ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Any concerns Josh Allen had about the Bills’ performance after a 10-day break were dispelled during a 10-play opening drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by James Cook.
Buffalo kept scoring. Allen threw four touchdown passes and the Bills scored a touchdown on each of their five first-half drives. They beat a miss-hitting Trevor Lawrence and the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 on Monday night.
“It feels good. I can tell you that,” said Allen, who set a team record with 11 games and four touchdown passes, surpassing Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.
“I think this easily could have been a game where we had 10 days off and let off the gas. But we didn’t feel that from our guys, there was a lot of pressure all week,” he said of a team that hadn’t played since a 31-10 win over Miami on Sept. 12. “We didn’t win today. We’ve won in the last 10 days.”
Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 247 yards and completed passes to nine receivers in the first 30 minutes alone. After halftime, he attempted just two passes and completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards before Mitchell Trubisky replaced him.
And he spread his wealth around, completing touchdown passes to Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Ty Johnson.
“A freak of nature, all those things,” Shakir said of Allen, whose 230 touchdowns (passing, running and receiving) are just one fewer than Patrick Mahomes, the player with the most touchdowns in his first seven NFL seasons.
Buffalo’s defense limited Jacksonville to 70 yards, five first downs and a field goal in five first-half possessions. The game was essentially over when Allen completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 19 seconds left before halftime.
Safety Damar Hamlin contributed to the win with his first career interception, easily intercepting Lawrence’s over-thrown pass intended for rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Five plays later, Allen completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Shakir, who caught the ball at the 22-yard line and broke two tackles while running down the right sideline for a touchdown.
Hamlin’s interception came about 21 months after he suffered cardiac arrest during a Monday night game in Cincinnati and had to be resuscitated on the field.
“We all know my last game and how it went,” said Hamlin, who was a reserve in the starting lineup last season. “To come back all the way after that and have a special moment is just a credit to God.”
The four-time defending AFC East champions are off to their first 3-0 start since 2020 and their third since coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017. They have scored over 30 points in every game.
The Jaguars are in free fall. They last had a 0-3 record in 2021 under coach Urban Meyer, who was fired before the end of the season.
And as if things couldn’t get worse for the Jaguars, their departure from Buffalo was delayed due to mechanical problems, the team announced.
Jacksonville’s latest loss comes a week after Lawrence expressed his frustration after an 18-13 loss to Cleveland, saying “we’re bad right now.” The Jaguars blew leads of 14-0 and 17-7 in an opening loss at Miami.
On Monday it was coach Doug Pederson’s turn to interview his team.
“It’s really shocking. Very disappointing. I hate to say it, but the reality is we’re not very good right now,” Pederson said. “I need everyone to practice and play better. Let’s leave it at that.”
Lawrence finished the game completing 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has lost eight straight starts since last season and hasn’t won since passing for 364 yards in a 24-21 win at Houston on Nov. 26.
“I’m not playing my best right now and it’s frustrating,” Lawrence said. “It seems like everyone is making a bad move at the wrong time, including me. It seems really difficult to move forward. I can’t find that rhythm right now. We all have our part in it.”
After opening the second half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brenton Strange, Lawrence’s final two drives ended in downs.
He was taken off the field with 7:45 left and had to watch from the sideline with his hands on his collar as backup Mac Jones was sacked and lost a fumble three snaps into his first possession, leading to Ray Davis scoring on a 3-yard run.
More concerning is the Jaguars’ defense, which couldn’t find a way to stop Allen. The Bills gained 288 yards, scored 19 first downs, and converted 6 of 8 third-down opportunities and both fourth-down opportunities in the first half alone.
Buffalo’s 31-point halftime lead was the third-largest in team history and the largest since a 38-7 lead against Atlanta on Nov. 22, 1992.
Von Miller increased his total to 126 1/2 with a sack and moved into a tie with Derrick Thomas for 17th place on the career list, one ahead of Dwight Freeney.
Injuries
Jacksonville: CB Jarrian Jones did not return after injuring his left shoulder on Buffalo’s opening drive. … LB Foyesade Oluokun was ruled out with a foot injury. … RT Anton Harrison was ruled out with a knee injury.
Bills: DB Cam Lewis returned after being evaluated for a head injury.
Next
Jaguars: Sunday in Houston.
Bills: Making their third consecutive prime-time appearance, they open a three-game road streak at Baltimore on Sunday night.
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AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long contributed to this report.
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