Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Saturday, December 14, 2024 81° Today's Paper


Sports Breaking

McCoy rallies Bills to 28-21 win over Jaguars

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs past Jacksonville Jaguars’ Johnathan Cyprien (37) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. >> LeSean McCoy scored twice, including a career-best 75-yard run, and the Buffalo Bills won their second in a row by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-21 on Sunday.

Tyrod Taylor’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter with 10:46 remaining put the Bills ahead for good during a second half in which the teams traded the lead five times. Taylor also scored on a 7-yard run in helping to keep Buffalo in the playoff hunt.

The Bills (6-5) won for the second straight week when trailing at halftime after doing so just once last season.

Buffalo trailed the Jaguars 7-6 after two quarters on Sunday, and overcame a two-point deficit in a 16-12 win at Cincinnati last week.

Taylor also produced just the second fourth-quarter comeback of his career, and improved to 2-11 when the Bills trail by four or more at any point in a game.

The Jaguars (2-9) lost for the sixth straight game — their longest skid since opening the 2014 season at 0-6.

The game was decided with four minutes left, when the Jaguars were unable to convert a fourth-and-9 at the Buffalo 46. Blake Bortles hit Marquise Lee on a crossing pattern over the middle, but he was limited to a 4-yard gain.

The Bills then took over and ran out the clock.

Bortles went 13 of 26 for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and also had a career-best 81 yards rushing.

The Jaguars’ offense was hampered by injuries. Chris Ivory, who opened the scoring with a 2-yard run, was sidelined in the first half by a hamstring injury. And then Jacksonville lost receiver Allen Hurns, also with a hamstring injury while diving into the end zone on a 12-yard catch and run .

Hurns’ touchdown put the Jaguars up 21-20 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.

The Bills responded with Taylor leading an eight-play, 76-yard drive which he capped with a perfectly placed pass to Hunter at the goal line. McCoy then dived across the goal line for the 2-point conversion.

McCoy finished with 103 yards rushing and showed few signs of being bothered a week after having surgery for a dislocated left thumb.

His two touchdowns came 33 seconds apart spanning halftime.

After scoring on a 7-yard run late in the second quarter, he opened the third quarter by scoring on Buffalo’s first snap from scrimmage. Taking the handoff, McCoy burst off right tackle and blew past defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Tashuan Gipson.

JAGS’ BIG OPENING

The Jaguars snapped the NFL’s longest active drought by scoring on their opening possession for the first time in 25 games. The streak began in Week 3 of the 2015 season, and featured the Jaguars combining for three field goals, punting 18 times and turning the ball over three times.

Ivory’s touchdown capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive spanning 6:45. The Jaguars converted three third-down chances, including their last one courtesy of a defensive holding penalty against Corey White on third-and-goal from the 3.

WELCOME BACK

Sammy Watkins had three catches for 80 yards — including a 62-yard catch — in playing his first game in nine weeks since aggravating an injury to his surgically repaired left foot.

INJURIES

Jaguars: Ivory (hamstring), WR Rashad Greene Sr. (Achilles) and FS Peyton Thompson (ankle) and Hurns (hamstring) did not return. Hurns was hurt while diving into the end zone on his touchdown catch.

Bills: CB Ronald Darby (concussion), WR Walter Powell (left ankle).

NEXT UP

Jaguars: Host Denver on Dec. 4.

Bills: At Oakland on Dec. 4.

———

For more NFL coverage:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP—NFL

Leave a Reply