NFL to Honor Queen Elizabeth During Bills vs. Rams Game

Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 on Thursday, and the NFL will honor the late Queen of the United Kingdom ahead of its season opener. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, there will be a moment of silence prior to the game between the Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams. The Pro Football Hall of Fame released a statement on Queen Elizabeth's death. 

"We join the world in sending our condolences to The Royal Family on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II," the Pro Football Hall of Fame wrote on Twitter. "On her first visit to the U.S. as queen in 1957, she experienced "American Football" for the first time at a game between [Maryland] and [North Carolina]."

Over the years, the NFL has tried expanding the game to the United Kingdom. This year, two games will be played in London. On October 2, the New Orleans Saints will face the Minnesota Vikings. On October 9, the Green Bay Packers will face the New York Giants. Both games will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

"We've got so many fans in Europe and I know we've got a huge fan base in both the UK and Ireland and I've heard from so many people, they just keep saying they're ecstatic and beside themselves, can't wait for the game, it's going to be like a home game for the Packers," Mark Murphy, Packers president, recently told Sky Sports. 

Queen Elizabeth held her position for 70 years and 214 days, the longest of any British monarch and the second-longest record of any monarch of a sovereign country. She was the queen of 14 other Commonwealth realms along with the UK, and now her eldest son, Charles III, will succeed her. 

"The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," Charles said in a statement. "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."