Pictured is Vinny Curry of the Philadelphia Eagles. Can the Eagles finally win a Super Bowl? They lost in their two previous Super Bowl appearances in 2004 and 1980. PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES
You don’t have to endure the freezing US winter if you want to watch the run-up to the 52nd Super Bowl... just settle into a bar in Hammersmith & Fulham!
This weekend is divisional weekend as the American football season nears its climax, with Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles at 9.35pm on Saturday (13 January), followed by Tennessee Titans v New England Patriots at 1.15am.
Then on Sunday (14 January), Jacksonville Jaguars – who are owned by Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan – play Pittsburgh Steelers at 6.05pm, followed by New Orleans Saints v Minnesota Vikings at 9.40pm.
On 21 January, it’s Championship Sunday, with games at 8.05pm and 11.40pm. And if you’re not among the 70,000 spectators watching the Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Sunday 4 February, the fun starts at 11.30pm on big screens across H&F.
Whether anything quite lives up to the excitement of last year’s final remains to be seen. In that game, the New England Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons by 25 points before the most stirring comeback in Super Bowl history led to a 34-28 win for the Patriots.
It marked the fifth Super Bowl victory for 40-year-old Patriots quarterback Tom Brady – the most wins for any quarterback in the history of American football.
Can the evergreen Brady win his sixth Super Bowl ring this time out?
This is where you can catch the action in H&F:
Frankie’s at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium, Fulham Road, is screening the build-up games, and with 12 big screens in the bar, there’s no problem with finding a good spot to watch.
Last year’s Super Bowl party sold out quickly, so act fast.
Bodean’s BBQ smokehouse at 6 Broadway Chambers, Fulham Broadway – a five-minute stroll from Stamford Bridge, and right opposite the tube station – may be the smallest of the chain’s London outlets, but it’s big on American football, and will be screening the early evening matches.
Belushi’s at 28 Hammersmith Broadway is open until the small hours, while its sister establishment Belushi’s at 13 Shepherds Bush Green, on the terrace overlooking Westfield is also a home for live NFL action. And both Belushi’s are screening Super Bowl LII with cheerleaders, American beers and whisky, and late-night American menus.
Famous Three Kings at 171 North End Road which boasts three big screens, 13 plasmas and two 3D TVs will be screening the gridiron clashes including a special Super Bowl night on 4 February where there will be table service all night, an open kitchen and free popcorn.
Other pubs which show NFL games include Flynn’s pub and kitchen at 73 Dalling Road, Hammersmith, near Ravenscourt Park tube and the Packhorse & Talbot pub at 145 Chiswick High Road.
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