets responded before half-time with another score through Eric Decker to lead 20-7 at the break.

Wembley has become accustomed to lop-sided games and this one appeared over as a contest on the first drive of the second half, capped by Zac Stacy's two-yard run to score.

But after the Jets missed a field goal, Miami found some rhythm in the fourth quarter, with Landry's 28-yard punt return giving them great field position before Kenny Stills caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the gap.

Landry then led another charge, returning a punt for 25 yards and later pounding his way to the four-yard line.

He thought he had a touchdown with 6:12 to go, only for it to be called back on a penalty, and when Revis picked off Tannehill in the end zone moments later, Miami's fate was sealed.

The defeat means Miami have now been beaten by both New York teams in London - they lost 13-10 to the Giants in the first Wembley game in 2007

Whether or not the Jets are equipped to emulate those Giants and go on to Super Bowl glory in the same season remains to be seen.

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Dolphins sack coach Joe Philbin (October 5 2015)

Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin has been sacked in the aftermath of their Wembley loss to AFC East rivals the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.



For the second successive year an NFL head coach has paid with his job for a Transatlantic defeat, with the Oakland Raiders removing Dennis Allen last September following their 38-17 loss to the Dolphins in the capital.

Like Allen, Philbin's position seemed untenable after a lacklustre London performance where Miami were poor across the board against the Jets, who won the 100th meeting between the two by a 27-14 scoreline.

Philbin, who had not presided over a winning record in his three previous seasons in the Sunshine State, had said he was not worried about his job security in his post-game press conference at Wembley but, less than 24 hours after full-time, he was fired with the Dolphins at 1-3 for the campaign.

In a statement, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said: "This was a tough decision for me to make knowing how tirelessly Joe worked in his four years here to make this a winning team.

"He is a man of the highest character and integrity that I developed a close personal relationship with.

"I am extremely disappointed with how we have started the season, but I feel confident that we can improve quickly with the talent we have on our roster. We will soon be announcing an interim coach to lead the team going forward."

The Dolphins later announced that Dan Campbell, their tight ends coach for the past five seasons, would assume the role of interim head coach.

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NFL extends international deal (October 7 2015)

NFL games will continue to be played outside the United States through to 2025, following an agreement between the team owners.


Regular-season international games have been played at Wembley since 2007 and the new deal will see countries other than England hosting the matches.

Last Sunday a crowd of 83,986 watched the New York Jets defeat the Miami Dolphins in the 12th International Series game to be hosted at Wembley since the NFL first took competitive games to London.

Wembley will host two more games in this campaign and another slate of games in 2016, while the NFL recently announced a deal with Tottenham's new stadium which will see at least two games per season played there for 10 years when it is due to open in 2018.

The NFL has now confirmed it remains committed to taking the sport abroad for the next 10 years and Mexico, Germany and Canada are among those interested in regular-season games, with Mexico a front-runner next year.

"This marks an important step in our long-term international growth," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

"Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007. They have demanded more NFL games, and we have worked to accommodate them.

"We think it's time to expand our International Series to other countries and respond to the growing interest in our game not only in the UK, but elsewhere around the world."

Roger Goodell "Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007."
Roger Goodell

The league also is looking at moving the Pro Bowl to international sites, with Brazil having expressed an interest, while Australia and Asia are also potential sites.

The Buffalo Bills, Wembley-bound themselves later this month, played six games in Canada between 2008 and 2013 but fewer than 40,000 spectators attended their last fixture at the Rogers Centre.

Mexico is the only other nation to have staged a regular-season game when the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals met in front of 103,467 fans in Mexico City in 2005.