Self-destructive bill, lose in disgrace | News, Sports, Work

AP Photo Jacksonville Jaguar’s defensive tackle Taven Bryan (93) and defensive end Dawuane Smoot (91) fired Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the second half Sunday in Jacksonville, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — The Buffalo Bills have 12 penalties, including five personal fouls, and three turnovers — and still have a chance to win.

Buffalo continued to deliver a bad smack in Jacksonville on Sunday, a 9-6 shock that will help refocus the already favorites to win the Super Bowl.

The result for the Bills (5-3) is embarrassing, humbling and hopefully a wake-up call.

“You can’t beat yourself. Let’s start from there.” said coach Sean McDermott. “Be it penalties, turnovers, fundamentals. Yes, too (a lot of) punishment, self-inflicted. Gotta keep our composure.”

Buffalo’s main concern is on the offensive side, where he hands over four sacks and is even more rushed. Quarterback Josh Allen was abused early and often. He completed 31 of 47 passes for 264 yards, with two interceptions and one error.

Allen made no second-half substitutions throughout the season until Sunday.

Then he scored three strokes against Jaguar (2-6) and would have scored the fourth goal had officials not decided his forward progress had been halted.

“Played like (nonsense), pardon my language, but it started with me,” Allen said. “I have to be better for this team. But, again, the guys on defense get paid too. They have a good game plan.”

Allen is also leading on the pitch, another problem for Buffalo against one of the league’s worst defences. He jumped five times for 50 yards. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss joined forces for nine runs over 22 yards. Moss was late to leave the game due to a concussion.

“That’s a big problem for us at the moment.” said McDermott. “Must be able to run football when handed over. …That’s not good enough.”

With no running games to worry about, Jaguar could focus on getting Allen. And they do it regularly.

The game’s most decisive moments came on Buffalo’s last two drives: Allen missed the third and 2nd game at Jaguar 37 with less than 5 minutes remaining. Allen groped after being pressed by Dawuane Smoot. Jacksonville midfielder Josh Allen – another league player Josh Allen – is recovering.

Buffalo got the ball back in the fading minutes and advanced to Jaguar 39. But Smoot fired Allen in the bottom third. It was Jacksonville’s fourth sack of the day.

Allen’s sack made NFL history. It is the first time a player has sacked a quarterback of the same name since the league began counting sacks in 1982.

McDermott was peppered with questions about slow starts, silly penalties and potential changes along the offensive line. He also defended rejecting offensive defensive calls against Jacksonville after the third and fifth games of Buffalo 37.

Matt Wright scored a 55-yard field goal in the next game. McDermott could have received a penalty, which would have put Jaguar out of goal range.

“We didn’t play well then.” he says. “And felt like he didn’t have a lot of field goals. I’m not sure if he has that distance at this point in the season. But that’s what I want back, yes, obviously with a result like that.”

The whole game will be one Buffalo may look back on in the rest of the season. Bill was the 14 1/2 point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and they looked unprepared – and perhaps even unmotivated – from the start.

“I just saw it from their side and the one thing I knew was I was like, ‘They don’t have the same energy as us,’” Jaguar cornerback Shaquill Griffin said. “If you feel a team deserved this win, it was us, but you have to believe that.

“That’s one thing I keep preaching to other people. Look on the sidelines, watch them walk around, they don’t seem to care. They don’t deserve this. Let’s show them the reason.”

Adding Allen Buffalo: “It’s difficult to win a football game no matter who you play with. We are all grown men. We all get paid to play this game. They’re out. They want it more.”