Eagles vs. Jaguars, Seahawks vs. Raiders Headline 2018 NFL London Games Slate

The National Football League announced the three matchups for the 2018 NFL London Games on Thursday. The games include the first International Series appearances by the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans.

Here's a look at the complete schedule:  

Oct. 14 (Week 6): Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders

Oct. 21 or Oct. 28 (Week 7/8): Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Oct. 21 or Oct. 28 (Week 7/8): Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The 2018 slate leaves the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers as the only franchises that haven't been involved in the International Series.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has consistently discussed the possibility of a permanent franchise in London since the International Series began in 2007. In October 2016, he said the biggest concern was ensuring the team would have a legitimate chance to compete, per Sky Sports.

"The biggest obstacle is whether we can do this on a competitive basis for the team located here," he said. "That is something we have to have the utmost confidence in, because it's what our league is based on. We want a team to play here and compete on the same level as you could if you were in the States. I'm getting more confident in that because we're looking at the challenges and we're finding solutions for them."

Mark Waller, the league's executive vice president of international, told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated in September he felt 2022 was a realistic target year for a full-time team in London.

"Absolutely," he said. "And that aligns well from a CBA and union standpoint—that would need to be part of a union agreement. Not to say we couldn't bargain it separately, but obviously if we're doing it around that time, that would make sense. And from a media/broadcast standpoint, we'd need to think it through. It feels to me like all the indicators are there, showing that's still a realistic time frame."

Not all players are as optimistic about the city's NFL potential, though.

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley railed against the International Series in October in large part due to the altered travel schedule. That is one of the biggest concerns about a London team given the extended trips back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Terrible," Gurley told reporters before the team's Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals. "They need to stop this, all this stuff. This London, this Mexico City stuff, it needs to stop."

He added: "It's cool playing over there, don't get me wrong. Just more of the long week messes up a bunch of people's schedules. I'm pretty sure y'all [the media] wanna be in y'all bed right now, too. But naw, it's all good. It'll be love. The fans over there are great."

Nevertheless, the NFL has continued to move forward with its international schedule. It has a commitment to play at iconic Wembley Stadium through at least 2020 and announced plans for games at Tottenham's new stadium, which is due to open this year, until 2027.

The average attendance for the 21 games played in London during the International Series is just over 82,000. That would have ranked second in the NFL behind the Dallas Cowboys (92,721) in 2017.