Josh Allen nearly flawless as Bills rout listless Jaguars

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills offense was unstoppable against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night, winning 47-10. The Bills remained unbeaten this season and the Jaguars were handed their third loss.

Quarterback Josh Allen led the Bills to touchdowns on all five of their first-half attempts to give them a commanding lead at home. The win ended a two-game losing streak against the Jaguars and marked the fifth time the Bills have scored 30 or more points in their first three games of the season.

Here’s what’s most important for both teams on Monday night.

Buffalo Bills (3-0)

“Perfection” is a tricky word to use, and in reality it is rarely achieved.

But you could argue the Bills offense and Josh Allen (247 passing yards and four touchdowns in the first half) came pretty close to that in the first half against the Jaguars.

Allen completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed six times for 44 yards. According to ESPN BET, Allen passed Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to top the MVP odds and tied his own record for touchdown passes, all in the first 30 minutes. Through the first drive of the third quarter, Allen was 6 of 6 for 77 yards and two touchdowns on third down.

His stats have been impressive, including his ability to thrive under pressure: His four passing touchdowns under pressure this season are tops in the NFL.

The Bills scored 30 or more points in each of their first three games of the season for the first time since 2011. This offense has made it clear to the rest of the league that it will not be easy to stop.

Key plays: Damar Hamlin interception. The Bills offense will get a lot of credit for this performance, but of course the defense did their part as well. On a rough pass from Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on first down and 10 yards late in the second quarter, with no one near the pass, Hamlin intercepted Lawrence’s pass and returned it 19 yards. Hamlin’s first career interception led to Allen’s pass to wide receiver Khalil Shakir for a score five plays later, the team’s fourth touchdown of the day.

Promising trends: The offensive line is a diverse bunch. Four Bills players scored touchdowns against the Jaguars, and running back James Cook scored on a rushing run. The Bills have had six players score touchdowns this season, the most in the NFL. Getting the ball to a variety of players has been an early trend for the Bills, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady should continue it. This unit is only going to get more dangerous.

Surprising stats: Allen is the first player to throw four touchdown passes in the first half of a “Monday Night Football” game since Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger did it against the Ravens on Nov. 5, 2007. The last player to do so was Brett Favre (2003, Packers vs. Raiders).

Next match: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

There’s probably no need to panic just yet, but that day is fast approaching for the Jaguars, who were soundly defeated on Monday night. They’re now 0-3, and the playoff hopes owner Shad Khan had before the season are looking a lot tougher.

Since 1979, just six teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3; only one has done so this century: the Houston Texans in 2018. That list also includes the 1992 San Diego Chargers, the only team to make the playoffs after starting a season 0-4.

There’s still plenty of football left to play — the schedule looks easier after next week’s game at Houston with games against Indianapolis, Chicago and New England — but a sluggish start to the 2023 season after a late collapse (1-5) will undoubtedly increase the pressure on head coach Doug Pederson.

Describe this game in two words: Defensive blunders. The Jaguars allowed 34 points in the first half, the most the team has allowed in a first half in franchise history, per ESPN Research, and just four shy of the most they’ve allowed in any first half. The Jaguars were missing two starters in their secondary and also lost linebacker Foye’sade Oluokun, but that’s no excuse for allowing Allen to throw for 247 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.

A worrying trendThe Jaguars were already dealing with injuries to cornerback Tyson Campbell (on injured reserve with a hamstring injury) and nickelback Darnell Savage (quadriceps), and now they’ve also dealt with injuries to cornerbacks Jarrian Jones (shoulder) (filling in for Savage) and Oluokun (foot). Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen likes to use a lot of man coverage, and these injuries will severely impact the Jaguars’ man coverage ability, especially considering they face a short week and have to travel to Houston to deal with C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs.

Surprising stats: The Jaguars finally got receiver Christian Kirk more involved in the offense. In the first two games, Kirk was targeted seven times and caught just two passes for 29 yards, but in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, he was targeted seven times and caught six passes for 73 yards. This was partly driven by the score and the fact that the Jaguars needed to pass more to stay in the game, but Kirk needed to play a bigger role in the offense.

Next match: vs. Houston Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)