The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Monday night’s game trailing 2-0 and desperately needed a win and a statement against the Buffalo Bills.
Instead, they reached the low point of the Trevor Lawrence era with a crushing 47-10 loss in the prime-time spotlight of “Monday Night Football.”
Josh Allen led the Bills to touchdown drives on each of their five first-half possessions, while the Jaguars were helpless on offense, picking up three points in the first half.
They finally found the end zone on the opening drive of the third quarter. But by then the game was over. There was no miracle comeback. The game and the final score were a microcosm of two teams – and two careers – heading in opposite directions.
Bills with a brilliant start
The Bills have arguably had the strongest start in the NFL, posting a 3-0 record and over 31 points in each of their first three games, and Josh Allen has further established himself as one of the game’s best quarterbacks.
Allen made several big plays with his arm and feet on Monday, including extending a third-and-goal play under pressure before finding Dalton Kincaid in the back of the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the night.
On Buffalo’s next drive, a 24-yard pass to Keon Coleman gave the rookie receiver his first NFL touchdown.
Allen finished the night completing 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards (8.3 yards per attempt), four touchdowns and no turnovers. He added 44 yards on six rushing attempts. He did most of his damage in the first half.
Downward spiral for Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence continues
The Jaguars, meanwhile, are a team in peril. They appeared to have it all together at the start of last season with an 8-3 start that put them within reach of first place in the AFC. But then they lost five of their final six games and finished the season 9-8, a collapse that knocked them out of the playoffs.
In 2024, things have only gotten worse. Jacksonville blew a 10-point lead in a Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, then lost to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, who are now 1-2. And now there’s Monday night’s disaster.
After going three out on their first drive and giving the Bills a 13-0 lead, the Jaguars were already in desperation mode on their second possession, attempting fourth-and-1 at their own 39-yard line. They converted and eventually scored a field goal to cut Buffalo’s lead to 10.
After another Bills touchdown, the Jaguars tried again on their next possession on a fourth-and-one inside their own 40. They converted again, but this drive did not result in points. Instead, it ended in an interception after a poorly thrown ball by Lawrence on the first attempt. Lawrence threw a deep ball too far over rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and found Bills safety Damar Hamlin instead.
The Jaguars’ next possession ended in a three-yard punt. They ended their final possession of the half on a down, and the Bills went into halftime with a 34-3 lead.
Allen’s four touchdowns in the first half were the most on Monday Night Football since Ben Roethlisberger in 2007. Lawrence countered with 59 yards in the first half and an interception.
The second half was a formality. Lawrence led a 70-yard touchdown drive to cut Buffalo’s lead to 34-10. Jacksonville didn’t get any closer, however, as the Bills scored the game’s final 13 points.
Lawrence finished the night completing 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards (4.7 yards per attempt), one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times for a loss of 36 yards.
That’s not how it was supposed to go when the Jaguars drafted Lawrence as a top pick in the 2021 draft. Lawrence has only made one Pro Bowl appearance since that draft, but has accomplished little else. On Monday, Lawrence was outclassed and outdone by a quarterback like Allen, who is on a career trajectory that was expected of him.
This is not a Jaguars team in transition, either. That’s what owner Shad Khan says, who made his expectations clear before the season opener in Jacksonville.
“Make no mistake: This is the best team the Jacksonville Jaguars have ever assembled,” Khan said in an internal documentary. “The best players. The best coaches. But most importantly, we’re going to prove it with a win now.”
Three weeks into the season, there is still no win in sight in Jacksonville. Things won’t get any easier in the fourth week’s game against CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans.
