Cardinals and 49ers will play regular-season game in Mexico

The NFL will play its first regular-season game outside the United States on Oct. 2 when the Arizona Cardinals play host to the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

The league confirmed the matchup Monday at the annual meetings. ESPN will televise the Sunday night game from Azteca Stadium.

“Mexico is the country with the most NFL fans outside of the United States,” commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. “Our fans in Mexico are knowledgeable and passionate and they are ready for this next step. They have supported our American Bowl (preseason) games in record numbers and NFL programming has been part of television in Mexico for many decades.

“The Cardinals and 49ers play in markets with large Hispanic communities, including many people of Mexican descent. This game will generate new excitement both in Mexico and in Hispanic communities throughout the United States, and it promises to become a milestone in the NFL’s history as a global sport.”

Arizona was an obvious choice to switch a home game to Mexico because the Cardinals rarely sell out Sun Devil Stadium. They can expect a crowd of more than 100,000 at Azteca Stadium for the game against the 49ers.

On Aug. 15, 1994, the largest crowd in NFL history, 112,376, saw a preseason game between Dallas and Houston in Mexico City.

Of course, the Cowboys are the most popular team in Mexico.

“The Cardinals are honored to have been selected for this historic and unprecedented game,” said Michael Bidwill, the team’s vice president and general counsel and son of owner Bill Bidwill. “When we learned of the league’s interest in staging an international regular-season game we felt the Cardinals would be a natural fit this season for a number of reasons.… This game will provide a phenomenal opportunity to showcase the Cardinals to a national and international audience.”

Of course, the Cardinals and 49ers probably would not have gotten a prime-time game after they went a combined 8-24 last season.

Ravens match Taylor’s offer sheet

The Baltimore Ravens have matched the one-year, $3 million offer sheet running back Chester Taylor signed last week with the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens had until Wednesday to match the offer for free agent Taylor, the primary backup to Pro Bowler Jamal Lewis.

The deal includes a $2 million base salary, a $1 million signing bonus and a pair of $100,000 incentive clauses.

“This shows the continued commitment of Steve Bisciotti to win and the flexibility of our cap that we can retain a player like Chester,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said.

Redskins break record again

The Washington Redskins set the NFL’s regular-season home paid attendance record for the fifth straight year, the league announced.

The Redskins, whose 91,665-seat stadium is the largest in the NFL, drew 707,920 fans – an average of 88,490 – for eight home games. The New York Giants (629,874) were second, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs (623,264) and New York Jets (622,985).

Overall, the league had another record year at the gate, setting a mark for the third straight season. NFL paid attendance for all games - including exhibitions and playoffs – was 21,708,624, an increase of nearly 70,000 over the previous record of 21,639,040 in 2003.

Regular-season games drew 17,000,811 fans, an average of 66,409 per game.

Around the league

The Bears signed free-agent guard Roberto Garza to a one-year contract Friday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. … Linebacker Chris Clemons, a late-season pickup who became an unexpected impact player during the final month of the season, re-signed with the Redskins. … Jesse Palmer, longtime backup quarterback who got more exposure as “The Bachelor” on TV than on the field, re-signed with the Giants.