It was certainly a loss that no one saw coming for the Buffalo Bills this past Sunday in Jacksonville.
The Bills defense came to play, limiting the Jacksonville Jaguars offense to just 218 yards of total offense and nine points on the scoreboard. Buffalo's defensive unit continues to lead the NFL in both average yards per-game (262.6) and points per-game (14.8), as well as turnover differential (+11)
However, the offense failed to contain an aggressive Jaguars defensive pass rush all afternoon, sputtering from the gate with just six points on the board in a 9-6 loss at TIAA Bank Field.
While Josh Allen was blitzed and running for his life a good portion of the game, he did not have the greatest of performances, completing 31-of-47 pass attempts for 264 yards and two interceptions. Allen was also sacked four times on the afternoon, en route to, arguably, his worst loss as a starting quarterback in the National Football League.
On the opposite side of the field, it was Jacksonville's Josh Allen that was the better of the Josh Allens on Sunday. The 2019 first round pick of the Jaguars was all over the field, registering eight tackles, two tackles for a loss, and tormented Buffalo's Josh Allen with a quarterback hit, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter.
Despite the disappointing loss, the Bills are still sitting atop the AFC East with a 5-3 record. However, the New England Patriots are lurking close behind, currently sitting at 5-4 thanks to an impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers this past week.
Buffalo is hoping to get back on the winning track this upcoming week, when they get ready to face another AFC East rival, the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This is the first of two meetings between the division rivals this season.
Allen and the Bills got the best of the Jets in their two games last season, but not by any large margin that one could've expected from the 2020 Bills squad. In the season opener last year, the Bills beat New York, 27-17, but never really pulled ahead until the second half. In Game 2 of 2020 between the two teams, the Bills kicked a total of six field goals to beat the Jets, 18-10 in the Meadowlands.
However, this Jets team will be a new-look squad in 2021, starting with the leadership of head coach Robert Saleh. He took over for Adam Gase in New York this offseason after spending four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.
In normal circumstances, the Bills would be facing Zach Wilson under center in his first season in the NFL with the Jets. However, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft will not play for a third-straight game, despite returning to practice this week following a knee injury.
In Wilson's place, the Jets will turn to Mike White at quarterback, who led New York to a surprising Week 8 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in his first career start. In that game, the 26-year-old went on to throw for 405 yards and thee touchdowns, and was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
White started this past week in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, but was forced to leave the game in the first quarter with a right forearm injury. But with some time to rest up the injury, he will be ready to play Sunday against the Bills.
Despite being a favorite once again this Sunday in the Meadowlands, last week's stunning loss to Jacksonville has Howard Simon in a pretty dark place.
In this week's edition of "Howard Picks the Bills," Howard has the Bills beating the Jets on the road, but then struggling a bit down the stretch of the season with losses to the Colts, Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While an 11-6 record is not going to put the Bills in a place to win the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the playoffs, it will still likely put them in a place to contend for the AFC East title or a Wild Card spot in the playoff race.
Be sure to follow along on Twitter for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on Twitter: @BJWilsonWGR.
You can listen to the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" below:
