Statistics behind a well-balanced Jaguars win in the Josh Allen Bowl

The Jacksonville Jaguars return from London with a controlling win against the Buffalo Bills and returning above .500 for the first time since Week 1. While the Jaguars are still prone to making mistakes (fumbles and drops) that make the game closer than they should be, they otherwise controlled the game against a strong AFC opponent.

Key Stats from the Jaguars win vs. the Bills

The Jaguars had a season-high 56 penalty yards on Sunday, only for the Bills to draw nearly twice as many yards (109). The Defensive pass interference on Christian Kirk (26 yards) and unnecessary roughness on Calvin Ridley were the two major penalties.

The Jaguars could not generate a sack outside of the Josh Allen sack that was unjustly ruled as roughing the passer. Furthermore, the turnover battle was even but the two Jaguars’ fumbles were estimated to lose 8.37 expected points, according to Pro Football Focus.

Offensive Breakdown

The Jaguars had their most balanced and effective rushing game so far, both in terms of personnel and location. After Walker Little and Cam Robinson went down, the Jaguars started to favor the right side and both injuries will be important to monitor going forward.

Expectedly, the Jaguars chose to exploit the Bills secondary, targeting running backs on only 13.5 percent of passes (second lowest this season). The Jaguars also heavily leaned on passing to the outside, with Ridley recording five first-downs (six if you include the unnecessary roughness penalties).

Offensive Trends from the Jaguars Week 5 game

The Jaguars recorded a total of 29 first downs, seven higher than their previous high this season. For the first time this season, the Jaguars eclipsed 4.5 Yards per carry with Travis Etienne recording two touchdowns.

Most importantly, the Jaguars exploded for a 56 percent third-down conversion rate (10-for-18). While this was nice to see on Sunday, the gradual decline in third-down avoidance rate is concerning. In 2022, the Jaguars were amongst the best in avoiding third downs. To see more sustained success, avoiding third downs is just as important as converting third downs.

Key Defensive Stats from the Jaguars Win vs. the Bills

The Jaguars’ defense has proven to be dominant against the run, holding the Bills to a third-best 2.3 yards per carry. Going into the game, the Bills were sixth in Rushing Success Rate (43%) and the Jaguars limited them to 20%. Furthermore, the Jaguars did this while running more nickel defense, with Tyson Campbell coming in to make several tackles.

The pass rush continues to be a concern though, with zero sacks on Sunday. The Jaguars continued to bring interesting pressures, with Rayshawn Jenkins making his seemingly weekly disguised blitz and Tre Herndon recording a pressure.

Jaguars vs. Bills: Field Position in Week 5

Jamal Agnew’s presence had a limited impact in his first game back from injury against the Bills. However, another great day by Logan Cooke. Meanwhile, in his NFL debut, Antonio Johnson had a great impact as a winger on punt coverage.