Playing a new high of three games in London this season, the NFL did bloody well.

Novelty appeal in soccer land? Or do the positive signs say London is not only ready for some football – but its own franchise?

“I don’t think they make it a done deal. … I do think we’ve made a lot of progress on several fronts,” says Mark Waller, an Englishman who is NFL executive vice president for international.

In Sunday’s 2014 London finale, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium before a paid sellout crowd of 83,603 (average ticket $122 U.S. dollars). Nine of 11 London games since 2007 have sold more than 83,000 tickets, including the past six.

An October game, the “Wake up to Wembley” matchup between the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons, had a start time of 9:30 a.m. ET in the USA, yet turned in solid ratings in a time slot that could expand the NFL schedule on Sundays.

Three more NFL games are set for London in 2015.

“We’ve sold a quarter of a million tickets for those three games (this year),” says Waller. ” … If you kind of took that and translated it into U.S. domestic terms, that’s probably half a season (of home attendance) for most clubs.”

A third of customers bought the three-game package.

“You’ve got a core there of attendees that you could sort of almost qualify as season ticket holders,” says Waller. ” … I think we’ve seen progress on that sort of fan-demand side, which is a huge part of being able to make the next phase of the commitment.”

Learning curve

On Sunday at Wembley, Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny’s Child, sang the The Star-Spangled Banner, inspired by the U.S. defense of Fort McHenry from bombardment – by the British – in the War of 1812. The United Kingdom’s God Save the Queen also was sung.

The NFL says 88 percent of London attendees are from the UK, and they’re learning the game.

The website of NFL UK has basics such as, “One 11-man team has possession of the football. It is called the offense,” and, “Probably the most important part of the field is the end zone.”

Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Menelik Watson, a native of England, says he seen “steadily” mounting interest.

“People in England are still kind of raw to the rules and regulations,” Watson said. “Once they get that down, it’s going to really, really take off.”

Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford, also from England: “When I learned the rules of American football, it became the most entertaining sport to watch. … If you don’t know the rules, then it’s just stop, stop, stop. And it’s boring.”

Could London sustain a home team?

“They don’t have an answer to that yet,” says Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based Sportscorp, a consultant to many NFL teams on franchise moves and stadium issues. “But that’s one of the primarily goals of increasing the number of games. They want to see if there’s a fan base for it, if it would work logistically, if it can be a bridge to broader broadcasting deals throughout Europe.”

The NFL has said it wants a team in Los Angeles. But Commissioner Roger Goodell also has said there could be a London team in five to 10 years.

Ganis doesn’t see a London team landing an NFL team via expansion, and he said the drawbacks go beyond owners not wanting to divide profits further. “There are a number of owners that have told me that on a competitive balance basis, 32 teams is perfect,” says Ganis.

That leaves relocation. Sunday, Jacksonville played the second of four London games it has scheduled annually through 2016. Team owner Shahid Khan also owns an English soccer club. On Sky Sports, more or less the English version of ESPN, Khan said last week it is “way too early” to say London will get a team.

“The most important thing is, is there really a fan base to support a team?” said Khan. “For us, we’ve been very clear we are the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

More games coming

Next season will include more firsts: The Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets on Oct. 4 is the first division game (AFC East) scheduled for London.

The NFL also will offer London fans their first games on back-to-back weekends: Jacksonville plays the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 25 and the Kansas City Chiefs play Detroit a week later.

Consecutive Sundays will provide another test, and possibly additional issues.

Wembley Stadium is regularly used as the England national soccer team’s home venue for international matches such as qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships. England head coach Roy Hodgson last week voiced his displeasure at the impact staging NFL games had on the surface, which is a composite of natural grass and artificial fibers.

“If I am asked if it is a good thing or not, I would have to say not,” Hodgson told the UK media, when asked about the Cowboys’ victory over the Jaguars being scheduled so close to an England game. England plays Slovenia at Wembley on Saturday.

Wembley Stadium is the only realistic venue for a London-based NFL team, and is owned by The Football Association, English soccer’s governing body, through a subsidiary.

However, Wembley’s managing director Roger Maslin said Monday that that NFL games were not to blame for the field’s current uneven and inconsistent surface, instead blaming flaws in last summer’s renovation.

A permanent London team likely would play two or three consecutive games at home, then two or three in the USA. “It wouldn’t work if you were flying backwards and forwards week in and week out,” Waller said.

The NFL again could experimentwith the earlier start.

The NFL was encouraged by the Oct. 26 Lions-Falcons game that started at 9:30 a.m. ET, as it drew roughly 8.5 million viewers in a time typically allocated to pre-game shows.

“I think that early window for the last game was probably a really good turning point,” Waller said.

A report commissioned by the NFL and a London marketing agency said a London team could generate an annual economic impact locally of about $255 million. In the report, Sajid Javid, Parliament member/secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said, “London and the UK will welcome it with open arms.”

The NFL wants more evidence.

“This is not a 51-49 kind of call,” Ganis said. “The results of the efforts this year and in the ensuing few years will have to demonstrate very clearly to ownership that putting a team in London has significant long term benefits.”

He says the NFL needs to know it can handle the “serious contortions” needed for a London team.

Before their trip to London last Sunday after a game in Cincinnati, the Jaguars signed linebacker Khairi Fortt.

“We weren’t sure he had a passport. We weren’t sure he had a birth certificate,” said Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell.

Fortt had both. “The NFL hasn’t mandated that all players have a passport, and if we’re going to continue to play games over here we feel like they should,” Caldwellsaid.

After losing at New England Sept. 21, the Raiders flew seven hours, from Providence, R.I., to London – eight hours difference from Oakland.

“For me, being a European, I’ve done a lot of traveling, a lot of back and forth,” Watson said, “so the time difference doesn’t affect me. … I’m sure once guys are used to that schedule, it will be something they become accustomed to.”

Contributing: Martin Rogers