The Denver Broncos battled to a 13-11 victory over the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London on Sunday. But for some NFL fans, the half-time show proved to be the main talking point.
Regular season NFL games were first brought to London in 2007, with matches held in the capital every year since, apart from in 2020, when international travel was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 41 NFL matches have been held in the capital over the last 18 years, with Sunday’s game coming after Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had hosted the Minnesota Vikings’ 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns a week earlier. The final NFL game in England this year takes place next Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium.
The Broncos’ clash with the Jets proved to be a drab affair for much of the contest, with points hard to come by for both sides. But fans were just as quick to air their views around the half-time show as they were to comment on the match itself.
British rapper Giggs was the main star of the half-time show, with MC and songwriter JME also performing.
Discussing the half-time show overall, @Ryan030891 wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Candidate for worst half time show ever?” Meanwhile, @MarianAllcott penned: “This game is abysmal. The half time show is even worse.”
And former England rugby star Brian Moore added: “Broncos v Jets – all subjective, but the half-time entertainment – not really my thing.”
The comments became even more scathing as @Ian_Strong explained: “What is the point of this half time b******* at the @NFL game in London. Awful, awful music. I struggle to believe anywhere near half the people there are interested or even know who this bloke is. Waste of time.”
Another NFL fan, @ijparkes, said: “This half time show in the #NFLLondonGames might be the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Who and what the f*** is this?!”
And @Deanoperk80 simply wrote: “This half time s*** at the #NFL is f***ing embarrassing for our country.”
But former NFL player Efe Obada disagreed as he explained on Sky Sports: “This is an amazing artist from South London. In my opinion he is the originator of the true England national anthem.”
Broncos head coach Sean Payton was in high spirits following his team’s victory. And the 61-year-old explained after the showdown: “One of the things I’ve found is bringing a team on the road for an elongated period of time is beneficial. We wanted this one. When you get this as an away game, it’s a plus – it’s neutral.
“The field right outside our hotel was magnificent – the Tottenham training facility, they had 12 fields.
“The whole week was outstanding. I think there was a time when teams went away to training camp to a college for five or six weeks – we don’t do that as much anymore – that’s why this was an attraction for me.”