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To say it was a lackluster performance by the Buffalo Bills would be giving the team a lot of credit after Sunday’s loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills fell to the lowly Jaguars 9-6 is a horrendous display of offensive football.
Buffalo came in as a 14.5-point favorite, in a game that should have been a gimme. For the second straight week, the Bills underperformed offensively. This week, it led to their demise.
There are many concerns with the Bills after a game like this. Starting off, the undisciplined play started early in the game. It was apparent that Jacksonville’s goal was to get Buffalo off of their game. It worked in spades, as the Bills were called for multiple personal foul penalties. The Bills were backed up for 118 penalty yards on 12 accepted penalties. The mistakes just kept building for Buffalo, as they allowed a far inferior team to remain in this game.
This game also solidifies the idea that Buffalo’s offensive line configuration is substandard, at best. Jacksonville, as a team, was credited with eight quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. Yes, the Bills were forced to reconfigure the line with the loss of Jon Feliciano. However, the line’s inability to give Josh Allen any respectable amount of time in the pocket is a massive problem that the coaching staff needs to address. As a whole, the line was unable to win the point of attack.
Allen was running for his life in this game. He was forced to break out of the pocket to have any reasonable chance of completing passes. The Bills offensive line, more so than the Jaguars pass rush, neutralized Buffalo’s offense.
It doesn’t help that the team’s run game is atrocious. A good deal of this is on the line, but Devin Singletary and Zack Moss could make nothing happen on the ground. The longest run for the duo was seven yards. Without any respect for the run, the Jaguars defensive line teed off on Allen.
Buffalo’s offense did not look ready for this game. With the litany of mistakes on the field, that falls on the coaching. Yes, a great deal of the problems started with the offensive line. However, there was no creativity or alterations to help mask the issues with the line. Thus, it was a solid sixty minutes of unflattering play.
The game was similar to the 2017 Wild Card game against the Jaguars. Buffalo’s defense kept them in the game, limiting the porous Jacksonville offensive attack. The Bills allowed only 218 total yards to the Jaguars. Buffalo only allowed two successful third-down attempts on 13 tries.
Mario Addison recorded a sack, while AJ Epenesa and Tre’Davious White split a sack. Jerry Hughes forced a Carlos Hyde fumble, which Levi Wallace recovered.
The top-rated defense held up their end of the bargain. The Bills offense did not deliver.
Allen, under duress for most of the game, tried to make things happen with his legs and create time for himself. Unfortunately, he also took some risks, ended up with two interceptions in this game. He ended the day 31-of-47 for 264 passing yards. The shocker: zero touchdowns.
It was a miserable game for Buffalo, a team that is in the conversation for a Super Bowl appearance. With the struggles of the past two weeks, it looks as if the league is catching up with the Bills. And, that’s a major problem for Buffalo. When the strength of the team puts for a horrendous performance such as this, there are bound to be massive concerns.
This was not a game that Buffalo should have been concerned about. Yet, it happened.
The Bills look to get things on the right path next week when they face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.