The Buffalo Payments cruised previous the winless Jacksonville Jaguars to stay undefeated en path to a commanding 47-10 house victory on “Monday Night time Soccer.”
Listed here are 4 of the most important takeaways from Buffalo’s dominant win.
This might be the 12 months Payments QB Josh Allen lastly wins the MVP Award
After ending within the prime 5 of MVP balloting in three of the final 4 seasons, this might be the 12 months Allen lastly takes house the award. Throughout Monday’s thrashing of the Jaguars, the two-time Professional Bowler solidified himself because the early MVP front-runner, ending 23-of-30 passing for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns whereas speeding for 44 yards on six carries.
Moreover, Allen led the Payments on 5 consecutive touchdown-scoring drives on the workforce’s first 5 possessions to start the sport.
Via three video games, Allen has accomplished 75% of his passes for 634 yards and 7 touchdowns whereas posting an NFL-high 133.7 passer score and including 85 yards and two scores on the bottom. The 28-year-old ranks second within the league in passing touchdowns (seven) and first amongst QBs in whole TDs (nine).
So long as Allen and the Payments can proceed to take care of their momentum, he may find yourself being the unanimous MVP.
Buffalo has seemed just like the NFL’s most full workforce to start the common season
Regardless of reducing ties with a number of long-time contributors this previous offseason resulting from wage cap constraints, the Payments have been on a roll to start 2024, and so they’re beating groups in many various methods. Over their last 10 quarters, the Payments have outscored their opponents 102-31, with seemingly each participant enjoying a component within the workforce’s success.
After the protection propelled Buffalo to victory in Week 2, Allen and the offense broke out on Monday, with six totally different gamers scoring touchdowns. Buffalo’s protection clearly was excellent as effectively, however the unit’s efficiency is much more spectacular, provided that CB Taron Johnson and LBs Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano have been out with accidents.
With the way in which issues are going, Buffalo just isn’t solely well-positioned to win its fifth consecutive AFC East title, however it might be the workforce with one of the best likelihood of stopping a Kansas Metropolis Chiefs three-peat.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence hasn’t lived as much as the hype…
Lawrence, who has now misplaced his final eight consecutive begins relationship again to final season, merely hasn’t lived as much as the “generational prospect” billing he earned throughout his pre-draft course of. Though having City Meyer as his head coach throughout his rookie 12 months did not do him any favors, Lawrence has struggled with inconsistency all through his profession and has regressed since placing collectively a strong 2022 season.
The 2021 No. 1 general decide’s inconsistencies have been on show in Monday’s humiliating loss to Buffalo, as he accomplished 21 of his 38 passes for simply 178 yards, one landing and an interception. The interception was significantly regarding, contemplating Lawrence overthrew a wide-open Brian Thomas Jr. for what would’ve been a essential first down conversion with Jacksonville trailing 20-3 on the time.
As issues stand, Lawrence will most likely by no means dwell as much as being a Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck-type expertise like he was in comparison with in the course of the draft, however he would not should be to show his profession round. He should, nevertheless, show he generally is a prime 10 beginning quarterback within the NFL, or Jacksonville will shortly remorse signing him to a five-year, $275M deal this previous offseason.
…However he’s removed from Jacksonville’s largest downside
There won’t be a coach on a warmer seat getting into Week 4 than Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson (though Dallas’ Mike McCarthy might need one thing to say about that). Since being employed in 2022, Pederson has coached the Jaguars to an 18-19 file, together with the playoffs, and he is on observe to overlook the postseason for the second consecutive 12 months.
The Jaguars have seemed flat to start every of their final two video games on either side of the ball, which undoubtedly falls on Pederson and his workers. OC Press Taylor’s scheme is not inventive and the offense lacks a real identification consequently. In the meantime, DC Ryan Nielsen’s unit is regressing with every passing week and failed to gather a sack on Monday.
As Professional Soccer Discuss’s Mike Florio identified, Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan instructed reporters final month that “Successful now’s the expectation. . . . Make no mistake, that is one of the best workforce assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever.”
If successful really is the expectation in Duval County, Khan ought to critically contemplate making modifications to his teaching workers.
