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Travis Hunter scored his first NFL touchdown but it was merely a consolation as the Los Angeles Rams brushed off jet lag to claim a 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley.
The Rams did not arrive in the UK until Saturday morning - the day before the last of this season's London series, which was the 43rd regular-season game to be played in the English capital.
That was the latest any team has arrived for an NFL game in London while the Jaguars, who also came into the game with a 4-2 record, had been here since Tuesday.
But the Rams charged into a 21-0 half-time lead before coasting through the second half, with veteran receiver Davante Adams scoring a hat-trick of touchdowns as the Rams finished with five overall.
Rookie Hunter ensured the Jaguars avoided a shutout with nine minutes remaining, with the NFL's first genuine two-way player in about 30 years helping to cut the score to 28-7.
But it did not take the shine off an impressive win by the Rams, who had already been tipped as Super Bowl contenders and now head into their bye week on the back of their best start since their last championship-winning season of 2021.
Each team does things differently when travelling for NFL's international games, some teams from one trip to the next.
The Rams were well beaten on their first two visits to London after arriving early in the wee.
Then, after arriving late for their other two visits in 2017 and 2019, they won both.
So this time they opted to come late - even later than ever before - and there was another quirk with their unusual pre-match schedule.
After winning 17-3 at the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday, the Rams not only stayed on the east coast all week but practised at the Baltimore Orioles' home field in the first non-baseball events to be held at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992.
That meant they had a shorter flight and time difference to contend with, although Adams said he still woke at 4am on Sunday and could not get back to sleep.
It did not seem like that as he claimed two touchdowns before half-time, after rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield opened the scoring with his first NFL touchdown.
Tight ends Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson claimed LA's other two scores, showing the Rams have the receiving corps to fill the void of star receiver Puka Nacua, who was ruled out with an ankle injury from last week.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford led a balanced offence, making passes to 10 different receivers and, asked if he felt any jet lag, he said: "Ask me tomorrow, it'll be a wild one, flying back right now. We pieced it together and went out and played well, so we were glad we did what we did in the first and second quarter."
The NFL has not had a two-way player like Travis Hunter for decades, a "unicorn" who is spending significant time on offence and defence.
After Hunter was named college football's best player in 2024, the Jaguars traded up to select him with the second overall pick of this year's draft and have continued to play him at wide receiver and cornerback.
Hunter's NFL start has been steady rather than spectacular, but this week head coach Liam Coen said the Jaguars have been designing plays for the 22-year-old to get more involved on offence.
There was little sign of that in the first half as it was the Jags who looked jet lagged, but on their first possession of the third quarter, quarterback Trevor Lawrence found Hunter on back-to-back plays for his first catches of the game.
That approach continued as Hunter finished with eight catches for 101 yards, his longest play being his 34-yard touchdown catch.
After that play, Lawrence and Hunter were deep in conversation on the sideline as they look to keep learning and strengthen a connection they hope will be the foundation of the franchise for years to come.
Hunter posted career-high figures, along with his maiden touchdown, and while it was not quite the breakout performance he would have hoped for under the Wembley arch, it was still a step in the right direction as the Jags aim to mould him into an NFL superstar.
