JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Josh Allen was sacked four times, lost a fumble and threw two of his five interceptions on the season in Buffalo's 9-6 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.
It was the Jaguars' second win of the season, while the Bills dropped to 5-3, leaving them only a game ahead of the New England Patriots in the AFC East standings.
General manager Brandon Beane sat still at last week's NFL trade deadline when the Bills, with a beat-up offensive line with injuries to Jon Feliciano and Spencer Brown, struggled to protect Josh Allen up front all day against one of the league's bottom-feeders that has only won a single game this season.
"They wanted it more," Allen said simply after the game.
"We played like s---, and it starts with me."
The top-scoring offense in the NFL and 14-point favorites could only muster two field goals against a Jaguars team that only owned one win before beating the Bills.
Aside from three turnovers, the Bills racked up 12 penalties, including five personal fouls, for 118 yards.
"I'd like to believe we're a disciplined team, but it doesn't show right now," coach Sean McDermott said. "That was a crew that called taunting more than anyone in the league, and we were aware of that."
The offensive line struggled to keep Allen clean, and center Mitch Morse said the team "has a sense of urgency now," and they will all need to do some "soul searching" in the coming week as they prepare for a road game against the New York Jets next Sunday.
“You can only point to yourself as a player, as a professional … the urgency is putting points on the board as an offense,” Morse said.
After a field goal on Jacksonville's opening drive, Buffalo's red zone struggles continued on its first possession, settling for a 24-yard Tyler Bass field goal, unable to convert a first-and-goal opportunity at the 3-yard line, which tied the game at 3-3.
The Bills would add a 41-yard field goal by Bass on their second drive to take a 6-3 lead, and Buffalo would not score again.
Jacksonville tied the game with a 55-yard field goal on their next possession, and the 6-6 score would carry into halftime.
The second half was stunningly worse for Buffalo's offense, with Allen picked off by Rudy Ford and ... Josh Allen, the Jaguars linebacker, on the Bills' first two drives in the third quarter.
Allen's interception led to the eventual game-winning 21-yard Matt Wright field goal, putting the Jaguars ahead, 9-6.
"I thought Josh made some great throws at times, as he would tell you, you know, we've got to be smarter with the football in certain situations," McDermott said.
After punting away the next drive, Allen would then fumble on third-and-2 at the Jacksonville 37, which was recovered by the Jaguars' Allen again.
On the Bills' final drive, Josh Allen was sacked on third-and-7 at the Jacksonville 39 with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in the game, leaving the Bills with a desperate attempt on fourth-and-16 to keep their hopes alive.
Allen missed Stefon Diggs, and Jacksonville was able to run out the clock during a punt on its final possession, giving the Jaguars their second win this season.
"This one stinks, but I'll tell you that this one makes the other games feel better. You know, having this pit in our stomach right now puts things into perspective," Allen said.
"Any given Sunday, any team can come out here and play well and beat other teams."