Weekly Superlatives: Bills @ Jaguars in London

The Jaguars jumped out to an early 27-3 lead over the Bills on Sunday, but the Bills stormed back and took a 31-27 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Jags battled back and put together a game winning drive at the very end — while this was a stressful game to watch, it showcased many impressive individual performances.

MVP: Telvin Smith — This is the first time in a while that a defensive player has been the MVP for the Jags. Telvin was able to record 9 tackles (2 for a loss) on the day, but his biggest contribution came in pass coverage, where he had a pick six early in the game to give the Jaguars a comfortable lead and then almost intercepted another pass later in the game that would have ended a Bills’ drive inside the red zone. Smith has been one of the most consistent players on the Jags’ defense this year, despite being in only his second season in the NFL.

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Offensive Player of the Week: T.J. Yeldon — This is the first time that the rookie out of Alabama has made the superlatives list, but this one is well deserved. He carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, averaging nearly 6 yards a carry on the day. The shocking thing about this performance was that the Bills’ defense was one of the top defenses in the league against the run heading into this week’s matchup. Yeldon showed that no matter what defense he is up against, he has the ability to carry the load for the Jags if the offensive line can do its job.

Defensive Player of the Week: Aaron Colvin — Colvin played an outstanding game and had some huge splash splays. In the first quarter he recorded a sack fumble that was recovered by Chris Clemons and returned for a touchdown and late in the game he made a huge pass deflection that ended the Bills chances of scoring. In addition to showing off his playmaking ability he was also able to record 6 solo tackles. Colvin is another second year player that is coming into his own as a pro.

Special Teams Player of the Week: No one — The Jaguars special teams unit was pretty bad on the day. Myers missed another extra point while Bryan Anger averaged only 38 yards per punt. The Jaguars only had 2 kick returns and neither were impressive. The Jaguars need to figure out what do with Jason Myers during the bye week. He has been a huge liability for a team that could have one 1 – 2 more games with a few more made field goals.

Needs Improvement: Situational Play Calling — Our coaches simply must “get better” at calling plays. In the first half the Jaguars brought lots of pressure and made it very difficult for E.J. Manuel to do much of anything. Of course once the Jags took a huge 27-3 lead, they called off the dogs and allowed the Bills to claw their way back into the game. The Jaguars need to consistently bring pressure from here on out. The lack of pressure late in the game was disheartening, but the biggest play calling conundrum came in the third quarter when the Jaguars held the ball for over 9 minutes and were not able to come away with any points. The Jaguars had the ball, first and goal, and handed it to Toby Gerhart FOUR TIMES in a row. Gerhart is not a good running back, T.J. Yeldon is a good running back. Why on Earth the Jaguars called FOUR straight runs to Gerhart is unfathomable! I wouldn’t have been nearly as upset if the Jags gave the ball to Yeldon four times in a row, but a PA roll out would have been nice. This play calling must improve in order for the Jaguars to compete with and beat the best teams in the NFL.

Next: T.J. Yeldon greatly improves the Jaguars

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