Colts picked to play game in London for first time

The Indianapolis Colts will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 2, the National Football League announced Wednesday.

It will be the first time the Colts play in England. Jacksonville will be designated the home team, meaning the Colts won't have to give up a home date on their schedule.

Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins could become the first team to play two NFL games in London in the same season, and in consecutive weeks.

The Redskins will face the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 30 at Wembley, the NFL said. The team could also face the St. Louis Rams a week earlier at Twickenham Stadium depending on how the team finishes in the NFC East this season.

The NFL has been playing regular-season games in London since 2007, with every one played at Wembley, the home of England's national soccer team. But next year will start a new deal to hold games at Twickenham, the home of England's national rugby team.

The Redskins will travel to London for the first time since 1992, when they played the San Francisco 49ers in the American Bowl, a preseason game held at the old Wembley Stadium. But they may be here for a bit longer than every other team that has been coming since the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins in a regular-season game in 2007.

In Wednesday's announcement, the NFL only said the Rams would face an NFC East opponent.

"Washington may play in consecutive weeks in London in 2016, depending on the final standings," the NFL said. "At minimum, they will face the Bengals in Week 8."

The Rams could also face the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants.

The Bengals and Colts will also be playing in London for the first time, while the Jaguars will be returning for the fourth straight year.

The Colts have played outside the United States before, but only in preseason games and not in England. The team played in Mexico City in 2000, Tokyo in 2005 and Toronto in 2010.

This season, the Jags won for the first time in London, coming back to beat the Buffalo Bills 34-31.

Earlier this month, the NFL said it would stage at least one game per season starting next year at Twickenham, which recently hosted the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia.

The agreement is for three years, with an option for two more.

The NFL has also agreed to play at least two games per season at Wembley through 2020, and has reached a 10-year deal to play at least two games at Tottenham's new soccer stadium starting in 2018.

That means there will be a minimum of five regular-season NFL games in London in 2018 — two at Wembley, two at Tottenham's stadium and one at Twickenham.

The NFL said there is also a possibility of adding another game outside of Britain next season.