Jacksonville Jaguars fall apart against Buffalo Bills, still win
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars were up 27-3 in the second quarter after a string of turnovers against the Buffalo Bills, but with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter, the score was 31-27 for the Bills.
The Jacksonville Jaguars just fell apart in this one and it’s an all too common thread for the team under head coach Gus Bradley.
Young place kicker Jason Myers missed an extra point and the Jaguars stubbornly tried to run four times from the one-yard line with Toby Gerhart, resulting in a lot of missed points in the game. Those points were absolutely necessary in a game that came down to just a few.
The play calling was particularly suspect as the Jaguars stopped handing it off to T.J. Yeldon (116 yards, one touchdown) in the second half with a massive lead and instead turned to quarterback Blake Bortles.
Bortles finished the day 13 of 29 for 181 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The pick in the fourth quarter was returned for a touchdown, resulting in the Bills’ 31-27 lead.
The standard practice is for teams to eat up clock with a multiple-score lead and to take points when on fourth down in the red zone. Instead, the Jaguars went against the standard and managed to get beat in a second half that looked bizarre.
The Jaguars salvaged it all with a beautiful catch from Allen Hurns on a 31-yard pass from Blake Bortles, pulling the Jaguars ahead 34-31 with just 2:16 left. Aaron Colvin knocked away a pass on fourth down and the Jags escaped London with a win.
Still, this was a meltdown of the highest degree for the Jaguars. The Bills were injured, made tons of mistakes, and were still managing to come close to win this game. The Jaguars struggled to move the ball, score points, and keep a lead. It was almost as if a 24-point lead was insurmountable for the Jaguars and not for the Bills.
The Jags rise to 2-5, but it sure still feels like 1-6.
Next: CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Jags don't know how to play with a lead
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