NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Key facts to know ahead of the Bills' trip to London

Oct 05, 2023 at 04:17 PM

Patrick Warren

Contributing Correspondent

Buffalo Bills Practice at One Bills Drive, October 05, 2023.

The Buffalo Bills had one final practice Thursday before their red-eye flight to London, where they will play their first international game since 2015.

Ahead of Sunday's game, which will kick off at 9:30 a.m. EDT, here are some key stats and facts to know as the Bills shoot for their first-ever win in London.

Familiar territory

Running back Latavius Murray knows a thing or two about playing in London. The 33-year-old has been a part of four teams that have played in London and even played there twice in the same season. Murray traveled to London with the Raiders in 2014 (although he did not play), with the Vikings in 2017 and with both the Saints and Broncos in 2022. Murray is 3-1 in London games, including a win over the Jaguars last season when he was with Denver.

Murray has tallied 171 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his three games played in London.

Going global

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills have played more international games than any other franchises. The Jaguars will play their 11th game Sunday and seek to improve their record to 6-5 outside of the U.S. The Bills, who played six games in Toronto, have won just one of their seven international matchups.

In the Bills' first game in London, they lost to the Jaguars 34-31 in Wembley Stadium. Sunday's matchup will be the first rematch of a previous game played in London. With a win, the Bills would become the 22nd different team to win a game in London.

The Jaguars will become the first team in NFL history to play consecutive games in London, as they are fresh off of a 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Last week's game was played at Wembley, but Sunday's game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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His name is my name, too

Sunday will see an electrifying matchup between Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville phenom … Josh Allen.

For just the fifth time in NFL history, a starting defensive player and starting quarterback on opposing teams have the same name, but this head-to-head gets ever weirder.

The Bills' Allen was drafted seventh overall in the 2018 draft. The Jaguars' Allen was drafted seventh overall in the 2019 draft.

And both are playing at an elite level this season.

The Bills' Allen is the current favorite to win the MVP after putting up nine touchdowns and a 106.7 passer rating through four games this season. The Jaguars' Allen is tied for most sacks in the NFL with six.

The two have faced off once before, with Jacksonville's Allen getting the last laugh. The Jaguars beat the Bills in a 9-6 slugfest in which Allen tallied a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.

"He got me last time we played," Allen said after practice Wednesday. "He's coming off a really good week too. He's a baller … and their defensive group right now is playing at a high level, they work together very well. So we've gonna have our hands full."

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Chasing M's

Bills safety Damar Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation CPR tour is going international, with the organization set to host a community event on Friday, Oct. 6 in London. Hamlin will speak to attendees, including youth sports groups in the UK. The groups will receive no-cost AED's from ZOLL Medical. Hamlin experienced cardiac arrest in January during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and now has the chance to suit up for his first game played in London. To learn more about Hamlin's foundation, click here.

Home field advantage

The Bills enter their game in London riding a home victory over the Miami Dolphins. Unsurprisingly, Bills Mafia showed out for the divisional matchup, with 70,881 fans filling out Highmark Stadium.

While the Bills showed out on all three phases, Miami Dolphins wide receiver went on his podcast "It Needed To Be Said" and spoke about the immense challenge of playing in front of a fired-up crowd in Orchard Park.

"I will say this, those fans really brought their A games to that game," Hill said. "It was so loud; I could barely hear Tua the first play of the game. … And that caused a lot of miscommunication on the offensive side of the ball. … Their fans made it so hard to hear the play call. I couldn't even tell when the ball was snapped at times, that's how loud their fans were."