Bills Vs. Jaguars Game Breakdown

Turnovers, refs and injuries, oh my! That was the name of the game Sunday as the Bills took to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, in what turned out to be a wild match up. What should have been a rather simple win for Buffalo was hampered by turnovers and some dubious calls made against Buffalo, one of which essentially cost Buffalo the game. The defense put up a decent day, while the offense had the first half from hell. The Bills have fallen below .500 for the first time since 2013, and have now dropped 2 of their last 3 games. Let's break down the game.

Offense: 

The offense was atrocious in the first half, and most of that fell on backup QB, EJ Manuel. Manuel gift wrapped 21 points for the Jaguars as he threw 2 picks, 1 of which was returned for a touchdown, and fumbled an additional time which was also returned for touchdown. EJ fell apart in the first half, forcing the Bills to fall down 27-3. Although it seemed it was time to pull the plug on EJ, Rex stuck with him, and he was rewarded. The Bills offense stormed back, putting up 21 unanswered points before the defense put up another 6 points on a pick 6.

EJ Manuel finished his day 24/42 for 298 yards, along with 2 TD's and 2 INT's. He finished better than he started, and although he made a lot of mistakes in the first half, he gave Buffalo a chance to come back late, in which they fell just short. He was not as good as he needed to be though, and turning the ball over that many times put them way behind. He needs to be much better if he wants to prove he can stick around here in Buffalo. Overall though, I think EJ needs to go in the long run.

Buffalo had 115 yards on the ground, with the majority of the yardage being put up by Lesean McCoy [68 yards] while EJ put up another 38 on the ground. The rushing attack was not a huge part of the Bills game plan, as they were behind most of the game.

Buffalo's receivers had a good day, with Robert Woods leading the way with 84 yards on 9 receptions, along with a score. Marcus Easley also contributed by putting up a huge 58 yard score to bring Buffalo back into the game. Other notable receivers were Chris Hogan and Lesean McCoy.

Defense:

The defense had a decent day, but gave up 295 yards to a poor Jacksonville team. They got beat on the ground for 115 yards and a score by rookie TJ Yeldon. Through the air, they held Blake Bortles to only 182 yards, 13 completions, and forced him to toss up a pick 6 to Corey Graham. The biggest plays for the defense included that pick 6, along with a 4 down goal line stand, which led to the beginning of Buffalo's comeback attempt. Nickell Robey made an excellent play on a 3rd and 15, but the refs made an extremely poor call for pass interference, which set up the Jags for the late go-ahead touchdown.

Overall, Buffalo lost a game that they should have won. The offense turned the ball over too early and too many times, and the refs made a few questionable calls. The injuries going into this game also hurt Buffalo. It's hard to win games when 7 key players are out with injuries. Buffalo's season hangs severely in the balance as they head into the bye week with a 3-4 record. The Bills are dead last in the AFC East, with the Dolphins and Jets proving they are forces to be reckoned with. With 3 of their next games being against the 3 better AFC East teams, Buffalo has a lot on their hands, and they need to make these games count. The Bills have a lot of ground to make up. Thanks for reading, and as always, let's go Buffalo!


Sources:
Stats: ESPN.GO.COM
Image #1: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Image #2: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images