• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Giants, Dolphins travel to London

Oct 28, 2007 - 10:54 AM NY Giants (5-2) vs. Miami (0-7) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

LONDON (Ticker) - The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins stage the first NFL game outside North America on Sunday when the teams meet at Wembley Stadium.

This is not the first time the NFL is conducting a game outside the United States.

In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals met in Mexico City. The game drew 103,467 fans - the largest crowd for a regular-season game in NFL history.

The crowd will not approach the century mark this time since Wembley Stadium has a capacity of 90,000.

"We are expecting around 10,000 American fans to travel to London to watch this game as well as people from Europe," London mayor Ken Livingstone said. "There will be 60 million TV viewers in the U.S. alone, so it will be a great opportunity to showcase London to new visitors and for people to see the way we uniquely enjoy our sport."

This also will not be the last time the NFL travels abroad. NFL owners voted last October to play up to two games outside the United States every year for the next five years, with just this game in 2007.

"Needless to say, we are enthused and excited to be part of this historic event," Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga said. "This event is not great for just the UK, but all of Europe."

While Huzienga is enthused, the winless Dolphins will hope the trip across the pond results in their first win of the season. Miami, which has been designated the home team, has lost a franchise-record 10 straight games, dating to last season.

At 0-7, the Dolphins also are off to the worst start in franchise history.

"Well, we can't win in America, maybe we can win overseas," said defensive end Jason Taylor, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

But breaking into the win column may be difficult for the Dolphins, who have to deal not only with the surging Giants but some key injuries.

Already without quarterback Trent Green (concussion) for the remainder of the season, the Dolphins lost running back Ronnie Brown (torn right ACL) for the remainder of the campaign in last Sunday's 49-28 debacle against the unbeaten New England Patriots.

Brown, who leads the NFL with 991 total yards, was injured while attempting to tackle Patriots defensive back Randall Gay during an interception return near midfield in the third quarter.

"As difficult as this situation is, you have to find a way to make the most of it," Dolphins first-year coach Cam Cameron said. "You have to find a way. You've got to keep this thing one day at a time, one game at a time, and that's the position we're in."

Jesse Chatman, a former player in the now-defunct NFL Europa, is expected to see a majority of the playing time in Brown's absence. He has rushed for 117 yards on 20 carries this season.

Prior to last week's trade deadline, the Dolphins also dealt leading-receiver Chris Chambers to the San Diego Chargers for a draft pick.

It also looked like it was going to be a rough season for the Giants, who surrendered 80 points in losing their first two games. However, the Giants have turned things around and are seeking their first six-game winning since 1994 when Dan Reeves was roaming the sidelines.

The Giants' turnaround could be attributed to their defense, which leads the league with 27 sacks. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora has been the ringleader and is tied with Kansas City's Jared Allen for the league lead with eight sacks.

Last Sunday, Umenyiora recorded a sack and returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown in a 33-15 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Fellow defensive end Michael Strahan recorded 2 1/2 of the Giants' six sacks.

"I think when you've done what we've done the last four or five games and start having pressure like that, before the game the quarterback is thinking about the rush," Strahan said. Both teams have their bye after this game.