If you gave it nothing more than a passing glance, the Chicago Bears win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was just another run-of-the-mill NFL contest.

But this was much more than your average NFL game.

Chicago and Tampa Bay took to the hallowed turf at Wembley Stadium in the fifth ‘NFL International Series' clash from London.

What was originally a novelty has become a fixture of the NFL season. The Poms have taken to the US version of 'football' enthusiastically, arguably to a level exceeding the NFL's expectations.

In fact, it has been so well received, the NFL committed to making the journey across the Atlantic until at least 2016. That would make a decade of games in London, quite the achievement.

Furthermore, it was not only announced this week that the league will look to play two games in London per season, but the prospect of a NFL franchise being permanently based in the UK is a real possibility.

San Francisco 49ers co-owner Dr John York - chairman of the NFL owners' international committee - told The Independent that he thinks that a London-based NFL franchise "will happen" eventually.

This statement proves beyond all doubt that the NFL is no longer experimenting in London; instead it has successfully transplanted its brand into a previously heathen city.

Oh, and on the pitch, Chicago running back Matt Forte continued his stellar form of late. It appears it would take more than jetlag to slow him down.

Saints crush hapless Colts

No one expected the Colts to have much of a chance of New Orleans, but even the most boastful of Saints fans would have shied away from predicting the events that transpired on Monday.

The Saints were on a whole different level to the Peyton Manning-less Colts, storming to a 62-7 win.

Yep, 62-7.

There are bad losses and then there are really bad losses. Getting blown out to the tune of 55 points is one of the latter.

Much of the Saints dominance - as we've come to expect - resulted from the brilliance of quarterback Drew Brees.

But like his fellow Saints, Brees was beyond good against the Colts, passing for over 300 yards.

Incredibly, Brees had more touchdowns than incompletions, acting as the driving force behind New Orleans matching the highest point tally seen in the NFL since the league merger.

Detroit gets dirty

The Atlanta Falcons handed Detroit their second consecutive loss, after the Lions were the dominant storyline in the season's embryonic stages, surging to a 5-0 beginning.

But once again for the Lions, the storylines kept coming off the pitch after a loss.

In the wake of their win, two Falcons players - centre Todd McClure and receiver Roddy White - accused a pair of Lions of mocking an injured Falcon.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, hit the turf during Monday's game, and had his ankle accidentally stepped on by teammate Will Svitek. Ryan initially appeared to have suffered a serious injury on the play.

The Falcons alleged that Lions defensive linemen Cliff Avril and Ndamukong Suh taunted Ryan as he lay on the turf, even kicking Ryan's injured ankle, while calling for him to get off the field.

Ryan eventually made his way off the pitch under his own power, but the real story was the fact that for the second straight week, the Lions appear to have made an enemy out of one of their NFC playoff contenders.