A stroll along Olympic Way down from Wembley Park tube station on an NFL matchday is a study in sound and vision, a mass of bodies in kaleidoscopic colour moving at random with reckless abandon for itself and anything in the way. There is no time, mind, to be tribal – in the Jubilee Line carriages those in Packers and Bears jerseys mingle and mix, sharing in the common cause that is American football fandom at a distance. One can find just about each and every franchise represented within the throng, jerseys sported with pride and passion regardless of which teams are actually involved.

It will be two decades next year since the International Series first launched and still that festival feel remains. The NFL seems more intent than ever on global expansion but London remains its home away from home; this encounter between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans was the 28th game at Wembley and 45th in all.

But does that trans-Atlantic special relationship remain just as strong? For the first time in a good while, it feels fair to ask that question. The opening encounter of this year’s three-game slate between the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts only came close to a sellout thanks to a late surge of sales driven by a drop in ticket prices, and there were a smattering of empty seats evident around Wembley – even if a crowd north of 82,000 was recorded on a damp Sunday afternoon for the meeting of two of the league’s more unfashionable franchises.

The sense of spectacle remains, mind, the product not at all cheapened 19 years on. From the Jaguars mascot bungee jumping off the roof – supported, of course, by the sponsorship of an insurance broker – through the assault on the ears and eyes that accompanies any pause, everything is dressed up in pomp and ceremony. A half-time “Duval Derby” featuring corgis felt, in some way, appropriate.

The crowd were royally treated, too, to a thrilling duel between CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence settled with the last kick. Even in a wretched start to the season for the Texans, quarterback Stroud had looked back to somewhere near his best, sending a message as the Houston hierarchy deliberate over a long-term contract. With offensive personnel bolstered by the arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr from Arizona for a second round pick, Stroud carved the Jaguars secondary apart, hitting Nico Collins and Jaylin Noel repeatedly downfield and picking out tight end Foster Moreau twice underneath for touchdowns once within range. Noel also added a touchdown, while a scamper from back-up running back Jawhar Jordan brought seven more points.

The Jaguars stayed with them, though, with Bhayshul Tuten twice navigating from the flats to the endzone after short Lawrence passes, and unheralded Nate Boerkircher snaring one of his own with a sensational one-handed grab over his head. It was Travis Hunter, though, who really gave them hope: the two-way talent first capitalising on some gorgeous Coen play design to score, before picking off Stroud in the other endzone a matter of minutes later.

It gave Jacksonville the chance to launch a game-tying drive. Courtesy of a 60-yard field goal from Cam Little, they did precisely that. His hasty hoisting left two minutes on the clock, though – more than enough time for Stroud to work Houston into field goal range and allow kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to do the rest and restore hope of a Texans turnaround.

It capped a mixed trip for the Jaguars, beating the Philadelphia Eagles at the last seven days ago but falling just short this to drop to 4-2. Perhaps the staunchest supporters of the international games, even they appear slightly uncertain about the future. No team has done more in London than the Jaguars, quick to seize on an opportunity to develop their fanbase abroad in 2013 and regular visitors ever since. Liam Coen’s side have spent the last fortnight at their training base at the Grove in Watford, able to settle in on British soil with back-to-back games here.

The Jaguars are locked in for another game overseas in 2027, but it is not clear what lies beyond that. Come 2028, there will be a gleaming new facility in Jacksonville to enjoy, with a $1.4 billion revamp of Everbank Stadium underway – putting an end to speculation that the Jags could be a prime relocation candidate away from a market that, by NFL standards, is small. A temporary move to Orlando, and that game in London, next year will allow that work to be done.

Jaguars president Mark Lamping indicated this week, though, to travelling media from Jacksonville that he would very much like every home game of the 2028 season at their new stadium in Florida. Meanwhile, the economic benefits that have been felt by having such close ties across the pond will not be quite so necessary. Another team could yet spot an opportunity. “I feel like we have a strong connection and tie to London,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said this week. “We’ve been playing here for a long time. Who knows if that will change?”

Every NFL team is currently required to give up a home game every four years to be played internationally, though that may change if an expanded season or international slate is agreed. Might the NFL look to intensify its efforts away from London anyway? The drive to access new territories will continue but something, at some stage, will surely have to give to avoid total saturation. Some of the scarcity value with the games in London already feels to have been lost – but if every contest was as good as this, few would really care.