Buffalo Bills Dethroned By Jacksonville Jaguars in London Loss
Ahead of a long flight back to Western New York, the Buffalo Bills are leaving London empty-handed.
Behind some too-little-too-late offensive production and a defense that fell flat in the fourth quarter, the Bills dropped their second game of the season after falling 25-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The Bills (3-2) were far too inconsistent against a Jaguars team (3-2) that looked comfortable after spending the past week in Europe. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the difference, as he made some impressive third-down throws before finishing 25 of 37 passing for 315 yards and one touchdown. Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a huge statistical day, going 27 of 40 passing for 359 yards, three total touchdowns and one pick, but it wasn't enough.
Jags running back Travis Etienne Jr. had one of the best games of his young career, posting 26 carries for 136 yards and two crucial, game-changing touchdowns. He added four grabs for 48 yards.
The Bills didn't pick up their first first down until about 30 seconds left in the opening quarter. A stout Jags defense caused a surprisingly shaky Bills offense to struggle at finding any rhythm, which proved to be the difference in Buffalo playing catch-up for most of the game.
Josh Allen
© Kirby Lee, USA TODAY
Buffalo, which never led in the game, finally got on the board in the first half after Allen found Stefon Diggs for a 15-yard touchdown to cut the Jags' lead to 11-7 at halftime.
The Bills bounced back from their disappointing first half and stayed in the game behind some more stout play from Sean McDermott's defense. But it was the defense that ultimately crumbled in the final stages of the game despite a solid day overall, as a 35-yard rushing score from Etienne Jr. made it a 25-13 game and essentially sealed Jacksonville's win with 2:56 to play.
After putting up 11 quick points in the first quarter, the Jags were held scoreless until the fourth quarter when Etienne capped off a 93-yard drive with his first touchdown of the day on a six-yard score. Despite the defense's solid day, the unit could only do so much until falling flat in the fourth quarter, as the Buffalo offense's inability to sustain drives allowed Jacksonville to run a whopping 82 total plays compared to 54 for the Bills.
At first, it seemed like a major turning point of the second half came when Ed Oliver had a strip sack of Lawrence. After a lengthy 17-play drive, the Jags had come up empty right outside the red zone.
But the Jags returned the favor with a turnover of their own after Allen's deep shot to Diggs was picked off by Darious Williams, which led to Etienne's aforementioned six-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville an 18-7 lead.
Urgency set in for the Bills, who quickly answered. Allen found Gabe Davis for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 18-13 with four minutes to play. But this was about the last bit of realistic hope Buffalo was able to muster despite getting a last-gasp possession to end the game.
The Bills will host the New York Giants in Week 6.
