Jaguars edge Bills after Buffalo’s sluggish start: How Lawrence, Etienne remained unfazed

Oct 8, 2023; London United Kingdom, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram (17) attempts to catch the ball against Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson (30) during the first half of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
By Matthew Fairburn and Larry Holder
Oct 8, 2023

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The Jacksonville Jaguars escaped the Bills 25-20 after an eventful fourth quarter followed Buffalo’s sluggish offensive start and defensive injuries. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen capped off a late-game attempted rally by rushing for a 3-yard touchdown with 2:11 remaining on the clock.
  • Allen finished with 359 yards on 27-of-40 passes, totaling two touchdowns through the air and one interception, while receivers Stefon Diggs (121 yards) and Gabe Davis (100) recorded at least 100 yards each.
  • The Bills’ rally attempts didn’t rattle the Jaguars as Travis Etienne scored back-to-back touchdowns.
  • Buffalo lost All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano (knee) and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (pectoral injury) during the first half. The Bills also temporarily lost defensive tackles Leonard Floyd and Kingsley Jonathan in the first quarter, while tight end Dalton Kincaid briefly exited the second half to be evaluated for a head injury.

Travis Etienne shines

Etienne took all kinds of advantages with the Bills’ defensive players dropping constantly with injuries. He leaned and leaned on the Bills, and it started to show in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville produced a 10-play, 93-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter ending with an Etienne 6-yard touchdown scamper.

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Then the tailback put the dagger in the Bills on the next drive. He escaped a tackle and took off for a 35-yard TD run to put the Jags up 25-13. His 136 rushing yards were his second-best output of his career and two TDs tied a single-game career high. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer

Read more: What we learned in NFL Week 5: Lions legitimately good, Patriots worst team in football?

Trevor Lawrence unfazed by Bills

There’s a threshold for the Jaguars: 100.0 passer rating for Lawrence.

Jacksonville is now 3-0 this season when Lawrence eclipses the century mark with the quarterback producing a 102.9 rate in the team’s win over the Bills. Yes, Lawrence absorbed five sacks and took a few tough shots. But Lawrence seemed unfazed, especially when he targeted his top wideouts Calvin Ridley (seven receptions, 122 yards) and Christian Kirk (six receptions, 78 yards).

Lawrence’s most clutch throw came on a perfect throw to Ridley for 32 yards on third-and-4 with about three minutes left in the game. It led to Etienne’s first touchdown run. — Holder

Read more: NFL Week 5 takeaways: Patriots, Mac Jones unravel again; Anthony Richardson injures shoulder

Why was Buffalo’s offense so sluggish?

The Bills looked sluggish on offense to start this game and never really got into a consistent rhythm until late. Buffalo had just seven points through three quarters for the first time since they lost in a blowout to the Colts in 2021.

Allen and the offense came alive on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars went down the field and scored a quick touchdown of their own, but Allen came right back and answered with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It turned into a respectable output for the Bills’ offense, but the group went dormant for too long of a stretch during this game.

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The lack of a running game was glaring, too. The Bills only ran the ball 14 times for 29 yards. James Cook finished the game with negative-4 rushing yards on five carries. Buffalo’s three running backs finished with 10 carries for 15 yards and that was a major reason the Bills weren’t able to stay on schedule offensively. — Matthew Fairburn, Buffalo staff writer

Bills’ defense collapses late

Buffalo’s defense collapsed late in this game. Injuries played a part, but the Bills also lacked in some key areas. Early on, the Bills were having some success on defense. The Jaguars scored 11 points in the first quarter but then had three punts and two fumbles on their next five drives. It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that the Bills allowed Jaguars touchdowns on back-to-back drives. The defense looked worn down at that point.

They came into the game without starting cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford along with defensive ends Greg Rousseau and Shaq Lawson. Then Milano left the game early, and Jones also left with a pectoral injury and didn’t return. Still, the Bills sacked Lawrence five times and forced two turnovers while holding Jacksonville to 11 points in the first three quarters of the game. Then the Jaguars had 234 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

The Bills couldn’t stop the run with Etienne, and the Jaguars ran it 40 times for 196 yards total. They finished the game converting 55 percent of their third downs. That’s the 10th-highest conversion percentage an offense has had against the Bills in the Sean McDermott era. The team has lost eight of those 10 games with a conversion percentage this high. Buffalo’s offense needed to be better early, but the defense didn’t get stops when it mattered, either. Now the concern is how the injuries will impact this group long term. — Fairburn

Highlights of the game

Key stat

With Sunday’s win, the Jaguars became the first NFL team to win multiple international games in one season. Jacksonville, who play multiple international games unlike most teams, beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 last week.

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Required reading

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

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