Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen wills his team to a victory in his return

The Buffalo Bills avenged last year’s playoff loss with a 24-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game filled with plenty of drama.

Buffalo Bills fans had to spend an extra week waiting for today’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It was totally worth it.

The Bills avenged the postseason loss against the Jaguars in a game that featured everything from impossible passes to fistfights on the field.

The negative mark on this game was the fight between Shaq Lawson and Leonard Fournette that saw both players ejected. But Bills fans will have no problem with Lawson sticking up for his team.

The positive mark on this game was the play of Josh Allen. A simple look at his final line shows he only went 8/19 for 160 yards and one touchdown. That is not spectacular, but one must also note his 99 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on the day.

Allen routinely busted off big runs and put his body on the line to will his team to victory. That may not be a smart strategy every week, but it has earned him the respect of the entire city.

Yet his biggest play of the game came in the first quarter when he connected with Robert Foster for a 75-yard touchdown pass. Allen appeared to disappear into a sea of Jaguars defenders, only for the ball to fly out of his hands and land right in Foster’s. The play put the Bills up 14-0 and had New Era Field rocking early.

The Jaguars did tie it at 14-14 heading into halftime, while the two teams went scoreless in the third.

The game was getting increasingly chippy leading up to Fournette and Lawson getting ejected. The Jaguars were on the cusp of taking the lead, but a Josh Lambo missed field goal gave the Bills momentum en route to the victory.

Both the Jaguars and Bills couldn’t stop committing penalties on the day, and it cost both teams. Luckily, the Bills were still able to come out with the victory after committing 13 penalties for 80 yards. The Jaguars had 10 for 90 yards.

Fournette being ejected put the focus on Blake Bortles in the fourth quarter and he couldn’t do much against the Bills defense. He did have some drops turn into interceptions, but it is clear he is holding that team back. Oh well, not our problem.

Isaiah McKenzie put his name into the minds of Bills fans with a touchdown to get the scoring going in the first quarter. With all the problems at receiver, it is nice to see young players getting opportunities and producing.

Allen didn’t return and light it up through the air. What he did do was make a few big plays and find success on the ground when his receivers were covered. That type of ability is not possessed by every quarterback and it is clear that Allen is getting better with more experience.

If only he had been healthy for the Monday night game.

The Bills are on the road next week against a beatable Miami Dolphins team. This could get fun as we approach the final month of the season. For now, it’s time to prepare for a Victory Monday.