CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
The game in London
The Panthers are in London for the first time in franchise history as they take on division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Here is what you need to know about this historic game and state of the art stadium.
According to the Panthers, when the team kick off on Sunday, it’ll be in the biggest Club soccer stadium London has to offer. The stadium opened in April and has a multi-purpose set up that gives it the ability to host NFL games and Premier League soccer matches in the same day.
In just 25 minutes, the soccer field can be rolled away with a help of a series of motors and rails beneath and lies underneath is an NFL-quality synthetic turf field.
Painting the town black and blue
Panther fans all week showed support in London and painted the town black and blue.
Beginning Monday and all the way through game day, fans got to experience the official Panthers pub in London at the Barrow Boy & Banker. Fans who traveled from the United States and Panthers fans from London wore their Panthers gear and welcomed the team as they arrived Thursday.
After arriving in London, the Panthers headed to Harrow School, where the team would be practicing for the next few days. The players took part in an NFL Play 60 event with local schoolchildren. The kids were able to go through a series of drill and station with the team.
Greg Olsen got to talked about his experience playing in a different country and share an exciting moment with the students.
“It’s been interesting. We woke up on a plane in a different country on a different day. We’re enjoying it,” Olsen said. “It’s good to share our game with them, share what it teaches. For kids growing up here, this is kind of different and unique, which is fun.”
But the trip was even more special for one of Olsen very own teammates.
Returning Home
Panthers defensive end Efe Obada discovered football at age 22 and eventually became the first international pathway player to make a 53-man roster when he made the cut for the panthers last season. Now Obada's journey is coming full circle by taking him back to London for the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd.
Obada was born in Nigeria, and when he was 10 years old, he and his sister were trafficked to the United Kingdom from the Netherlands and abandoned on London streets before social services stepped in.
Now, all these years later, later he’s coming back to London as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Head coach Ron Rivera said Obada is trying his best to downplay the hype surrounding his return to the UK. But it’s kind of hard to hide the excitement with something as special as this moment.
“Just the full circle of starting over there and now going back and having the opportunity to play in front of local Brits and people who aspire to be where I am,” Obada said when asked what he’s looking forward to. “We know what sport does for people and how it changes people’s lives.”
Obada said he’s going to make the most of the moment and enjoy it.
Kyle Allen still leading the pack
Coach Ron Rivera set the stage for the London game against the Buccaneers. Rivera said the Panthers are continuing with Kyle Allen as the starter as Cam Newton rehabs.
“Just continuing his rehab,” Rivera said, “We have no timeline. He’ll go through whatever they have planned for him. Kyle is our starter and we’ll continue that way.”
Newton did not make the trip to London, but the quarterback did show his face at Tuesday’s practice riding around on his motorized bike. He has not played since the lost to Tampa Bay in week 2.
Allen has since stepped in the place of Newton and is 3-0 as the starter this season, which he will make his fourth consecutive start in London.
In Allen three starts this season he has completed 60 of his 90 attempted passes for 674 yards, in addition to 5 touchdown and zero interceptions.
Not only is this his first time playing overseas, it’ll be his first time ever leaving the states.
Get ready
Whether you’re in London or in the US, you can still watch your Panthers take on the Buccaneers live. The Panthers will kick off on national television on Sunday with the game beginning at 2:30 p.m. in London and 9:30 a.m. eastern time in the United States.
The Panthers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week two and lost on a controversial goal-line play at the end of the game that sealed the Bucs’ win.
The Panthers fell to 0-2 to start the season after that loss, and later that week Panther discovered Newton reaggravated a foot injury. However, the Panthers have improved and become a better team since then.
Backup quarterback Kyle Allen entered the lineup, and the offense started clicking. Running back Christian McCaffrey has also gotten a lot of attention in recent games and was named September’s NFC Offensive Player of the month.
According to experts, the winner of Sunday's NFC South clash at Tottenham Stadium is anyone's guess, but the Panthers are looking to come home from London with a win and hopefully improve to a 4-2 record.
Keep Pounding!