The Buffalo Bills have put a muzzle on the Jacksonville Jaguars through a very fast-paced 30 minutes of action. The Bills lead the Jaguars 27-3, but the score doesn’t tell the full story of just how dominant a half Buffalo has played.
Wide receiver Khalil Shakir has been a one-man wrecking crew, utilizing his pinball-like penchant to humble the Jaguars with every touch he’s had. He’s already caught six passes (on six targets) for 72 yards and one very entertaining touchdown.
The Bills came out firing on almost all cylinders, even aggressively converting a fourth-down try on their opening possession. Early on, it was the James Cook show, with Allen finding his dual-threat running back often for passes in the flat. Cook’s energy was infectious from the outset, and his nose for the end zone got the first-half party started. At the break, Cook has six carries for 22 yards and one touchdown; adding four catches (on five targets) for 48 yards.
Buffalo has proven to be an impossible task for Jacksonville’s man defense to contain. The energy from the Bills’ sideline has perceptibly drained every reserve from the Jaguars.
Through two quarters, quarterback Josh Allen has gone 22-of-28 for 247 yards and four touchdowns, adding three carries for 22 yards. His four scores have gone to four different receivers: tight end Dalton Kincaid, running back Ty Johnson, and wide receivers Shakir and Keon Coleman — who hauled in his first NFL touchdown in epic fashion.
Safety Damar Hamlin grabbed his first career interception late in the second quarter off a poor pass by quarterback Trevor Lawrence that was intended for rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas, Jr.
Five possessions. Five touchdowns. And there’s a second half to play. Here’s your second-half thread to enjoy the rest of tonight’s game with your fellow Buffalo Rumblers. As always, be kind to one another and with every ounce of energy you have, by all means... Go Bills!
Oh, right — there’s also this:
The Bills 31-point halftime lead equals the third-largest in franchise history and is the largest since 11/22/1992 against the Falcons.
Jaguars’ Struggles in the Spotlight
Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars struggled against the Buffalo Bills in the first half of Monday night's matchup.
Lawrence, fresh off an offseason in which he inked a massive five-year, $275 million contract, had just 59 passing yards and an interception, completing 10 of his 22 passes. The Jags mustered just 70 yards of total offense as the Bills went into the half with a 34-3 lead.
Pederson Under Fire
Fans took to social media to express their frustration, with many calling for Pederson's head.
“Trevor Lawrence STINKS and you can't fire the $300mm QB, so time for the head coach to go. Tomorrow.”
“If I had taken a quarterback with the first pick in the draft, and then signed him to a five-year, $275 million contract after his third season, I'd want him to be a whole lot better by Year 4 than Trevor Lawrence.”
“Doug Pederson and Ryan Nielsen right now: [link]”
“Was doug pederson ever good or did nfl teams in 2017 just not how to defend RPOs”
“Seems like this is going to be Doug Pederson's last game as Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Enough is enough. [link]”
“I like Doug Pederson, but he needs to be fired.”
Lawrence’s Continued Struggles
Lawrence, despite his big contract, has struggled in recent weeks, and the Jaguars have been unable to find any offensive rhythm.
“Trevor Lawrence has been horrible tonight (as he has been for much of his last eight starts) and the Jaguars have no chance of coming back to win this game.
It might be prudent for Doug Pederson to give him a beat in the second half and see if that will help him reset at all.”
“Trevor Lawrence might be the worst QB in the NFL.
Jaguars might be the worst team.”
“Buffalo Bills defense watching Trevor Lawrence drop back to pass. [link]”
Coming into Monday's game, Lawrence hadn't had an ideal start to the season considering his huge extension this offseason. He had 382 passing yards and just one touchdown through the first two games of the season, which were losses to the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.
While it's still early in the year and both Lawrence and Pederson have time to turn things around, Monday's performance is not a good indication as to what kind of season that Jags are headed towards.
Double the Football, Double the Fun?
That seems to be the NFL’s approach to a few Monday nights this year. There are four weeks featuring a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader this regular season, continuing the scheduling quirk that has become the norm since 2022.
It’s the result of an 11-year media rights agreement the NFL finalized in March 2021. The deal, which included previously existing broadcast partners plus Amazon Prime Video, granted more content to Disney by increasing the number of games on ESPN and ABC from 17 to 23.
There was a MNF doubleheader in Week 2 of the 2022 season and four multi-game “Monday Night Football” weeks in 2023 (including the Christmas Day slate in Week 16 that carried three games).
In Week 4, the Tennessee Titans play the Miami Dolphins at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Seattle Seahawks kick off against the Detroit Lions at 8:15 p.m. ET. These games fall on Sept. 30.
Week 7 brings a pair of late Monday games to the Oct. 21 slate. The Baltimore Ravens travel to Tampa Bay for an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff against the Buccaneers, and the Los Angeles Chargers–Arizona Cardinals game follows at 9 p.m. ET.
The second half of the regular season includes only one Monday night that’s double booked. To wrap up Week 15, the Chicago Bears play the Minnesota Vikings at 8 p.m. ET while the Las Vegas Raiders host the Atlanta Falcons at 8:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 16.
For most of the overlapping MNF games, one matchup will air on ABC and ESPN+ while the other will be broadcast on ESPN. The Chargers-Cardinals game that caps Week 7 will stream exclusively on ESPN+.
The Monday Night Doubleheader: A New Era
Those who enjoy the extra football games, the more variety and excitement, are likely to be fans of the new format. The NFL is trying to capitalize on the growing popularity of streaming services, and the doubleheader format provides a more diverse offering for fans.
However, there are also concerns about the new format. The later start times could be difficult for some viewers, and there’s a chance that the quality of the games could suffer with the increased number of games being played on Monday night. Only time will tell if the doubleheader format will be a success in the long run.
One thing is certain, the NFL is constantly evolving, and it’s always looking for ways to improve the viewing experience for its fans. This latest move is a testament to the NFL’s dedication to innovation.
