Happy Thursday fam,

In my newsletter to the Autograph community yesterday, I teased my NFL Travel Guide for this upcoming season’s international games.

You can access it here:

Timing is a funny thing. After I shared some travel bits from France the past 2 weeks, many of you answered that yes, you do enjoy some good travel banter and recommendations. But, let’s be honest, we really hit the sweet spot when we weave sports, travel, and music all together into one. That’s a top notch curated experience.

Well, the NFL schedule release gives us the chance to do just that.

We’ve got some tasty matchups this year and some brand new host cities, so in addition to my guide above, it’s only right that we give these games the RP WEEKLY treatment and rank them.

If I could only pick one game to attend this year, here’s my ranking…

NFL International Game Rankings

7. Jets vs. Broncos (London): The Broncos surprised everyone last year and Payton’s chemistry with Bo Nix will only improve, but there’s no rivalry or real history with the Jets who, after the Aaron Rodgers experiment, have more questions than answers. As far as London is concerned, it’s always a good time but the novelty has worn off.

6. Jaguars vs. Rams (London): Jags owner Shahid Khan is one of my favorite sports tycoons based on looks alone. He also owns Fulham FC which explains why the Jags are always in a London game. None of that changes the fact that Jacksonville is not an exciting watch. At least the Rams have a shiny new weapon for Stafford in Davante Adams.

5. Colts vs. Falcons (Berlin): Berlin is awesome. These teams are not. In fact, they’re both in transition, not unlike Berlin’s transition from socialism to capitalism in the 90’s. That said, it would be awesome to watch some of our best athletes compete in the same stadium where Jesse Owens won gold in front of Hitler.

4. Browns vs. Vikings (London): I was really tempted to drop all 3 London games in the bottom but at least here we have the (should be) high-octane Viking offense (can McCarthy sling it like Darnold?) vs. the Downton Abbey Browns. The QB room in Cleveland (er, London) is as silly as the show!

3. Dolphins vs. Commanders (Madrid): Culturally, Madrid has never had the same draw as other European capitals (to me, at least). But we’re talking about a chance to take in the first ever NFL game at the legendary Santiago Bernabéu. Not to mention, Jayden Daniels is apparently the Truth and you’ve got to imagine Tyreek Hill has a Real Madrid-esque TD celebration lined up.

2. Chiefs vs. Chargers (Sao Paulo): Hands down the best matchup. A classic AFC West rivalry and the Chargers are good again thanks to everyone’s favorite maniac Harbaugh. We’d all prefer the sexiness of Rio, but they call Sao Paulo the NYC of South America (this place is huge). No matter the city, Brazil knows a good time.

1. Vikings vs. Steelers (Dublin): The pub scene is world-class. The Irish are great. The Guinness is flowing. The fish & chips are crispy. The matchup is good. The flight is short. The language is English. What more do you want??

Your International Tailgate Playlist

I had some fun with this one. This week on Bruce Lee’s, we’ve got 10 great tailgate songs inspired by the 5 countries hosting NFL games this year.

From Sao Paulo to Dublin, these tracks capture the essence of the culture while keeping the vibes & visas flowing.

Enjoy…

Which game would you hit? What’s your go to tailgate track? Let me know!

RP WEEKLY!!!!!