Josh Allen played well, but not the Buffalo Bills starting quarterback.
Instead, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defender was instrumental in their upset of the AFC East-leading Bills.
He had a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery from the same-named play-caller to avoid giving up a touchdown against the NFL’s best offense.
Credit goes to Allen and the Jaguars for playing the game with unmatched energy and for not believing pre-game predictions.
First a sack, now an INT.
Josh Allen picks off Josh Allen.
The #Jaguars are giving the #Bills all they can handle. pic.twitter.com/aqpeAY8Ys8
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2021
As for the Bills, this humiliating loss erases the momentum they’ve built as favorites to win the Super Bowl.
It was understandable for them to lose by three points against the Tennessee Titans, with Derrick Henry having a monster game.
But scoring two field goals against a team that ranked 30th on defense coming into the game?
This result is beyond explanation, and it’s tough to find words to quantify such a collapse.
The #Jaguars just upset the #Bills.
THE MANNINGCAST CURSE IS A REAL THING. pic.twitter.com/F70rRa9o3K
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 7, 2021
The talks of Buffalo having a bye month are no more.
They must find the resolve to learn from this debacle and do better in their next assignment.
Did The Bills Disregard The Jaguars?
Complacency can be a great team’s worst enemy.
The mentality that they have the game wrapped up before it even started can poison their performance.
Perhaps that’s how the Bills treated the Jaguars, and they were in for a surprise.
Three takeaways, four sacks and eight QB hits by the Jacksonville defense against Josh Allen and Buffalo. #DUUUVAL #BillsMafia
— Amy Lawrence (@ALawRadio) November 7, 2021
Jacksonville didn’t do well either, scoring nine points on 213 total yards and completing only two of 13 third-down tries.
But it was enough to drop the Bills to 5-3 and trim their division lead over the New England Patriots by half a game.
Maybe the Buffalo offensive line took the Jacksonville defense lightly.
As a result, Urban Meyer’s crew sacked Allen four times.
Defense is EATING today.#BUFvsJAX | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/5Unq4hf6kY
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 7, 2021
Aside from the other Allen, Taven Bryan had two sacks, while Dawuane Smoot had one.
Credit also goes to Jihad Ward and Adam Gotsis for constantly disrupting Buffalo’s pocket from the inside.
While the Jaguars’ victory was shocking, the way Buffalo lost is beyond reason.
That’s why Allen mentioned during the post-game press conference that the pathetic outing starts with him, and he vows to do better in their next game.
QB Josh Allen: We played like sh*t and it starts with me. This loss stings, but we will be better because of it. #BUFvsJAX pic.twitter.com/7RHVjnuOdl
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 7, 2021
They had opportunities to claim victory, but did not do enough to turn the game to their favor.
In the end, a missed fourth down pass sealed their third defeat in the 2021 season.
Did they have to suffer such defeat before they realize how competitive the NFL is?
Any favorite can lose any game as long as the underdog shows how badly they wanted to win.
The Wild West For The AFC Playoffs
This victory proves that the Bills are not invincible even if they have a top-ranked offense and defense.
To their credit, the Jaguars revealed problems in Buffalo’s run game which was in the Top 10 before their encounter.
Likewise, the Bills’ remaining opponents will have a boost of confidence that they can emulate what Jacksonville did.
A win by the Bills would have made them only the third team in the AFC to reach six wins.
Current AFC Playoff picture before the Titans SNF game on NBC. pic.twitter.com/r8tMDbUIfq
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) November 8, 2021
Instead, their defeat made the race for the AFC postseason much tighter.
They are one of eight AFC teams with five victories halfway through the season.
Therefore, every game counts moving forward if they want to enter the playoffs for the third straight year.
A string of losses can drop them out of contention.
The AFC playoffs should just be a 16-team tournament.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 8, 2021
Worse, their once-bankable playoff appearance does not look guaranteed anymore.
Sean McDermott‘s crew must bury this disappointment in the past and refresh their mindset.
They still have nine games left to prove that losing to lowly Jacksonville was a fluke.
But if this would become the norm, Buffalo can kiss their Super Bowl LVI aspirations goodbye.
NEXT: Bills Were Smart Not To Trade Mitchell Trubisky