Bills vs Jaguars Recap
The Buffalo Bills showed up Monday night looking like a team prepared to send a message to the rest of the NFL in their 47-10 route of the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars. Josh Allen and the offense scored a touchdown on all five of their first-half possessions to take a 34-3 lead into halftime. It seemed like Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense could never get into a rhythm, which was a key to the game that I hit on in the preview. Even when they could move the ball and get into scoring range, the red zone issues that have plagued them all year showed up, and they finished the game going 1-4 on their visits.
The Bills' offense was dialed in from the start, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Josh Allen entirely in sync. They used presnap motion to create confusion in the Jaguars' secondary, which led to players being wide-open on multiple plays. The first one that comes to mind was Khalil Shakir’s presnap motion that got his man thinking he was going across the field before turning around and going out on a route, which picked up an early fourth-down conversion. The offense has been lacking these types of play calls in years past. Scheming players open versus relying on their talents to get them open has Allen reaping the benefits. On the other side, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense struggled early and could not capitalize on anything in the first half to keep the game close. Down 13-0, the Jaguars got to the Bills’ 19-yard line before a penalty, and two incompletions led to a field goal attempt that got them on the board, making it 13-3. The Bills received the ensuing kickoff and took eight plays to score again, with Keon Coleman’s first receiving touchdown. The Jaguars needed to stop the bleeding, and instead, they turned the ball over when Lawrence sailed a pass intended for a wide-open Brian Thomas that Damar Hamlin intercepted. The Bills went into halftime up 34-3 with the game well in hand, and the question arose of whether we see Josh Allen in the second half.
My only thought in the second half was for everyone to leave the game healthy and without an injury. The Jaguars started the half with an 8-play drive for their first touchdown, making it 34-10. The Bills followed with an 11-play drive, chewing up the clock and resulting in a 27-yard field goal by Tyler Bass. The following drives for the Jaguars ended with turnovers on downs and Mac Jones entering the game. The Bills defense welcomed back their former AFC East rival with a Javon Solomon strip-sack that Casey Toohill could not corral and walk into the endzone. Four run plays later, Ray Davis rumbled into the end zone for his first career touchdown, ending the onslaught at 47-10.
The Bills' offense showed up early and was complimented by another dominant defensive performance, resulting in the game being out of reach before halftime. The player stats page has been updated with their week three stats. On to the five things I liked, which was challenging to narrow down this week, and the five things I didn’t like, which wasn't as easy as previous weeks.
Five Things I Liked
Owning the Trenches - The Bills’ offensive and defensive lines owned the game from the start. Offensively, the Bills didn't allow a sack for a second week in a row, and when protection broke down, Allen maneuvered in the pocket and found open receivers. He also benefited from a beautiful block by James Cook that won’t show up in the box score but shows the level of teamwork the Bills are currently playing with. Defensively, the front four of the Bills dominated the line of scrimmage, generating pressure on passing plays and disrupting the running game. The front seven finished the evening with four of the team’s five sacks, a forced fumble and recovery, and giving up 92 rushing yards.
Josh Allen - Allen was 1-2 in his career vs the Jaguars (0-2 vs Lawrence) entering this game with three interceptions. He played the best half of football of his career Monday night. Scoring a touchdown on all five drives of the first half and completing the ball to nine different receivers. Allen showed composure in the pocket, and when he had to run, he slid and didn't take hits in the open field. Allen finished the game, completing 75% of his passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He is now the favorite to win MVP at +200 after starting the season at +1000.
Spreading the Ball Around - Josh Allen had 23 completions to 10 receivers, with the leader having 6. Khalil Shakir ended the game as the leading receiver, catching all 6 of his targets and a touchdown after a nice catch and run spinning into the end zone. Dalton Kincaid built off his Miami performance with three catches, including a nice scramble drill resulting in a touchdown catch in the back of the endzone. The Bills’ “Everybody Eats” mantra is real, and they are now leading the NFL in scoring with 112 points in their first three games.
NFL “Firsts” - A handful of Bills’ players experienced firsts in their careers Monday Night. Lancaster native Joe Andreessen suited up for his first regular-season NFL game at home in primetime, Damar Hamlin had his first career interception, Javon Solomon played in his first regular-season game, adding his first sack, which resulted in a fumble recovered by the Bills, and Keon Coleman and Ray Davis scored their first career touchdowns.
Von Miller - Miller heard the criticism from last year, and all he has done to start the season is pick up a sack in each game while taking on a reduced role. Miller knows he can still play at a high level and has smartly accepted a more specialized role to limit his reps and increase his productivity. His sack last night ended a Jaguars red zone drive with a turnover on downs.
Five Things I Didn’t Like
Keon Coleman Benching - I am not upset with the benching handed down by McDermott. I am bothered that Coleman needed to be benched due to “an issue of being on time.” Hopefully, this is the last we hear of it and a wake-up call for the rookie.
Fourth-down Defense - The Bills started the game by allowing three fourth-down conversions to the Jaguars' struggling offense. They ended the game 4-8. This issue could hurt the team in closer games against better opponents.
Tyler Bass Blocked PAT - Bass had his first PAT attempt blocked but made his next 5 attempts, plus two field goals. With all of the scrutiny Bass has been under since last season, any miss will be looked at critically. I was happy to see Bass return after the Bills' next touchdown versus going for two.
Greg Rousseau Production - This is more of a nitpicking, but after starting the season with three sacks and looking dominant, Rousseau has failed to get one in the last two games. I know this isn’t a Rousseau issue. Offensive coordinators are game-planning to protect their quarterbacks after his week one performance. Hopefully, Bobby Babich is able to get creative and get Rousseau some more favorable matchups but in the meantime, his teammates are reaping the benefits.
MNF Double-Header Split Screen - I didn't have a 5th thing I could think of regarding the team, but it was annoying when ESPN would put the Commanders vs Bengals game on with a split screen. If I wanted that option, I would choose it. I want to watch the Bills game when they're on tv.
Next Up: Buffalo at Baltimore - Sunday 8:20 PM
