| | 76,981 NFL fans, of every team in the league, almost filled Wembley Stadium, London, UK and witnessed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers almost pull off an unlikely come back – keeping the game alive until the closing 30 seconds when a desperate attempt to keep a potentially game winning drive down the pitch going was intercepted to bring to an end a game that had at one point looked like it might be an easy win on their rather longer than usual travels for the Chicago Bears. |
| The final score of 24-18 was a fair reflection of a game that had had a faltering start – one early down taking a dozen plays before being punted up the pitch. Maybe the effects of jet lag needed to be shaken off – but once out of the first quarter the Bears took control with three answered touch downs – with the Bucks only managing safety and field goal in response.. Then in the fourth quarter the Bucks came to life – or did the Bears defence succumb to the effects of jet lag? Twice In quick succession the bucks crossed into the end zone, bring themselves within a field goal of taking the game into over time at 21-18 – then the Bears managed to get within field goal range themselves and pull six points ahead – making the Bucks strive for a touch down in the final minutes of the game, which proved just beyond them. |  |
This was the fifth time the razzle dazzle of the NFL had been brought across the Atlantic to London, and despite the tight economy Wembley was almost sold out – there has been talk of more than one London game in future seasons and even of a Super Bowl. If the NFL can persuade teams of the calibre of the Bucks and Bears to take part there will be a healthy audience – and the Super Bowl has the advantage that neither side has to give up a home game to take part as it’s highly unusual for one of the Super Bowl teams to happen also to be that year’s host franchise for the season closer.
