NFL International Series 2016: Dates, London Schedule, Matchups and More

The Jacksonville Jaguars' relationship with London is so nice the NFL has decided to keep it going for the foreseeable future.

Jacksonville will make history as the first team to play four times in London, according to the league's International Series schedule announced Wednesday. 

The Jaguars, who have been a London regular, will host the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 2, the first of three games in London next year. The other two games in the series will feature Washington and the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 30 and a yet-to-be-determined NFC East team and the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 23. 

The 2016 slate will be filled with a ton of first-time trips overseas. Washington, Cincinnati and Indianapolis will each be playing a regular-season game abroad for the first time. The Rams previously played the New England Patriots in a 2012 game at Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville has played a home game at Wembley Stadium every year since 2013 and will continue to do so through at least 2020. Team owner Shad Khan spoke on his desire to expand the Jaguars and NFL brand globally in an October press release:

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Our four-year London initiative has been every bit as rewarding as we anticipated, certainly in large part to the league’s commitment to the UK and the world class experience that Wembley Stadium has provided the Jaguars, our fans and our partners. Our interest in extending our agreement to play a home game each season in London is nothing new. So, we’re very happy to make it official today.  This is great news for the Jaguars and the stability of the team in Jacksonville, which has come to embrace London as our home away from home.

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With the Rams' future in St. Louis in question, the city's stadium task force released a statement regarding the announcement, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN:

Still, the most intriguing part of the announcement is the potential for Washington to play in London twice. Pro Football Talk reported Washington will do so "if they finish in the same spot in the NFC East as the Rams in the NFC West." Currently, the Philadelphia Eagles hold that distinction, but putting the games in back-to-back weeks leaves open the possibility Washington could stick around for two straight.

The NFL has kept teams to overseas travel once per year in large part so it can incorporate byes around the trip. Giving teams a week off at least on paper justifies the amount of travel and adjustment the body needs to atone for what's an eight-hour difference for West Coast teams and a five-hour leap for East Coast teams.

If the NFL decides it wants to experiment, Washington could provide the blueprint for multigame stretches for certain teams in London going forward.

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