In Week 11 the Oakland Raiders hosted the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, although the game was not played in Oakland, it was in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium.
While many thought the stadium would pose problems for both teams, as it sits at 7,280 feet above sea level which is higher than Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the NFL’s most-elevated venue at 5,280 feet, there didn’t end up being any issues.
In fact the game was actually a really good one, as the Raiders came back to defeat the Texans 27-20 behind another stellar fourth quarter performance from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
The Raiders enjoyed playing there, as head coach Jack Del Rio said that he was impressed by the support of the fans in Mexico City.
Because of how successful the event was, it appears the Raiders may be going back for another game at Azteca Stadium next season to take on the New England Patriots, via ESPN:
Just one week after the NFL returned to Mexico City for the first time in over a decade, there are already reports suggesting a new contest for the 2017 season.
The New England Patriots would face the Oakland Raiders at the Estadio Azteca at some point during the next year, according to ESPN’s John Sutcliffe.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft recently expressed interest in playing a game there, and Raiders owner Mark Davis also said he would like to return there on regular occurrences, so the Patriots and Raiders matchup makes a lot of sense.
In recent years the NFL has had annual games in London, but other than the one game in Mexico City this season no other international city has played host to a regular season NFL game.
If the Patriots and Raiders were to matchup in Mexico City next season it would be a treat for the fans there, as they both currently hold the best record in the AFC at 9-2, and figure to be contenders in the AFC for many years to come.