close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Bills 47-10 Jaguars (September 23, 2024) Game Recap
news

Bills 47-10 Jaguars (September 23, 2024) Game Recap

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes in the first half and the Buffalo Bills scored on each of their first five drives in a 47-10 win over a sluggish Trevor Lawrence and the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.

Allen went 22 of 28 for 247 yards in the first 30 minutes alone, with completions to nine receivers. He attempted just two passes after halftime, finishing 23 of 30 for 263 yards before Mitchell Trubisky replaced him.

And he spread the wealth, completing touchdown passes to Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Ty Johnson. James Cook opened the scoring with a 6-yard run.

“It feels good. I’ll tell you that,” said Allen, whose 11 games with four TD passes set a team record, surpassing Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

“This could have easily been a game where we took 10 days off and slowed down, but our guys didn’t notice that,” Allen said of Buffalo’s extended break following a 31-10 win over Miami on Sept. 12. “There was a lot of urgency throughout the week.”

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s defense limited the Jaguars to 70 yards, five first downs and a field goal in five first-half possessions. The game was effectively over when Allen completed a 16-yard TD pass to Johnson with 19 seconds left before halftime.

Safety Damar Hamlin contributed to the loss with his first career interception, easily intercepting Lawrence’s off-the-ball pass intended for rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Five plays later, Allen completed a 27-yard TD pass to Shakir, who caught the ball at the 22 and broke two tackles as he raced down the right sideline for the score.

Hamlin’s interception came about 21 months after he suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati, which was also played on a Monday night.

“We all know my last game and how that game went,” said Hamlin, now a starter after playing in a reserve role last season. “So to be able to come all the way back from that game and have a special moment, that’s all God.”

The four-time reigning AFC East champions have started 3-0 for the first time since 2020 and for the third time since coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017, scoring 30-plus points in each game.

The Jaguars are in free fall. They last opened 0-3 in 2021 under coach Urban Meyer, who was fired before the end of the season.

Jacksonville’s latest loss comes a week after Lawrence vented his frustrations by saying “We suck right now” following an 18-13 loss to Cleveland. The Jaguars blew leads of 14-0 and 17-7 in a season-opening loss to Miami.

Lawrence completed 21 of 38 for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He has lost eight straight starts since last season and hasn’t won since passing for 364 yards in a 24-21 win at Houston on Nov. 26.

After Lawrence started the second half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brenton Strange, Lawrence’s final two drives ended on downs.

He was pulled with 7:45 left and watched from the sideline with his hands on his collar as backup Mac Jones was sacked and lost a fumble three snaps into his first possession, leading to Ray Davis scoring on a 3-yard run.

More worrisome is the Jaguars defense, which Allen couldn’t stop. The Bills gained 288 yards, posted 19 first downs and converted 6 of 8 third-down opportunities and both fourth-down opportunities in the first half alone.

Positioning was an issue, with Cook beating the entire Jaguars defense to the left cone for his TD. The Jaguars were unable to generate pressure, with Allen buying time as he waited for Kincaid to run the length of the field and catch a 6-yard pass just inside the end line to make it 13-0. Coleman beat defensive back Montaric Brown by two steps and scored on a 24-yard catch.

The Bills’ string of touchdown drives ended on their first possession of the second half, when they settled for a 27-yard field goal from Tyler Bass.

Buffalo’s 31-point halftime lead was the third-largest in team history and the largest since a 38-7 lead against Atlanta on Nov. 22, 1992.

Injuries

Jacksonville: CB Jarrian Jones did not return after injuring his left shoulder on Buffalo’s opening drive. … LB Foyesade Oluokun was absent with a foot injury. … RT Anton Harrison was absent with a knee injury.

Bills: DB Cam Lewis returned after being evaluated for a head injury.

Next

Jaguars: Sunday at Houston.

Bills: Play their third straight primetime game Sunday night, opening a three-game road streak against Baltimore.

——

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl