Tuesday Takeaways: Bills @ Jaguars in London

The Jaguars escaped London with a narrow victory over the Bills. Here's what we took away from the game.

By
Jordan
​de Lugo

presented by

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The Jaguars played a Bills' team that was down three of their most important offensive players, and barely won. Having said that, a win is a win in this league and there were a lot of positives to take away from this game. 

The Jaguars top 2 receivers, the Brothers Allen, showed again that they are the real deal. Each of them has scored a touchdown in 3 straight games. Allen Robinson abused Bills’ cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, all day to the tune of 98 yards and a TD. Apparently Gilmore was a little confused after the game when he called Robinson “average”.  Allen Hurns was fairly quiet against the Bills until crunch time. On the Jaguars’ final drive he made a diving 36 yard touchdown reception to help seal the victory for the Jags.

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​T.J. Yeldon is the real deal. He carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry. He did this against a Bills’ defense that was allowing less than 90 yards a game on the ground prior. The key to Yeldon’s success is the offensive line. For much of this season, they have failed to open holes for the rookie running back, but if they are able to perform anywhere close to the level that they reached against the Bills, then this rushing attack will be in good shape for the rest of the season. 

We must keep blitzing. When the Jaguars were bringing heavy pressure in the first half it lead to 3 turnovers and 2 defensive touchdowns. The Jags must continue to bring pressure through out the rest of the season, as they do not have defensive lineman that can get to the quarterback by themselves. While the Jaguars recorded 4 sacks, most of them came early in the game, helping the Jaguars jump out to an early 27-3 lead. After their hot start it appeared that the coaches stopped calling blitzes, which allowed E.J. Manuel and the Bills to creep back into the game. The 27-3 lead transformed into a 31-27 deficit late in the fourth. If the Jaguars had not stopped bringing heavy pressure then the Bills would not have been able to claw their way back into this game.

Never Again … if Greg Olsen ever decides to call four straight Toby Gerhart runs on the goal line again, then the Jaguars need to get rid of him, plain and simple. Toby has proven throughout his brief tenure in Jacksonville that he is not the answer. The Jaguars possessed the ball on one drive for over half of the third quarter and weren't able to come away with any points because Olsen wanted to give the ball to TOBY GERHART FOUR TIMES IN A ROW. In todays game it is rare to see four straight runs on the goal line, but that wasn't the issue … if Olsen had called these plays for Yeldon, he likely would have broken the plane at least once — but no, Olsen opted to give the ball to Toby FOUR TIMES IN A ROW. This play calling blunder happened at a pivotal point in the game and cannot be overlooked. If the Jags had scored on that drive it would have likely ended the Bills’ chances of coming back. The play calling must improve in order for the Jags to compete with the best teams in the NFL.
Dwayne Gratz is not the answer. After last weeks loss to the Texans, Coach Bradley decided to bench the Jaguars’ best corner, Davon House, in favor of Dwayne Gratz. Against the Bills Gratz gave up 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown he gave up was excusable, as he had good coverage on the play, but his second one was pathetic. He was burned by Marcus Easly, a receiver who hadn't caught a pass since 2013 and had never scored a touchdown in the NFL. 

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The Jaguars clearly have some issues to deal with, but they also have a lot of bright spots on this young roster. Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Jags’ current situation is that despite their slow start this season, they are still only 1 game out of first place in their division.