Bills vs. Jaguars: Score and Twitter Reaction from Wembley Stadium

If the NFL fans in London wanted an exciting game, they certainly got one between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. If they wanted a well-played game, well, they may have been slightly less satisfied. 

In a turnover-ridden contest highlighted by spotty quarterback play and an excess of penalties, the Jaguars beat the Bills, 34-31. The Jaguars scored 27 unanswered points in the second quarter and the Bills responded with 28 unanswered points before a late, game-winning touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Allen Hurns.

Bortles and Bills quarterback EJ Manuel each struggled throughout. Bortles finished 13-of-29 with 182 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Manuel completed 24-of-42 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. 

T.J. Yeldon (115 rushing yards, touchdown) and Allen Robinson (six receptions for 98 yards and a score) and Telvin Smith (nine tackles, interception return for a touchdown) were excellent for Jacksonville, while Robert Woods (nine receptions for 84 yards and a score) and LeSean McCoy (104 yards from scrimmage) put together strong performances for Buffalo.

After a slow first quarter only highlighted by a Dan Carpenter field goal to give Buffalo a 3-0 lead, the Jaguars exploded in the second quarter with a bit of help from the struggling Manuel. 

The Jaguars went up 7-3 after a seven-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Allen Robinson. But from there, Jacksonville's defense took over.

On the very next series, Aaron Colvin sacked Manuel and forced a fumble Chris Clemons scooped up and took six yards for the touchdown. 

It got worse for the Bills. On the next play from scrimmage, Manuel threw an interception to Smith, who raced 26 yards to give the Jags a 21-3 lead. The NFL on Twitter shared that play:

Manuel's woes continued on the next drive. This time, he was picked off by another Jacksonville linebacker, Paul Posluszny. 

Three plays later, Yeldon patiently waited for a hole to form and dipped and darted through the Buffalo defense for a 28-yard touchdown (though Jason Myers missed the extra point).

In a matter of six minutes, the Jags reeled off 27 unanswered points. And Manuel became the first player this season to turn the ball over three times in a quarter, per ESPN Stats & Information.

When the Bills named Tyrod Taylor the starter, they ultimately chose Manuel as his backup, eventually trading Matt Cassel to the Dallas Cowboys. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wondered if the Bills might regret that decision after Manuel's string of poor play in the second quarter, however:

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was a bit less delicate with his critique:

To his credit, Manuel fought back, leading Buffalo on a 12-play, 85 yard drive capped off by a 16-yard Robert Woods touchdown reception on the next drive. The Bills would also close the half with a Dan Carpenter field goal, fighting back to only trail 27-13 at the half.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, though Buffalo kicked a field goal early in the fourth to cut the deficit to 27-16. The Bills were in scoring position again on their next drive, but McCoy fumbled inside Jacksonville's five-yard line after taking a huge hit from safety Johnathan Cyprien. The Jags recovered, ending another scoring opportunity for Buffalo.

McCoy appeared to be injured on the play, though he would return to the game.

And the Bills would return to the end zone with 6:33 remaining in the game, as the resurgent Manuel would find Marcus Easley on a 58-yard touchdown pass. McCoy would convert the two-point conversion and the Bills, suddenly, found themselves down just 27-24. 

That touchdown represented a role reversal in the game, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweeted:

And it certainly appeared as though Jacksonville blew it on its next possession. Facing pressure on a 3rd-and-11, Bortles lofted an ill-advised pass down the middle of the field and was intercepted by Corey Graham, who took the pick 44 yards to the house.

Despite the struggles Manuel had during the contest, Bill Simmons of HBO Sports still felt he was better than his counterpart:

But like Manuel, Bortles responded, leading Jacksonville on a seven-play, 84-yard drive highlighted by Hurns' 31-yard touchdown reception. Buffalo was unable to drive down the field for a score on the ensuing drive, and Jacksonville took a knee and the win.

Postgame Reaction

The Jaguars weren't exactly basking in their win after the game.

"Can't celebrate too much," defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks told Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. "We should have beat the hell out of them and we let down." 

And when O'Halloran asked head coach Gus Bradley if he allowed himself a sigh of relief after the win, he simply answered, "No."

Despite getting the win, the Jags seemed to feel they could have played much better.

Buffalo's head coach, Rex Ryan, took a slightly different approach.

"We found a way to keep fighting, found a way to come back," he said, per Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. "I'm proud of this team."

He was also realistic, however.

"I don't know if I've been on a team that needed a bye week worse than we do," he told Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News.

Indeed, a bye week is just what the doctor ordered for a Bills offense beset by injuries to several key position players and a defense that simply hasn't clicked under Rex Ryan. The Bills will need that time to get healthy and get back on track, as tough matchups against the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New England Patriots await them.

Ryan said he was confident Taylor would return after the bye but wouldn't guarantee it, while adding he was confident in Manuel as the team's backup, per Dunne.

The Jags will head into their bye week on a high note, on the other hand, having broken their four-game losing streak. It certainly was a sloppy win and one they nearly gave away after Manuel handed them 21 points on a silver platter, but Bortles and his young receiving corps were clutch when it mattered, a positive sign for their developing offense.