JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – 5 quick takeaways from the Jaguars 34-31 win over the Buffalo Bills: If you're a Jaguars fan this game wasn't for the faint at heart.
Jaguars nearly gave this game away:
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Gus Bradley has preached "finish." The Jaguars did everything in their power to give this game away. Entering Sunday the Jaguars had lost four straight games in which they either led or were within seven points in the fourth quarter. After a Blake Bortles pick six gave the Bills a 31-27 lead, it looked like it would be five games in a row.
Bortles responded in a big way, leading a 7-play 84-yard scoring drive to put the Jaguars ahead for good. Bortles made a tremendous throw on the run and Allen Hurns made an even better catch on the 31-yard touchdown reception.
Defense shows up in a big way:
The Jaguars defense had a total of takeaways in their first six games. They had three in the second quarter alone against the Bills. The Jaguars didn't just settle for forcing a turnover. They scored defensive touchdowns on back-to-back plays.
After leading by as many as 24 points the Jaguars found themselves clinging to a 27-16 lead, with the Bills threatening to score another touchdown. LeSean McCoy was literally 2-3 yards away from a touchdown until Johnathan Cyprien delivered a devastating blow that knocked the ball free. The Jaguars recovered for their fourth forced turnover of the game. Gus Bradley said that turnovers come in bunches and that was certainly the case against Buffalo.
One of the best 2nd quarters in franchise history:
The second quarter was almost a footnote after what happened in the fourth quarter. Relive the Jaguars epic 2nd quarter here.
Running game got back on track:
Good news and bad news from the running game. T.J. Yeldon had his best game as a pro running for 115 yards on 20 carries. His 28-yard touchdown run was easily the Jaguars best running play of the season.
The bad news is the Jaguars don't have much in the running game beyond Yeldon. Toby Gehart is supposed to be the short yardage back. He was stuffed four straight times on the 1-yard line. The Jaguars are lucky that blunder didn't come back to haunt them. Yeldon has to get a carry in that situation.
The Jaguars were stopped on six plays in which they needed a yard or less. I'm not sure if Yeldon got tired but the Jaguars stopped calling his number in the fourth quarter and it almost cost them a win.
Hold Shady in Check:
Before the game I said that making EJ Manuel beat you would be one of the keys for the Jaguars. Their defense forced Manuel into several mistakes. They also did a great job holding LeSean McCoy in check. He's one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL. The Jaguars held him to 68 yards on 18 carries.