So many of the NFL’s games in London have been uninteresting blowouts, and Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars looked like another one when the Jaguars went ahead 27-3 in the second quarter.
Hope you didn’t go back to bed, because you missed a fun and crazy second half from Wembley Stadium, with the Jaguars pulling out a thrilling 34-31 win.
The Jaguars blew that big lead, thanks to some weird play-calling, especially when they gave the ball to Toby Gerhart four straight times in the third quarter at the Buffalo 1-yard line and he got stopped four straight times. Then Bills safety Corey Graham’s 44-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Bills’ second touchdown in a little more than a minute, put Buffalo ahead 31-27 late in the fourth quarter.
But Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles got it together for a touchdown drive that will make that Jaguars flight back to Florida a lot more relaxing. The game was broadcast live on Yahoo as part of the NFL's first-ever exclusive livestream.
Bortles hit Allen Hurns on a 31-yard touchdown with 2:16 to go to put the Jaguars back in front 34-31. Bills quarterback EJ Manuel, who was so bad in the second quarter as his three turnovers led to three Jaguars touchdowns and that 27-3 deficit, couldn't rally Buffalo to tie on the Bills' last possession, with the Jaguars getting the stop they needed to seal it.
The London fans finally got their money’s worth on American football.
The Bills are struggling with injuries, and if they want to be a playoff team it seemed like they couldn’t afford a loss to a Jaguars team that came in 1-5. Now Buffalo is 3-4.
When Graham got his interception and touchdown on a bad decision and throw by Bortles, it seemed like the Bills were going to steal a win they really needed. Then the defense let up and allowed Bortles to lead a long drive to regain the lead.
The Bills still had a shot to at least tie the game in the last two minutes. The Jaguars thought they had the win on a third-down fumble by Manuel on a quarterback sneak. But the officials ruled that his forward progress was stopped and the Bills kept the ball. On fourth down Manuel threw late, the ball was broken up, and the Jaguars took over on downs.
The win wasn’t pretty for Jacksonville. The offense struggled to put the game away, and the Jaguars gave up a 27-3 lead because the defense had some letdowns and the offense couldn't move the ball for most of the second half. But the Jaguars can’t complain about any kind of a win.
And at least they made it exciting for the fans at Wembley Stadium (as well as those watching across the world on Yahoo) at the end.
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