Over the last few seasons, the NFL has made a concerted effort to expand the outreach of the league beyond the United States.
An international slate of games has mostly been played in London, as well as a few in Mexico. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Los Angeles Rams will host the Kansas City Chiefs next season in Mexico City at Estadio Azteca.
Los Angeles Rams will host the Kansas City Chiefs at Estadio Azteca in the 2018 season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2018
This will mark the Rams' first game in Mexico since the league began to play in the country. The reason for the selection is due to the NFL having a policy in place that requires teams to play one game internationally for every season that they play out of a temporary stadium. The Rams are currently using the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum while their new stadium in Inglewood, California is built ahead of the 2020 campaign.
The Rams have participated in regular season games in London over the last two seasons, playing against the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, this will mark the first regular-game for the Chiefs in Mexico, as they played a preseason contest in Monterrey, Mexico back in 1996. The date and time of the game will be announced once the NFL reveals the official 2018 schedule later this offseason.
This is an intriguing matchup between two playoff teams from this past season. The Rams have quickly become one of the league's most promising squads under head coach Sean McVay behind their explosive offense led by star running back Todd Gurley and Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff.
The Chiefs will look much different next season with second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes expected to take over the reigns following the trade of Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins on Tuesday night. Each of these teams possesses game-changing talent on both sides of the ball that should set the stage for another exciting contest in Mexico City.
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