Week 9: Jaguars 9, Bills 6
At TIAA Bank Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
Observations: Bills' offense suddenly finds itself in crisis mode
Plays of the game: Jacksonville linebacker Josh Allen sacked, intercepted and recovered a fumble by Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen – the highlights or lowlights, depending on your point of view – in the Bills’ face-plant against the previously one-win Jaguars.
For the record: Bills 5-3; Jaguars 2-6.
The Bills’ offensive struggles mirrored their first half last week against Miami. This time, their ineffectiveness carried into the second half. Allen tossed interceptions on the Bills’ first two possessions of the second half, with the score tied 6-6.
The Bills were bailed out after the first pick, when Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright missed three consecutive field goal attempts, with mulligans on the first two after penalties for a false start and a running into the kicker.
The second pick led to a 21-yard Wright field goal and a 9-6 Jaguars lead early in the fourth quarter.
Allen’s fumble, forced by Dawuane Smoot with less than six minutes to play, was recovered by Jacksonville's Allen.
The Bills had one final chance to at least get into field goal range and force overtime, but turned the ball over on downs near midfield.
Buffalo committed 12 penalties for 118 yards.
According to the Bills, it was the 14th game in team history without a touchdown and the first since a 9-3 loss to Carolina on Sept. 17, 2017. The Bills are 8-6 in games when neither team scores a touchdown.
Stars of the game:
• Josh Allen, Bills: 31 of 47 for 264 yards, two INT, 62.7 passer rating; 50 rushing yards on five carries.
• Stefon Diggs, Bills: Six catches for game-high 85 yards.
• Josh Allen, Jaguars: Game-high eight tackles, sack, INT, fumble recovery.
Bills' Josh Allen avoids Covid list: Josh Allen’s backup was Davis Webb, who was elevated from the practice squad after quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Jake Fromm tested positive for Covid-19 this week.
Fromm and practice squad wide receiver Tanner Gentry tested were placed on the reserve list Tuesday. Trubisky was placed on the reserve list Saturday. Allen, who has not revealed whether he is vaccinated, said earlier in the week that he was unconcerned because the quarterbacks remain socially distanced in their meeting room.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane, in a one-on-one interview with The Buffalo News on Wednesday, said, “There were no unvaccinated people in this case that were deemed close contacts by the league,” which seems to indicate Trubisky was a breakthrough case.
“If you are vaccinated and you're deemed a close contact, 'X' number of minutes within 6 feet, then we send you out to test,” Beane said. “If you're clear and you have no symptoms, we can bring you back in, but instead of testing once a week, we're going to test you for five straight days. That's part of the protocol.”
Webb, a third-round pick of the New York Giants in 2017, has never played in an NFL game.
Cody Ford starts: Bills guard Cody Ford, a second-round pick in 2019, started for the first time since being benched in Week 4, when rookie tackle Spencer Brown replaced him in the starting five.
Brown missed his second consecutive game with a calf injury, and guard Jon Feliciano was placed on injured reserve this week with a calf injury, meaning he’ll miss at least three games.
The starting line, from left: Dion Dawkins, Ike Boettger, Mitch Morse, Ford, Daryl Williams.
Johnson, Moss concussed: Bills nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and running back Zack Moss were knocked out of the game with concussions.
Johnson, who left in the first quarter, was replaced by Siran Neal. Moss was hurt in the third quarter.
Reserve safety Jaquan Johnson suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter but returned.
Tre’Davious White left the game late in the fourth quarter but returned for the Jaguars’ final possession.
Trevor Lawrence injures ankle: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, was helped off the field with an ankle injury late in the second quarter after being bumped into by his own offensive lineman Walker Little. He was replaced by C.J. Beathard. The Bills and Jaguars were tied 6-6 with 3:16 remaining in the first half. At the time, Lawrence had completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 80 yards. He returned for the second half.
Jags shorthanded: Jaguars running back James Robinson missed the game with a heel injury. He entered the week ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing yards and fifth among running backs in yards per carry.
Next up: Bills at New York Jets, 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14
