Dolphins To Host Jets In London Next Season
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It appears that the NFL is using the Miami Dolphins as guinea pigs in their latest wrinkle to the annual games played in London.
Despite previously saying that they would resist the concept of pitting two teams from the same division in a matchup across the Atlantic Ocean, the league has decided that they're sending the Dolphins back to London for the second straight year, and this time they'll be playing their biggest rival…the New York Jets.
The game will be played on October 4th at Wembley Stadium.
This will be the first time that there has been an intradivisional game played in London. Now why hasn't it happened before?
The NFL wanted to avoid giving the road team in the London game (in this case, the Jets) an advantage as that team would gain an advantage inside their division.
Due to this new plot twist, the Jets will host the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium next season but instead of having to come to South Florida to play their road game against Miami, that game will be played in a neutral location.
The Dolphins are definitely getting the short end of the stick here. Not only do they have to travel to England for the second time in as many years, but they'll be forfeiting a home game against an AFC East rival so the NFL can continue expanding their brand to the overseas market.
It's clear that the league is pushing the envelope with these London games, an indication that they may start to seriously consider having a permanent team play over there.
The more the NFL can show that the competitive advantages or disadvantages to playing a London-based team aren't as substantial as many believe they will be, the closer we'll get to having a team plant their flag in non-U.S. soil.
The other 2015 London games will be Buffalo 'at' Jacksonville on October 25th and Detroit 'at' Kansas City on November 1st.
Watch Miami take on the Detroit Lions this Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS4, your official Dolphins station!
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