Walking up to the stadium this morning, there was a vibe that was unlike any Jaguars game I've felt in a long time. People were there early (before 10 am), and there were lines waiting to get in. Neither the chilly weather nor my temperamental tablet could put a damper on the day to come. The ticket takers, however, tried their best. There were people standing in two lines at gate four, and a Jaguars employee walked by ensuring everyone in line had their tickets pulled up on their phones right before the gates were to be opened at ten. However, nobody bothered to tell the people in the lines at Gate 4 that the gates which were to open at ten were not the gates at gate 4 they were lined up on. The entry south of gate 4 opened at ten. Belatedly, the stadium staff told everyone in the two lines they needed to go to the other gate. People were not happy. Then, when I finally got to the gate that was to open, the staff tried telling me tablets were not admitted in the stadium. I advised the individual that tablets were not listed on the Prohibited items list, and I have my ticket pulled up on my tablet. They went to get the supervisor, who promptly advised them that tablets were allowed. Understanding the unusual nature of the playoff tickets, the team and stadium staff need better communications with themselves and the fans. Crisis averted, I went into the stadium grounds into Daily's place to wait to be let into the stadium. For those of you who haven't been, Daily's place is a really nice facility. There was a sound stage with a live band performing in front of a large video board that broadcast ESPN (?) pre game. Daily's and infinity had free wi-fi, so those of us who are addicted to this forum can get our fix while waiting. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the game.
1. That buzz I referenced above translated into the game. Man what a crowd! it was packed, and I stood virtually the entire game. Not that unusual for me, but this time I HAD to stand, because everyone else was standing! The whole game!
2. This was a strange game overall. Bortles had the biggest plays on offense. His scrambles in the first half sparked the team to it's first FG. His scramble for a first down after fumbling the shotgun snap was a key play. He threw the game winning TD to Ben Koyack. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone can say Bortles had a good game. Overall, he had <100 yards passing. He took that sack late in the first half to There was a particularly groan inducing sequence in the 2nd half when Bortles missed on to passes out to the right flat that could have gained first downs. But to his credit, he managed to avoid the turnovers that everyone agreed Buffalo needed to win this game-even though there were a couple of close calls. It's not particularly insightful to suggest the passing game needs to be much better to get past Pittsburgh.
3. As well as the defense played today, they can play better. All of Buffalo's success offensively came on short, underneath passes and they got decent yardage from them. But all three levels of the defense played well. The team was especially prepared for the play action bootlegs by Taylor. All of them were well defensed and wound up either incompete or runs with minimal gain. Ngakoue, Campbell, Jackson, dareus, and Fowler all made their presence felt at various points throughout the game from the D-Line. Myles Jack had a key sack in the 4th quarter that killed a Bills drive late. Telvin Smith was all over the place. Poz got hurt, and Brown was okay. The secondary was awesome today. Colvin got his first career INT in the first half (a shame the offense was too inept to take advantage of the momentum and field position he provided). Ramsey got the game clinching INT. But the entire secondary was on top of their games today!
4. Though I did not care for the pass interference call, it was a relief to know that the refs did not play a huge role in this game, especially with Triplette-esque botched calls and explanations.
5. Speaking of refs, good challenge by Marrone on the out of bounds call on Charles Clay in the 4th quarter. His judicious use of challenges and time outs made that challenge possible, and was a huge factor for us late. Had we not had the challenges/time outs left, Buffalo might have tied the game on that drive.
6. Special teams did not hurt us too badly today. There weren't a lot of penalties against the special teams. There were no turnovers by this group. If I had to nitpick, I'd choose some low punts by Nortman.
7. Rookie Watch
- Leonard Fournette-Had a nice run or two, but did not have much success on the ground. Dropped a pass that might have gone somewhere.
- Cam Robinson-showed no noticeable ill effects from the abdomen strain. I do not recall him giving up a sack or many pressures.
- Dawaune SmootDid not notice any impact from him.
- Dede Westbrook-it seems he was the only receiver really making much impact in the passing game. Was placed at punt returner, and had a risky field of a punt that bounced around inside the ten, but as Ii mentioned earlier, that play did not hurt the team today.
- Blair Brown-replaced Poz and was in on a few tackles. I wonder if his presence in for Poz was a factor on McCoy's long run in the 2nd half.
- Jalen Myrick-was not active.
- Keelan Cole-played but had no catches.
8. Nice catch, Koyack!
9. Bottom line-some might call it ugly, but if it means we advance in the playoffs, give me an ugly win every time. We return to Pittsburgh where we have had success. I am confident the defense can replicate it's earlier performance against the Steelers. Not necessarily the 5 INTs, per se, but being effective against the Steelers' offense overall. But the offense can't be so inept and expect this team to win next week.
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!
