Jaguars-Bills: Halftime Thoughts

What did we see between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills in the first half of Monday Night Football?

Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) jogs onto the field prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are entering halftime in a big hole, trailing the Buffalo Bills 34-3 at halftime.

So, what did we see in the first half between the Jaguars and the Bills? We break it down below.

Jaguars continue to struggle out of the gate

The Jaguars have had an issue with starting fast for years, but Week 1 seemed like a team turning the corner. They fired out of the gates and punched the Miami Dolphins in the mouth to command a 17-7 lead.

Last week, the Jaguars regressed and punted on their first drive before allowing the Cleveland Browns to march down the field for a long touchdown drive. On the next drive, the Jaguars went three-and-out.

This time, things went even worse. The Jaguars allowed the Bills to march down the field for a touchdown, And again, the Jaguars went three-and-out.

This time, though, the Jaguars allowed the Bills to score yet again, giving themselves a 13-0 hole before Trevor Lawrence even took the field a second time. Slow starts will continue to doom this team until they find a solution.

Jarrian Jones injury creates more issues in secondary

The Jaguars entered Buffalo with issues in the secondary due to injuries to both Tyson Campbell and Darnell Savage. Not only are the Jaguars forced to play young players in their spots, but those are arguably the Jaguars' two best defensive backs.

And things became an even bigger challenge on the first drive of the game when Jarrian Jones, who is Savage's replacement in the slot, injured his shoulder.

With the Jaguars down three cornerbacks, Josh Allen dominated the Jaguars in the first half, going 22-of-28 for 247 yards and four passing touchdowns.

There is no help coming at this time of the season, and the Jaguars' depth issues have made an early appearance as a critical issue facing the defense. Campbell will miss at least the next two games, while the returns of Savage and Jones are up in the air.

The Jaguars' passing game is broken

The Jaguars have continued to struggle in the passing game in Week 3. A week after the Jaguars had just 16 yards passing in the first half against the Bills, the Jaguars had only 40 passing yards by the two-minute warning on Monday.

The Jaguars simply looked like the offense was claustrophobic. While the Bills easily schemed open receivers, got yards after the catch, and saw Josh Allen make big play after big play, the Jaguars failed to do all of them.

Blame goes beyond the scheme and coaching, though.

Mistakes such as dropped passes and slips while running after the catch came up, and Trevor Lawrence threw one of the worst interceptions of his career when he missed an open Brian Thomas Jr. while down 20-3. The Jaguars look like one of the NFL's worst passing games right now.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE