"Hold my coat" Wembley Stadium said to Tottenham, for the NFL was about to double down on its embrace of London carnage.

The UK closed the curtain on its annual residency Sunday with one of the greatest game in its near-two-decade history as a regular-season host, Ka'imi Fairbairn's walk-off field goal leading the Houston Texans to a 34-31 shootout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A last-second kick to win it all came just a week on from Cam Little's dramatic field goal as the Jaguars stunned the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the most iconic London games moments, a Jude Bellingham celebration to match proving a textbook tip of the hat to these shores. This time, though, it was the turn of the Texans to boot their way to British bedlam.

The Wembley press box had kindly provided cookies among a selection of sweet treats for media to enjoy at half-time, and so there national and international journalists sat, alternating between munching and typing as CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence traded MVP credentials. Somewhere in the middle became a less cohesive not-so-excellent Corgi race just about as chaotic as a Brian Flores blitz, but perhaps it was fitting. Chaos within the chaos.

There really was no let-up, the decibels ramping up as the floodlights fended off a darkening sky, under which an exceptional Stroud continued his superb start to the campaign. He was dealing the rock with the same touch and placement that generated his Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim in 2023, finishing with 312 yards and three touchdowns while flourishing in the face of pressure as the Jags sought to blitz him.

Stroud has now thrown for 250-plus yards in five of six games this season, having only achieved the feat three times last year. Both he and Bryce Young have faced criticism at different points since entering the league as the first two picks of their Draft class. Suddenly they are playing like two of the best quarterbacks in football.

"Our fans are right: C.J. Stroud for MVP," said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.

London meanwhile enjoyed a historic day for Travis Hunter as the two-position Jags star scored a touchdown and intercepted Stroud in the end zone, becoming the first player to do both in the same game since Brian Dawkins against the Texans in 2002.

A hugely successful month for the NFL in London, where you can't help but feel there is now an added pressure, perhaps expectation, to both deliver theatre and lead by the front as the rest of the globe seeks to feed off its blueprint. Paris awaits next weekend, with barnstormers in both Brazil and London having set the bar exceedingly high.

What we learned

• The Los Angeles Rams are staring at the reality of their nightmare coming true. They were billed as the NFL's supposed super-team, entering the season as favourites after the arrival of Myles Garrett and return of Aaron Donald with whom to bolster a unit already led by MVP Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. On Sunday they were beaten 18-16 by Jacoby Brissett's Arizona Cardinals, falling to 2-4 at the bottom of the NFC West division. Sean McVay's side could not capitalise against a defense that arrived into Sunday's game allowing the 26th most yards per game and the most points in the NFL, scoring on just three of 10 drives while Stafford continued his uncomfortable start to the season. Having cut kicker Harrison Mevis during the week, the Rams lost his replacement Blake Grupe to injury after the former New Orleans Saint was hurt while attempting a tackle, adding to their debilitating special teams woes.

• What Jeffery Simmons would do to be on a competitive team?! What we as fans of the sport would do to see it? Since being taken with the 19th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle went to the AFC Championship game in his first year in the league but it's been a barren wasteland that has served as the scene for his last four - Tennessee returning a combined record of 19-49 - that then bled into an 0-5 start to this season. But a win is now finally on the board for the Titans, their first for 12 games, with Simmons the catalyst as he returned six tackles and two sacks against the Colts, while it was his forced fumble of Jonathan Taylor to start the second half that sparked the comeback victory from 13-0 down. "I thought he was outstanding in the locker room at half-time," head coach Robert Saleh said afterwards. "It may have gone unnoticed, but for me, just watching him and observing the team, he's a man's man, and I appreciate him. I think he's the best defensive tackle in the ball, period."

Overreaction or reality?

The Browns are the best team in the AFC North. It is a touch premature to crown them just six weeks into the season, especially with two other teams in the division tied for the same record - in the Steelers and Ravens - and with only a bye preventing the Bengals from potentially making it a full house on four wins. BUT, Cleveland crucially hold tiebreakers over Pittsburgh and Baltimore after beating both, with their 13-10 triumph over the latter on Sunday making it the deepest into a season that the Browns have held first place in their division for 12 years!

Winners & Losers

Winners:

JJ McCarthy: The former Minnesota Viking - the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft - was brought in to see out the final quarter of the Giants' loss to the Saints, trailing by 24, only to almost pull off the most unlikely of comebacks. His 243 passing yards is the most-ever across an 11-minute span in NFL history and has surely secured him the starting job for the Week Seven trip to the Houston Texans? If not, you'd imagine the change will come out the back of their Week Eight bye.

Kenneth Walker III: He might be the league MVP through six weeks. Kenneth Walker III continues to make the Chiefs tick, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns as Andy Reid's side beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6 to improve to 5-0 on the year. The Chiefs running back forced seven more missed tackles to increase his tally to a league-leading 52, according to NextGenStats. He meanwhile leads the NFL in yards and touchdowns from runs against stacked boxes; put all the men you want against him - he is still finding ways to win.

Losers:

Nick Sirianni: Jordan Mailata said he had endured the 'week from hell' after the Eagles saw Lane Johnson retire before trading Cam Jurgens to the Ravens and then losing dramatically in London. It got even worse for Nick Sirianni this week as Philly placed quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve with a blood clot, before losing 25-14 to the Carolina Panthers to drop to 2-4. The Eagles are creeping towards turmoil now, and a bleak conclusion awaits Sirianni at this rate.

Mike McCarthy: It wasn't exactly a red-letter day for all McCarthys in the NFL. JJ's namesake, the head coach of the Steelers, suffered the embarrassment of missing his half-time team talk due to an apparent ankle injury that forced him into the injury tent for further assessment. He did manage to return to the sideline for the second half and oversee a Pittsburgh victory in Tampa Bay - but one that came at a cost!

Player of the Weekend - Kyler Gordon, DB, Chicago Bears

What a way to mark your return. Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon played in his first game of the season on Sunday, by the end of which he had recorded three sacks, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in Chicago's 31-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He is a difference maker at multiple levels for this Bears defense. Caleb Williams impressed on his return from injury by completing 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, marking the highest completion rate by a Bears quarterback to attempt at least 30 passes in team history, according to NFL Network. But this was Gordon's game.

Game of the Weekend

London probably did claim the Game of the Weekend with Houston's win over Jacksonville, but beyond our headline story the Buffalo Bills held off the Las Vegas Raiders in a 33-30 to get to 5-1 on the year. Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns to tie Jim Kelly's franchise record of 258 touchdown passes, including his improvised shot-putt strike to Keon Coleman in true Allen fashion. James Cook, so often a driving force for the Bills offense, delivered a defining contribution down the stretch with a three-yard rushing touchdown with 4.43 left to reward his own 26-yard sideline scamper. Tyler Bass then scored a 38-yard field goal inside the two-minute warning to make it a two-possession lead, ultimately negating Tre Tucker's 44-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive.