3 Takeaways from Bills' Week 5 Loss vs. Jaguars
The Buffalo Bills were stunned on Sunday in London by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Josh Allen and Co. had no answer for what the Jaguars threw at them until the fourth quarter, when an offensive surge was not good enough to save a bad performance.
The Bills did not have an effective day on the ground, and that forced Allen to play catch up through the air in the second half.
Buffalo's defense could not contain Travis Etienne or Trevor Lawrence, and that unit suffered a big blow with an injury to Matt Milano.
The Bills must use Sunday's loss as a teaching moment so that they can rebound and build up wins during an easy stretch that begins with the New York Giants in Week 6.
Bills Failed to Contain Jaguars' Offensive Stars
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Lawrence and Etienne did whatever they wanted to the Buffalo defense.
Etienne ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. The Jags ran for the most yards of any opponent against the Bills this season.
Buffalo allowed 196 rushing yards, which was 24 yards more than its previous high concession on the ground, which came in its other loss of the season to the New York Jets.
Lawrence torched the Buffalo secondary for 315 passing yards. He worked well with Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk to extend a handful of drives.
Jacksonville's drive that started with 7:56 left in the third quarter showcased all of Buffalo's defensive flaws.
Lawrence picked out Calvin Ridley for three passes of 10 yards or more. Two of those throws resulted in third-down conversions.
Buffalo ended that drive with a fumble, but it is still a good example of how it could not get off the field for long stretches against the Jags.
Jacksonville had three second-half drives of eight plays or longer and then Etienne broke loose for a 35-yard score on its final series.
Buffalo's defense needs to go over the tape and figure out how it can recover from the loss as well as make up for the loss of Matt Milano, who suffered a fractured leg in the defeat.
Rushing Attack Offered Nothing
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Buffalo's ground game struggled to find any success.
Allen ended up as the Bills' leading rusher with 14 yards. Damien Harris, Latavius Murray and James Cook combined for 15 yards on 10 carries.
The 29-yard ground performance was shocking since the Bills eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground in each of the last three games.
The inability to find any offensive balance forced Allen into throwing situations early in drives.
Allen did his best to try and rescue the game in the second half, but that was not enough against a Jacksonville front seven that did not budge.
Buffalo's ground game should bounce back in Week 6 against the Giants, but if it does not, there may be concerns if the current running back group is good enough to lead the Bills deep into the postseason.
Jacksonville Held Clear Advantage in London
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Jacksonville held a clear edge over Buffalo in preparation for the game, as it played two straight games in London.
The Jaguars looked fresher than they did in last week's win over the Atlanta Falcons because they did not have to adjust to the time difference in England.
Buffalo might have been affected by the travel, but it was clear the Jags had the upper hand because of their scheduling.
The Bills just have to chalk up the Week 5 loss as a single loss and one they can afford in the long run.
Buffalo does not play a playoff contender until the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, and its schedule is easy leading up to the Week 13 bye.
The Bills play the New York Giants, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles in the next seven weeks.
Buffalo should at least be 8-4 through 12 weeks. That record could be even better with a win over Cincinnati or Philadelphia.
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