In just under a month, the National Football League will kick off in Dublin for the first time, as the Pittsburgh Steelers will face off against the Minnesota Vikings in the second game of the 2025 NFL international series, and the first in Europe. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it no secret that one of the NFL’s top priorities is international expansion. The league kicked off this effort in 2007 with the establishment of the annual NFL London game. What started as one game to draw in an international crowd has led to a full-fledged international expansion operation, with now seven games set to kickoff across five countries in 2025, and plans to continue to grow the program in the near future. “I do see 16 (international) regular-season games, and I do think that will happen in the very near future”, Commissioner Goodell told CNBC: “Within five years, probably.”
European expansion presents a unique opportunity for the NFL, as they have, for all intents and purposes, already conquered the American sports market. According to Statista, the National Basketball Association’s NBA finals have averaged roughly 10.2 viewers per game over the past five seasons, a respectable but somewhat unimpressive figure. The NFL, however, averages roughly double that on its Sunday Night Football regular season programming, and nearly ten times that during the Super Bowl. “We’re not competing with the NBA or MLB. Our competitors are Apple and Google,” said commissioner Goodell in an interview with Pro Football Talk. While the idea that a sports league would be able to compete with transnational super corporations such as Apple and Google may seem asinine, the rise of media rights deals, along with international expansion, makes it a distinct possibility.
Zeroing in on the week 4 matchup in Croke Park, the Steelers and Vikings both find themselves in somewhat similar positions heading into the 2025 season, as contenders but not Super Bowl favourites. The matchup features the likes of legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has said that his first season with Pittsburgh will likely be his only, as he is leaning towards retirement after the 2025 season. “This is really about finishing with a lot of fun and love and peace,” Rodgers said on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show. “I’ve played 20 freakin’ years. It’s been a long run and I’ve enjoyed it. No better way to finish than with one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL, with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers and a city that expects you to win.”
It has been a frustrating couple of seasons for Rodgers, as he left Green Bay for the Big Apple in 2023, when he joined the New York Jets after requesting a trade from the Packers. His 2023 campaign lasted roughly three minutes and 27 seconds, where he tore his Achilles on his first drive as Jets QB. While he remained healthy in 2024 and played decently well, it was definitely a frustrating season for Rodgers, as the Jets failed to play up to their preseason projections, finishing 5-12 and missing the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season. Rodgers comes into his 21st and presumably final season with Pittsburgh, having a serviceable supporting cast, headlined by newly acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf, who signed a 4-year, $132 million contract with Pittsburgh in March. He should provide Rodgers with a physical boundary receiver who is good in short and long yard situations. While the acquisition of Rodgers and Metcalf headlined the Steelers’ offseason, their defence is likely how they will succeed this season, with newly acquired All-Pro Jalen Ramsey and edge-rushing stalwart TJ Watt leading their unit.
On the other side, the Minnesota Vikings come into 2025 off the heels of a 14-3 season, where they revitalised the career of a once highly drafted quarterback in Sam Darnold, as he led Minnesota to their best regular season record in over a quarter century. Darnold was rewarded with a three-year contract worth north of $100 million by the Seattle Seahawks in the following offseason. While Minnesota enjoyed great success with Darnold under-centre, they now hand the reins off to JJ McCarthy, who was their first-round pick in 2024 and is coming off the heels of a college National Championship win with the Michigan Wolverines. Unfortunately for McCarthy, he tore his meniscus in the 2024 preseason, causing him to miss the entirety of 2024. However, after a long rehabilitation process, McCarthy is back on the field and is slated to be QB1 for Minnesota in his red-shirt rookie season. While there is certainly pressure on McCarthy to perform, he’ll have great help in Justin Jefferson, who is widely regarded as the best receiver in the entire league.
While the NFL world will certainly learn a lot about both teams in the three games leading up to this premier matchup at Croke Park, Vegas currently slightly favours Minnesota over Pittsburgh, with the spread coming in at -1.5. Kickoff is at 14:30 GMT on Sunday, September 28th.
