Will NFL return to Dublin? Rodgers '100%' thinks so

No sooner had the NFL circus packed up its tent and rolled out of town on Sunday than thoughts turned to whether the sporting spectacle would be returning to Dublin.

The Pittsburgh Steelers held off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt from the Minnesota Vikings to secure a 24-21 victory in the first regular-season game held in Ireland.

Had Kevin O'Connell's men come from 24-6 behind with 11 minutes and 21 seconds remaining, it would have been a turnaround no Vikings fan would have forgotten in a hurry.

But, even before they were turned over on downs to end the game, it already felt an occasion to remember for the 74,512 in attendance.

For the Steelers organisation, the game was the fulfilment of a long-held dream.

Returning to Croke Park 28 years after they defeated the Chicago Bears in a pre-season fixture, a repeated theme through the week was what it all would have meant to the side's late owner Dan M Rooney, whose ancestors hailed from Newry in County Down.

It remains to be seen whether Sunday's fixture was a fitting way to honour one of the NFL's first families, or the start of a regular spot in the International Series rotation.

Dublin was the fourth European city to stage such a fixture following on from London, Munich and Frankfurt. Berlin and Madrid will join that list next month.

Games have also been taken to Brazil and Mexico with another set for Australia next year. Asia could be next.

What was once America's game is now clearly global in scope but, with such competition to play hosts, can the Emerald Isle expect a swift return?

There is certainly one prominent supporter in their corner.

"100%," said the Steelers four-time Most Valuable Players quarterback Aaron Rodgers when asked by BBC Sport NI if Dublin deserved more games in the future.

"The whole experience was fantastic. Shout-out to the country and everybody who made this happen. Win or lose, I would have said the same thing.

"I just felt like the reception from the people here was outstanding."

International games have been a part of the NFL calendar since 2007 and, with that loss of novelty, it is natural to assume that for some players they have now become just another game.

Yet star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward revealed an appreciation of Croke Park's significance in Irish culture, outlining how the Rooney family had pressed home that the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association [GAA] was considered "sacred ground" to many.

Following that up with an acknowledgment of how the stadium's famous terrace, Hill 16, had been converted to a seated area for the occasion only further showed his sense of both time and place.

When it was confirmed in May that the Vikings would be the Steelers' opponents, the NFL talked about creating a "mini-Super Bowl" in Dublin and it was a phrase that was repeated all week as events were staged throughout the city.

While every inch a European capital, Dublin is not of a scale where such events get lost in the sprawl. From early morning on the day of the game, NFL jerseys felt a constant presence with the walk from the city centre to the stadium bedecked in black and gold.

A Steelers home game on the schedule, it felt like one in practice too. The famous 'Terrible Towels' twirled and Styx's Renegade blared, as is customary in Pennsylvania. A hotel across from the stadium even served up Primanti Bros' sandwiches.

There were plenty who clearly wanted to soak up every moment of the day.

"In most NFL stadiums there's two hours when the stadium opens and [the crowd] starts to trickle in," Rodgers said.

"Somebody came back in the locker room at like 11:00 and goes, 'man, there's a tonne of people out there already'.

"I was, like, 'yeah, we're not in the States anymore'. This is a different type of fan. I loved it."

The event was not without its teething problems. The Vikings appeared to pick up a key delay-of-game penalty when quarterback Carson Wentz could not see a play clock and All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson lost his footing when he seemed headed towards the end zone.

Nor was everyone so taken with the event as local gridiron fans.

The opening of Croke Park to sports outside those organised by the GAA has often been a thorny issue.

That stance has softened in recent years, but in the weeks leading up to Sunday such traditions - as well as the money required from the government to secure the game and objections to American foreign policy - were cited in media articles as reasons why some would rather the red carpet had not been rolled out for the NFL.

Then, on the morning of the game, it was reported by NFL Network that Steelers back-up quarterback Skylar Thompson had been "jumped and robbed" during the trip.

The NFL will have to weigh up the good and bad when deciding when or if they come back to Dublin.

NFL UK general manager Henry Hodgson told BBC Sport NI: "What we wanted to do was see how this went, see how this week went, see how [the game] went, and then we're going to evaluate.

"We'll work with our partners in Irish government, in Dublin City Council, and evaluate how things went from their standpoint, and we'll take a look and see what happens in the future."

For Rodgers at least, the only downside was not having more time in the country.

"No complaints about the three days we spent," he said. "Only desire is for more time with you great Irish people. That's all.

"It was a short trip, but it will be a nice flight back with hopefully a yearly return by us or two other teams."