Tag: bills jaguars

Bills’ Damar Hamlin emotional after MNF return: ‘It was special’

Bills’ Damar Hamlin emotional after MNF return: ‘It was special’

The Buffalo Bills had their big win of the season on the national stage during NFL Week 3, in a 47-10 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football.

On a night of firsts for a handful of Bills, safety Damar Hamlin took the field for his first Monday Night Football start since the January 2023 contest in which he suffered cardiac arrest.

In his return to MNF, Hamlin had a strong performance with five tackles and two pass deflections.

He also got his first career interception.

While it carried significance for the 2021 sixth-round NFL Draft pick from PITT as a career achievement, it was the experience of walking down the tunnel and out to the field that resonated with him.

“Man, it was special,” Hamlin said to the media. “We all know my last start on Monday Night Football and how that game went, so to be able to come all the way back from that and have a special moment like that, it’s all God right there. I’ve been giving him the praise like crazy lately, because it wasn’t easy, but I’m super thankful to my teammates for just the support and the love. That was encouraging.”

Hamlin has recorded 19 tackles through three games this year as he’s manned Buffalo’s defensive backfield alongside Taylor Rapp. He credits his play—and the fact that he’s playing football at all—to his teammates, as playing for them is what fuels his fire.

“It makes all of the emotions way easier when you just go out there and you think about, ‘I just want to make plays for my teammates,'” Hamlin said. “It makes it all simple again.”

The Jags’ offense had a 1st-and-10 at their own 41-yard line when Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence overthrew rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. And Hamlin was there to take away the pass, giving QB Josh Allen and the Bills offense the ball back, which he would then throw to Khalil Shakir for a touchdown and a 27-3 lead.

The young safety’s teammates erupted with excitement when he got the pick and celebrated with and around him.

“Damar, with his first interception, the crowd went crazy, everybody ran out on the field, man, it was inspiring,” said OLB Von Miller, who took the press podium seated alongside Hamlin after the win.

His head coach was moved as well by the on-field moment.

“Damar, what a night for Damar, right?” Sean McDermott said during his press conference. “At home on Monday Night Football, getting his first interception, I believe, of his NFL career. The journey that he’s been on and how he’s persevered.”

Hamlin’s last Monday Night Football start was against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season, his second year in the NFL. He suffered a cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Week 17 clash, in a broadcast on-field moment in which the NFL world stood still.

The Bills’ medical staff worked quickly to save his life, and he went on to make a full recovery after stabilizing in the hospital. He’s since won a starting safety position battle in Buffalo’s new-look secondary, leading to a very significant moment back on the MNF stage.

Bills WR Keon Coleman on first-career TD: ‘It’s electric’

Bills WR Keon Coleman on first-career TD: ‘It’s electric’

Buffalo got a win on Monday Night Football in front of their home crowd this week in explosive fashion.

The Bills racked up a 47-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a contest that frequently featured highlights and a number of firsts for players, including rookie Keon Coleman’s first touchdown reception.

The No. 33 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft took the field while the Buffalo offense was eight plays in on its third drive of the game to start the second quarter. It would mark his only catch of the night, but he made it count.

Bills QB Josh Allen found Coleman downfield for a 24-yard catch that the first-year receiver then shook off a defender to take the ball into the end zone, scoring the first touchdown of his career.

“Great play-call by [OC] Joe [Brady],” Coleman said to the media postgame about the play. “Me and [receivers coach] Adam [Henry] watched film on that, came to fruition. Deep crosser, got outside leverage, man, and just beat him to the spot.”

Through three games in OC Joe Brady’s “everybody eats” offense, Coleman has five receptions for 75 yards and the score and has been fourth on the team in receiving yards and fifth in receptions.

After the game, he shared that the first touchdown in front of the home crowd and on a national stage met his expectations completely.

“It lived up to the expectations 100%,” Coleman shared. “Just feeling the crowd, it’s electric. Getting you your first catch of the game for it to go for a touchdown I mean Monday Night Football, I don’t think you can get something else better.”

In terms of playing time, he has seen a position-high 73% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 1 and 91% of their snaps in Week 2, making him the most utilized receiver during that period. Yet during Monday Night Football in Week 3, he only played 20 snaps (31%.)

Part of the reason was a first-quarter benching due to an unexcused non-gameday tardiness.

“I’ll mention Keon’s situation, I sat Keon for the first quarter of the game,” McDermott said during the opening of his press conference after the win. “It will be a learning opportunity for him. Really, it was an issue that dealt with being on time. He knows he’s accountable to his teammates. We addressed it. We support him, and we move forward. I thought he played a good game tonight, had that, I think it was one catch for a touchdown there, so that was good to see.”

However, his head coach was confident in how the rookie was handling the situation, both on and off the field.

“I’m just very impressed with the way Keon handled it and then to go back out there in the second quarter, I think it was the second quarter when he caught the touchdown pass. I know how important his teammates are to him, and again, this will be a learning opportunity for him.”

The Bills offense has been rolling in three straight victories to start the season, and the team’s defense has returned to form under McDermott as well to help get those wins.

Next, Buffalo will face one of the first tests of their 2024 campaign, in consecutive road games against the Ravens, Texans, and Jets.

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Report card: Bills lose to Jaguars, 25-20

Report card: #Bills lose to J#aguars, 25-20:

The Buffalo Bills traveled across the pond to London to face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in NFL Week 5 and left with a 25-20 loss.

It wasn’t a tip-top performance by the Buffalo, who entered the contest on a hot streak in their last several games, as their scoring in this one only took place in the first and last quarters.

The Bills return stateside to regroup and turn their attention to a matchup against the Giants next Sunday.

Here is the Bills Wire’s Week 5 report card for the Buffalo Bills (3-2) following the game:

Bills’ Stefon Diggs remains confident: ‘We will be better and we must’

#Bills’ Stefon Diggs remains confident: ‘We will be better and we must’

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been known to put up top-five NFL numbers at his position.

He also wears his heart on his sleeve to display his passion and emotions.

Sunday in London, where the Bills came up short against the Jacksonville Jaguars 25-20, was no exception.

Diggs put up a season-high 121 yards receiving on eight catches with a touchdown. He also showed a display of emotions from trying to lift and fire up his teammates when LB Matt Milano went down with a potentially season-ending injury on hard turf, to slamming his tablet in frustration at something he saw in a replay.

The Jaguars’ social media team took full opportunity to poke fun at the instance after the game.

Diggs does hate losing, and those feelings were on display.

He also felt there was something missing in the teams’ spirit on the trip.

“I felt like we did have a little – I’m not gonna say (we were) lackadaisical – but we were kind of just (didn’t have that) let’s go get it, let’s get after it, (attitude),” Diggs said during his postgame press conference. “We were trying to figure it out but that lack of sense of urgency, it showed.”

The spark or spirit the team seemed to be missing was noticed by the receiver because, normally, it’s something they do have.

“We have it in practice and you try to build off of it in the game. It’s supposed to be easier,” he said. “You work hard in practice and it’s (supposed to) carry over,” he added.

That being said, he also pointed out that there was that spark in the fourth quarter.

“When we get in that mode of not necessarily rushing but more so OK, we gotta score, you saw that,” Diggs said.

The Bills’ offense only had seven points through three-quarters of play thanks to the Diggs TD via Allen, Despite success in recent weeks, the offensive unit gained fewer than 20 yards on six of their first eight drives. This was followed by a fourth-quarter run that simply was too late to complete the comeback bid.

The WR1 made no excuses when asked if the travel, timezone change, and jetlag were a factor against a Jags team that had already been in London playing a game against the Falcons a week earlier.

“It’s easy to say that after the game,” Diggs pointed out. “Like if we won I would what would you have said? Like yeah, we were tired, or yeah we were this, or yeah we were that, but you know it’s easy to use an excuse I’m not a big excuse guy so I won’t say it.

Tired or not, or whatever, you’re going to get up to play a football game you know? I’m saying you get up to do the things that you love and play this game cuz it’s a blessing. Also, prayers for the guys we got hurt, but I won’t ever use the excuse.”

Personal responsibility and not making any excuses is a Bills hallmark under HC Sean McDermott’s leadership. It was a sentiment echoed by Bills QB Josh Allen as well, who went 27-of-40 with 359 yards and three total touchdowns, two throwing and one rushing, with one interception.

“They were ready. We weren’t,” Allen said.

And Diggs made his stance clearly aligned with the team as well.

“You know I feel like we could play better, we will be better and we must.”

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Bills’ Josh Allen on Jaguars’ Josh Allen: ‘He scares me’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on #Jaguars’ Josh Allen: ‘He scares me’

The clash in London on Sunday in NFL Week 5 will be between the Bills and Jaguars, but another interesting matchup will take place in addition to the UK-based NFL contest.

For the second time in his career, Josh Allen will face… Josh Allen.

Jags linebacker Josh Allen, that is.

The last time the two players faced each other was in Jacksonville in 2021. The Jaguars’ Allen logged eight tackles and a sack in an upset 9-6 win over Buffalo. The Bills’ Allen threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.

Josh Allen’s sacking of Josh Allen was the first time in NFL history that a player sacked a quarterback of the same.

“He scares me. He got me last time we played,” the Bills’ Allen said to the media. “He’s coming off a really good week, too. He’s a baller. He’s still considered kind of a young guy in this league, but he’s playing really good football right now. Their defensive group right now is playing at a high level. They work together very well. So we’re going to have our hands full.”

The Jags’ Allen is tied for an NFL-leading six-sacks (tied with Khalil Mack and T.J. Watt), three of which were in the Jaguars’ 23-7 NFL Week 4 win against the Atlanta Falcons in London, making him the first player in the history of the NFL history to record 3 sacks in a contest outside the US.

Even so, the Jags’ Allen knows it’s not going to be a walk in St. James’s Park against the Bills.

Buffalo Bill Allen just went 21-for-25 for 320 yards and five total touchdowns in a convincing 48-20 win against Miami that now sees him first in the league in completion percentage, tied for second in passing touchdowns (nine), and sixth in passing yards,

The two Josh Allen’s have shared not only a name but also the same draft position a year apart, the Bills Allen at No. 7 overall in 2018 and the Jaguars Allen at the same spot a year later.

Sharing those details in common with both players in the AFC has kept the story alive when their respective teams face each other.

“Yeah I mean again it’s I think it’s pretty crazy he’s one of the dominant pass rushers in this league, you know I think everybody that plays against them has to have a plan in place for him we’re going to be no different,” The Bills’ Allen added. “We’ve played some really good D lines already early in this year and it’s not stopping this week with this group, and again I think the DB’s do such a great job of working together their linebackers are flying around the ball, they got two Wyoming guys Muma and Wingard those are my guys, so those guys are good ball players.”

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Former Bills coach Doug Marrone fired by Jaguars

Doug Marrone was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

There’s a new job opening on the block, and it’s because of a former Buffalo Bills bench boss.

Doug Marrone has been fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schfter. Marrone, 58, had been in Jacksonville since 2015 and was the team’s head coach since 2016.

The Jags finished the 2020 NFL season with a 1-15 record. Astonishingly, the Jaguars actually won their season opener and went on to lose 15-straight games. Overall, Marrone was 23-43 as the Jags coach, which included a 10-6 record in 2017. That year saw Jacksonville make it to the AFC Championship Game.

With his two seasons in Buffalo included, Marrone was 38-60 overall as a head coach.

Last month, Dave Caldwell was fired as general manager in Jacksonville which makes Marrone’s firing less surprising. However, it is the first time Marrone was fired. In 2014 with the Bills, he stepped down from his job, he was not fired.

The Jaguars is a very attractive job at this time because they are on the clock. Jacksonville officially has the No. 1 overall pick at the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft following the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday.

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Bills pegged suitor for Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue, but are they?

Buffalo Bills pegged as trade suitor for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

The Buffalo Bills don’t have to worry about the upcoming deadline approaching NFL teams in just over a week. In eight days, the deadline for franchise tagged players to get a multi-year extension will be up.

While the Bills aren’t currently in that boat, other teams, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, are. The player the Jags have tagged is defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Most in Florida aren’t banking on Ngakoue returning. He’s a player that’s been very vocal about wanting to move on this offseason. Because of that, our friends at Jaguars Wire tabbed three teams the Jags should look into moving the 25-year-old to. Who appeared? The Bills.

Here’s the explanation for the Bills and Ngakoue:

The fact that the Bills paid 32-year old Mario Addison via a three-year deal says a lot about what they needed this offseason. Their other starting defensive end, Jerry Hughes will be turning 32 next month as well. Veteran Trent Murphy will also be joining the 30-club this season.

Simply put, this means the Bills need some youth at a premium position to pair with second-round pick AJ Epenesa. At 25-years of age, Ngakoue could be his partner in crime for many years to come.

With $20.4 million in cap space, Ngakoue would be a tight squeeze for the Bills but a new deal could lower that figure. As for the compensation, again, fans should be doubtful for a first-round pick. Then again, the Bills have shown they aren’t scared to be aggressive as they recently gave up a first-rounder plus more to the Minnesota Vikings for receiver Stefon Diggs.

While tabbed a suitor, the Bills might truthfully be the least likely to pull off such a move. Ngakoue is a talented player and someone the Bills should want to add. But there’s too many reasons for Buffalo not to.

The Bills would be in a tight squeeze for the salary cap to add Ngakoue. Then in terms of other compensation, yes, the Bills gave up a first-round pick for Diggs, but doing so again seems unlikely. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has often mentioned his desire to hang onto first-round picks, so unless we’re looking at a mid-to-late rounder, count the Bills out of this race. And even then, maybe still count them out.

But if this did happen, the Bills could make one move to financially fit Ngakoue’s contract: Cut Murphy. Even if the Bills don’t make a move for Ngakoue, Murphy’s still a cut candidate because the team could save $8 million against the salary cap in doing so. But past 2020, things get dicey.

Per Spotrac, Ngakoue’s 2020 cap hit is near $17 million. If Buffalo’s traded for him, they’d likely want to sign him to an extension, but that’ll be difficult with only $20.6M is cap space slated for 2021 currently. Buffalo has to eventually get current pieces under contract extensions as well, such as Matt Milano and Dion Dawkins.

And circling back to the current roster Buffalo sports, Hughes and Addison could be in-line to start for the Bills for the next year or two. Successful pass rusher have been known to play into their mid-30s, a tandem which, again, would include a youthful Epenesa.

Unfortunately for those vying for the Bills to add Ngakoue, the cons outweigh the pros pretty easily.

 

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Oddsmakers: Bills the favorite to land RB Leonard Fournette

Buffalo Bills currently given the best odds to land Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette via trade.

The Buffalo Bills have shown over recent years they’re not afraid to swing a trade or two. Perhaps that’s why they’re the favorite to add running back Leonard Fournette.

The former first-round rusher currently on the Jaguars is reportedly being shopped by the team. The Bills at +300 currently edge out the Dolphins at +400 odds to land Fournette, according to SportsLine:

Fournette is another player in what seems to be a long line of guys wanting off the Jaguars prior to next season. Fournette was the Jags’ top pick, No. 4 overall, at the 2017 draft. His rookie contract is set to expire after the upcoming season, so it remains to be seen how much he would cost a team in a trade since he’s on the final year of his deal.

While the Bills do have Devin Singletary, finding a complement to him is certainly something in the works. As a bigger, powerful rusher at 6-foot, 228 pounds, Fournette could be a strong option to pair with Singletary, and like Stefon Diggs, he’s proven in the NFL, unlike a potential rookie would be.

Fournette has surpassed 1,000-yard rushing twice in his three-year career, even doing so in only 13 games played as a rookie. Fournette’s cap hit via Spotrac for next season is $8.6 million.

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PFF wants Bills to trade for Yannick Ngakoue

Pro Football Focus says the Buffalo Bills should trade for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

The franchise tagging period in the NFL is getting underway. Among one of the first names to drop in terms of players getting that designation was Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. A player that’s been on the radar of Bills observers for some time.

Ngakoue was slated to be a free agent before getting the tag. He’s expressed his desire to play elsewhere, so a prospective new team will have to trade for him.

Could that team be the Bills? Pro Football Focus wants it to be.

The football analytics folks tabbed 10 trades they want to see go down in the NFL earlier this week. Among them was the Bills grabbing the 24-year-old from the Jags:

It’s a fit that makes sense. Buffalo had one of the better defenses in the NFL last season, ending the year ranked fourth in expected points allowed per play. But in many ways, it was a situation where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. The Bills could stand to add a young, elite pass-rusher this offseason. Ngakoue certainly fits that bill (pun intended).

Pun intended indeed. If the Bills signed Ngakoue, he’d likely be replacing Shaq Lawson, who’s slated to become a free agent like Ngakoue was. While Lawson is a stout run defender, his pass rush as a former first-round pick has never been there.

This past season, Lawson set a career-high in sacks with 6.5. Ngakoue’s career-low in a single season is eight, which he’s done twice.

Of course, plenty of this depends on what the Bills would have to trade for him. In recent years, the price tag has been high for such deals involving a pass rusher. The Seahawks agreed to trade Clark to the Chiefs in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, a 2020 second-round pick and a swap of third-round picks in 2019. Are the Bills willing to pay such a steep price?

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Potential Bills target Yannick Ngakoue to be franchise tagged

Buffalo Bills free agent target Yannick Ngakoue gets franchise tag from Jacksonville Jaguars.

Yannick Ngakoue is an intriguing free agent prospect for the Bills to consider. Buffalo have a need for a defensive end that can provide more sacks, and that’s where the 24-year-old has thrived.

But that idea took a bit of a bump on Monday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jacksonville Jaguars will franchise tag Ngakoue. It’s a bit of a complex situation, though.

While Ngakoue’s tag news surfaced Monday, so did a tweet that Ngakoue sent out himself. Not only did Ngakoue say he’s “no longer” interested in signing a long-term deal with the team that drafted him, he made it sound like he doesn’t want to play for the Jags ever again. His message finished that he looks forward to “continuing my career else where.” No more Jacksonville, it seems:

Ngakoue’s situation could likely go one of two ways. He can find a new team, but the Jaguars will have to trade him there. Or we could see some sort of interesting holdout type of deal. Former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, also a potential present day Bills free agent target, was previously franchise tagged by the Panthers. He didn’t want it, and after a dispute, the Panthers dropped the tag and eventually Norman latched on with the Redskins a few years back.

More recently, players such as Dee Ford, Frank Clark and Jadeveon Clowney, all top-notch pass rushers as well, were all traded by their teams after the franchise tag was placed on them.

Ngakoue has 37.5 career sacks in four seasons. His single-season lowest output was eight sacks. For reference, current Bills pending free agent Shaq Lawson had a career-high 6.5 sacks last season.

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