Josh Allen near perfect as Bills rout listless Jaguars

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills offense was unstoppable Monday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 47-10 victory that kept the Bills perfect on the season and handed the Jaguars their third loss.

Quarterback Josh Allen led the Bills to touchdowns on each of their five first-half possessions, giving them a comfortable lead at home. The win snapped a two-game losing streak to the Jaguars. It was the fifth time the Bills have scored 30 points in each of their first three games of a season.

Here are the most important things to know Monday night for both teams:

Buffalo Bills (3-0)

“Perfect” is a difficult word to use, and it is so rarely achieved.

There is an argument, however, that the Bills offense and Josh Allen (247 first-half passing yards and four touchdowns) came close in the first half against the Jaguars.

Allen completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns in the game. He also ran for 44 yards on six carries. He passed Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the top MVP odds, according to ESPN BET, and tied his own record for most touchdown passes in a game, all in the first 30 minutes. Until the opening drive of the third quarter, he was 6 of 6 passing for 77 yards with two touchdowns on third down.

The stats are impressive, including his ability to thrive under pressure: His four passing touchdowns under pressure this season lead the NFL.

The Bills have scored 30-plus points in each of their first three games of a season for the first time since 2011. This offense has made it clear to the entire league that stopping it will not be an easy task.

Pivot piece: Damar Hamlin’s interception. The Bills’ offense is going to get a lot of credit for this performance, and rightfully so, but the defense did its job. On a tough pass from Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on a first-and-10 in the second quarter — with no one near the passing zone — Hamlin intercepted Lawrence and returned the ball 19 yards. Hamlin’s first career interception gave the team its fourth touchdown of the day, with Allen passing to receiver Khalil Shakir for a touchdown five plays later.

Promising trend: The offense features a wide variety of players. Four different Bills players caught touchdowns against the Jaguars, and running back James Cook had a touchdown run. Six Bills have caught touchdowns this season, the most in the NFL. Getting the ball to a wide variety of players has been an early trend for the Bills, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady should continue that. It only adds to the dangerousness of this unit.

Mind-blowing statistic: Allen is the first player to throw four touchdowns in the first half of a Monday Night Football game since Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers on Nov. 5, 2007, against the Ravens. The last time he did that was Brett Favre (2003, Packers vs. Raiders).

Next game: at the Baltimore Ravens (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

It may not be time to panic yet, but the Jaguars are getting closer after their loss Monday night. They are now 0-3, making the playoffs — which owner Shad Khan said before the season he expected to be — a tougher battle.

Since 1979, only six teams have reached the playoffs after starting the season without a win (0-3). Only one has done so this century: the Houston Texans in 2018. That list includes the San Diego Chargers in 1992, the only team to reach the playoffs after starting the season 0-4.

There’s still plenty of football to play, and the schedule looks to lighten up after next week’s game in Houston with games against Indianapolis, Chicago and New England. But the poor start after the 2023 season’s collapse (1-5 finish) will certainly increase the pressure on head coach Doug Pederson.

Describe the game in two words: Defensive debacle. The Jaguars gave up 34 points in the first half, which is the most points they’ve allowed in a first half in franchise history, according to ESPN Research, and just four shy of their most in a half. The Jaguars lost two starters in the defensive secondary and also lost another starter in linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, but that’s no excuse for allowing Allen to throw for 247 yards and four TDs in the first half.

Worrying trend:The Jaguars were already dealing with injuries to cornerback Tyson Campbell (on injured reserve with a hamstring injury) and nickelback Darnell Savage (quad), but now cornerback Jarrian Jones (shoulder) — who replaced Savage in the lineup — and Oluokun (foot) are also out. Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen likes to play a lot of man coverage, but these injuries will seriously impact the Jaguars’ ability to do so, especially with a short week and having to travel to Houston to handle C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs.

Mind-blowing statistic: The Jaguars were finally able to get wide receiver Christian Kirk more involved in the offense. After being targeted seven times and catching just two passes for 29 yards in the first two games, Kirk was targeted seven times and caught six passes for 73 yards in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Part of that was dictated by the score and the fact that the Jaguars needed to pass more to try to stay in the game, but Kirk needed to play a bigger role in the offense.

Next game: at the Houston Texans (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)