ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes in the first half and the Buffalo Bills scored a touchdown on each of their first five drives in a 47-10 victory over a misfiring Trevor Lawrence and the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.
Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 247 yards and completed passes to nine receivers in the first 30 minutes alone. After halftime, he attempted just two passes and completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards before Mitchell Trubisky replaced him.
And he spread his skills around, completing touchdown passes to Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Ty Johnson. James Cook opened the scoring with a 6-yard run.
“It feels good. I can tell you that,” said Allen, who set a team record with 11 games and four touchdown passes, surpassing Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.
“This easily could have been a game where we could have taken 10 days off, but our guys didn’t feel that,” Allen said of Buffalo’s extended break after a 31-10 win over Miami on Sept. 12. “There was a lot of pressure all week.”
Buffalo’s defense, meanwhile, limited the Jaguars to 70 yards, five first downs and a field goal in five first-half possessions. The game was essentially over when Allen completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 19 seconds left before halftime.
Safety Damar Hamlin contributed to the win with his first career interception, easily intercepting Lawrence’s over-thrown pass intended for rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Five plays later, Allen completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Shakir, who caught the ball at the 22-yard line and broke two tackles while running down the right sideline for a touchdown.
Hamlin’s interception came about 21 months after he suffered cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati, also on a Monday night.
“We all know my last game and how it went,” said Hamlin, who is now a starter after serving as a reserve last season. “To come back from that and have a special moment is just a credit to God.”
The four-time defending AFC East champions are off to their first 3-0 start since 2020 and their third since coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017. They have scored over 30 points in every game.
The Jaguars are in free fall. They last had a 0-3 record in 2021 under coach Urban Meyer, who was fired before the end of the season.
Jacksonville’s latest loss comes a week after Lawrence expressed his frustration after an 18-13 loss to Cleveland, saying “we’re bad right now.” The Jaguars blew leads of 14-0 and 17-7 in an opening loss at Miami.
Lawrence finished the game completing 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has lost eight straight starts since last season and hasn’t won since passing for 364 yards in a 24-21 win at Houston on Nov. 26.
After opening the second half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brenton Strange, Lawrence’s final two drives ended in downs.
He was taken off the field with 7:45 left and had to watch from the sideline with his hands on his collar as backup Mac Jones was sacked and lost a fumble three snaps into his first possession, leading to Ray Davis scoring on a 3-yard run.
More concerning is the Jaguars’ defense, which couldn’t find a way to stop Allen. The Bills gained 288 yards, scored 19 first downs, and converted 6 of 8 third-down opportunities and both fourth-down opportunities in the first half alone.
Positioning was a problem, as Cook beat the entire Jaguars defense to the left pylon and scored his touchdown. The Jaguars were unable to generate pressure, and Allen bought time by waiting for Kincaid to run the length of the field and catch a 6-yard pass just inside the baseline to make it 13-0. Coleman beat defensive back Montaric Brown by two steps and scored a touchdown with a 24-yard catch.
The Bills’ touchdown streak ended on their first possession of the second half, when they had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Tyler Bass.
Buffalo’s 31-point halftime lead was the third-largest in team history and the largest since a 38-7 lead against Atlanta on Nov. 22, 1992.
Jacksonville: CB Jarrian Jones did not return after injuring his left shoulder on Buffalo’s opening drive. … LB Foyesade Oluokun was ruled out with a foot injury. … RT Anton Harrison was ruled out with a knee injury.
Bills: DB Cam Lewis returned after being evaluated for a head injury.
Jaguars: Sunday in Houston.
Bills: Make their third consecutive prime-time appearance and open a streak of three consecutive road games against Baltimore on Sunday night.
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