An Even Split and Modest Expectations
A look ahead at the London Bulldogs at the end of the preseason
The London Bulldogs opened the preseason at an even 1-1, besting the Steelers on the road before stumbling against the Lions at home. The world's first look at the London Bulldogs showed a team with the potential to see a few stars break out, but the results were mixed at best. Now, with the preseason concluded and the final 53-man roster announced, the Bulldogs have kept their .500 record by finishing the preseason at 2-2.
Kelvin Sanders completes a touchdown pass to Logan Thomas to send the game into overtime.After suffering a demoralizing loss against the Lions in their first home game in London, the Bulldogs stayed on their side of the pond to host the Tennesee Titans, who had also begun their preseason with a modest 1-1 record. Ryan Tannehill played most of the game for the Titans and looked sharp -- he connected to Adam Humphries in the second quarter for a 51-yard score, and then notched a second touchdown on a 34-yard pass to Jonnu Smith. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, struggled for the entire first half. Continuing to struggle with adjusting to the speed of NFL defenses, Kelvin Sanders threw two interceptions in the first half on plays that could have been touchdowns; had those passes connected, the Bulldogs would have led the game 20-14 heading into the fourth quarter, rather than trailing by 14-6.
But in the fourth quarter, Kelvin Sanders finally showed some flashes of the talent he demonstrated during his Heisman-winning final college season. After Titans' backup Cole McDonald threw his team's third touchdown pass to put the Titans up by a wide 21-6 margin at the start of the fourth quarter, Sanders kicked his game into gear. With 2:46 left in the game, he connected with TE Logan Thomas from 13 yards out, narrowing the lead to an 8-point gap at 21-13. And when the Titans failed to convert at the two minute warning, Sanders had one opportunity to get his team into overtime.
In the final two minutes of regulation, Sanders looked like a brand new player. He completed 5 of his 7 passes, working a no-huddle two-minute drill that brought the Bulldogs down to the Tenessee 5 yardline with less than 15 seconds to play. On 1st and Goal, Sanders rifled a ball into traffic over the middle to Logan Thomas, planting the ball into his chest and scoring a potentially game-tying touchdown. Rookie FB Marco Mayes punched in the two-yard run for the conversion, and the Bulldogs pushed the game into overtime.
In overtime, after the Bulldogs went three-and-out and the Titans gave up a fumble recovery, it was Younghoe Koo who, after missing an extra point to lose the team's last game against the Lions, nailed a perfect field goal from 38 yards to give London its first home win. In the end, Kelvin Sanders threw for a total of 296 yards, going 27-53 for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Younghoe Koo secures a London victory with a 38-yard field goal in overtime.
The victory was a high point for the Bulldogs. Not only did they give their home crowd their first win, but Kelvin Sanders -- whose performance has been defined by typical rookie inconsistency -- commanded an impressive fourth-quarter comeback that showed glimpses of how he can play when he's at his best, placing quick and strategic passes while using his legs when things break down. The defensive line also continued to look strong, and Younghoe Koo was able to redeem himself for the previous week's loss.
Sacks continued to roll in for London in their week 4 loss.However, the preseason finale saw the Bulldogs travel to the west coast of the United States to face the Los Angeles rams, and the game ended in a brutal 31-13 thrashing. Kelvin Sanders scored early on a high pass that dropped perfectly into the waiting arms of rookie WR Sherard McKenzie, but the second-quarter score would be among the only bright spots in an otherwise poor game.
The Bulldogs' defensive line, who made themselves one of the team's top preseason stories, continued to impress. Matt Ioannidis and Da'Ron Payne have emerged as a devastating double threat on the inside of the line, and they combined for 4.5 sacks over the course of the day. There were reasons to be optimistic for the Bulldogs' future, but their final preseason game ended on the most grim of notes.
With the 2021 preseason now behind them, the Bulldogs will prepare to enter the regular season and Ron Rivera will try to assemble his newly collected pieces into a football team that can contest for the NFC East. That process began with determining the team's final roster and starters, which included some surprising moves like carrying a staggering 10 Wide Receivers on the active roster while leaving several defensive positions lacking in depth.
Offensively, the Bulldogs will be led by Kelvin Sanders as the starting Quarterback in Week 1, but Ron Rivera is likely to work the ground as his first priority. Rivera drafted two Fullbacks to add some size to his backfield, and showed off a number of heavy formations with multiple Tight Ends, Fullbacks, and linemen throughout the preseason. Their offensive line will feature two rookie starters -- RG Rhett DaConti and C Jake Mills -- who will work under the tutelage of the O-Line's veteran leader, RG Brandon Scherff.
On defense, the Bulldogs' greatest strength will continue to their offensive line. They worked out of a 4-3 base defense for much of the preseason, with Matt Ioannidis and Da'Ron Payne bruising through opposing linemen with ease. Stand out RE Chase Young, who missed half of his rookie season due to injury, will help to anchor the outside and make the Bulldogs' front four a fearsome threat. They will need to work hard to put pressure on opposing Quarterbacks, as the linebacking corps is lacking and the defensive secondary is the oldest in the NFL. While Safeties Landon Collins and Kendall Fuller are playing hard through their 20's, all but one of the Bulldog's starting Cornerbacks are 30 or older.
With this roster in place, the Bulldogs will now prepare to open their regular season on the road, heading into the Texas heat to face the Dallas Cowboys.
| London Bulldogs Roster (2021) |
| # | OFFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 12 | Kelvin Sanders (R) | QB | 21 | 6'2'' | 225 | Kansas State |
| 7 | Dwayne Haskins Jr | QB | 24 | 6'3'' | 230 | Ohio State |
| 11 | Alex Smith | QB | 37 | 6'4'' | 217 | Utah |
| 21 | Aaron Jones | HB | 26 | 5'9'' | 208 | UTEP |
| 32 | J.D. McKissic | HB | 28 | 5'10'' | 195 | Arkansas State |
| 33 | Peyton Barber | HB | 27 | 5'11'' | 225 | Auburn |
| 49 | Junior Boley (R) | FB | 22 | 6'3'' | 258 | Southern Miss |
| 45 | Marco Mayes (R) | FB | 23 | 6'1'' | 265 | Georgia |
| 17 | Terry McLaurin | WR | 24 | 6'0'' | 208 | Ohio State |
| 15 | Steven Sims | WR | 24 | 5'10'' | 176 | Kansas |
| 18 | Trey Quinn | WR | 25 | 6'0'' | 203 | SMU |
| 13 | Kelvin Harmon | WR | 24 | 6'2'' | 215 | N.C. State |
| 10 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | WR | 23 | 6'4'' | 223 | Liberty |
| 84 | Greg Ward Jr | WR | 26 | 5'11'' | 190 | Houston |
| 86 | Sherard McKenzie (R) | WR | 21 | 6'5'' | 220 | Michigan |
| 88 | Justin Watson | WR | 26 | 6'3'' | 215 | Penn |
| 19 | Equanimeous St. Brown | WR | 24 | 6'5'' | 214 | Notre Dame |
| 80 | Bryan Calhoun (R) | WR | 23 | 6'2'' | 215 | Mississippi State |
| 82 | Logan Thomas | TE | 30 | 6'6'' | 250 | Virginia Tech |
| 40 | Jared Stewart (R) | TE | 23 | 6'4'' | 265 | FAU |
| 74 | Geron Christian Sr | LT | 24 | 6'5'' | 315 | Louisville |
| 88 | Saahdiq Charles | LT | 22 | 6'4'' | 321 | LSU |
| 65 | Rhett DaConti (R) | LG | 22 | 6'2'' | 306 | Alabama |
| 71 | Wes Schweitzer | LG | 27 | 6'4'' | 300 | San Jose State |
| 52 | Jake Mills (R) | C | 21 | 6'1'' | 310 | Georgia |
| 60 | Keith Ismael | C | 23 | 6'3'' | 309 | San Diego State |
| 75 | Brandon Scherff | RG | 29 | 6'5'' | 315 | Iowa |
| 67 | Wes Martin | RG | 25 | 6'3'' | 311 | Indiana |
| 76 | Morgan Moses | RG | 30 | 6'6'' | 330 | Virginia |
| # | DEFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 93 | Jabaal Sheard | LE | 32 | 6'3'' | 265 | Pittsburgh |
| 95 | Jordan Bailford | LE | 25 | 6'3'' | 250 | Oklahoma State |
| 99 | Chase Young | RE | 22 | 6'5'' | 264 | Ohio State |
| 90 | Montez Sweat | RE | 24 | 6'6'' | 260 | Mississippi State |
| 72 | James Smith-Williams | RE | 24 | 6'4'' | 265 | N.C. State |
| 98 | Matthew Ioannidis | DT | 27 | 6'3'' | 310 | Temple |
| 94 | Da'Ron Payne | DT | 24 | 6'3'' | 319 | Alabama |
| 51 | Shaun Dion Hamilton | LOLB | 25 | 6'0'' | 232 | Alabama |
| 55 | Cole Holcomb | LOLB | 25 | 6'1'' | 240 | North Carolina |
| 56 | Reuben Foster | MLB | 27 | 6'1'' | 228 | Alabama |
| 53 | Jon Bostic | MLB | 30 | 6'1'' | 245 | Florida |
| 42 | Ben Gedeon | ROLB | 26 | 6'2'' | 244 | Michigan |
| 59 | Khaleke Hudson | ROLB | 23 | 5'11'' | 224 | Michigan |
| 28 | Jason McCourty | CB | 34 | 5'11'' | 195 | Rutgers |
| 25 | Prince Amukamara | CB | 32 | 6'0'' | 206 | Nebraska |
| 26 | Janoris JEnkins | CB | 32 | 5'10'' | 190 | North Alabama |
| 31 | Aqib Talib | CB | 35 | 6'1'' | 205 | Kansas |
| 37 | Greg Stroman | CB | 25 | 5'11'' | 180 | Virginia Tech |
| 23 | Kendall Fuller | FS | 26 | 5'11'' | 198 | Virginia Tech |
| 30 | Troy Apke | FS | 26 | 6'1'' | 205 | Penn State |
| 20 | Landon Collins | SS | 27 | 6'0'' | 218 | Alabama |
| 29 | Deshazor Everett | SS | 29 | 6'0'' | 203 | Texas A&M |
| # | SPECIAL TEAMS | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 8 | Younghoe Koo | K | 27 | 5'9'' | 185 | Georgia Southern |
| 5 | Tress Way | P | 31 | 6'1'' | 220 | Oklahoma |