ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – It was tough, playful and one-sided.
Really rough and Really unilateral.
The Jaguars were thoroughly outplayed from the start and never recovered in their 2024 primetime debut, with the Buffalo Bills scoring touchdowns on each of their five first-half possessions in a 47-10 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Highmark Stadium on Monday Night Football.
“We’re frustrated — and a little stunned, to be honest,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said, adding: “Disappointed would be an understatement.”
Head coach Doug Pederson called the loss “really shocking” and “very disappointing.”
“The reality is that’s who we are,” Pederson said. “We’re not a very good football team. We’ve got to fix this, we’ve got to find solutions and we’ve got to do it quickly.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes — all in the first half — and Buffalo scored on its first six possessions, with the Jaguars never getting within double digits after the first quarter.
The Jaguars have lost eight of nine games since last season.
“The main thing is to win the football game,” wide receiver Christian Kirk said, “and we don’t just win football games — and we don’t put ourselves in position to win the football game.
“The most important thing right now is just to win a football match.”
The Bills led 13-0 after the first quarter and 34-3 at halftime. They outscored the Jaguars 140-19 in the first quarter and 288-70 in the first half.
Lawrence completed 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s interception in the second quarter marked Lawrence’s first turnover of the season and led to a Bills touchdown that gave the Bills a 24-point lead at the end of the first half.
“Players play, coaches coach — and when we get on the field, we have to make plays,” Lawrence said. “We have to take all the responsibility, all the criticism, all the scrutiny. That’s our job, to go make plays. We’re not doing that right now.”
Allen completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Buffalo fans chanted “MVP, MVP, MVP” after several Bills touchdowns in the second quarter.
The Bills, the four-time defending AFC East champions, are now 3-0. The Jaguars, after finishing 9-8 each of the last two seasons, are 0-3 with a road game against the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (2-1) next Sunday.
The Jaguars failed to make a sack or takeaway Monday. They haven’t forced a turnover this season.
“It’s a week-to-week deal,” Pederson said. “We’re in Week 3 and we’re not very good right now. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. This is who we are right now and it’s not very good. We’ve got to be honest with ourselves and I’ve got to be honest with myself. We’ve just got to keep working hard.”
