I'm not sure that the term "fourth quarter collapse" accurately describes this game - at least in the sense that the Bills didn't roll over and die like mortally wounded animals, as they did in their previous two games - but Perry Fewell's debut as interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills was marred by yet another lost lead in the fourth quarter. Mike Sims-Walker caught a short touchdown pass from David Garrard with less than a minute remaining, and Buffalo's last-gasp attempt fell short, giving the Jacksonville Jaguars an 18-15 win.
Fewell can at least be partially blamed for the loss. Buffalo was forced to settle for a field goal at the end of the first half after some terrible clock management took valuable time off the clock, preventing the Bills from taking a shot at a touchdown. Those lost points proved decisive in the loss. The Bills trailed 10-9 at halftime.
The defense came to play once again; the much-maligned run defense held Maurice Jones-Drew to just 66 rushing yards on 25 attempts, and the Bills held an opponent under 100 rushing yards for the first time since their Week 2 victory over Tampa Bay. But as has been the case all season, the defense couldn't get off the field in critical situations (and got little help from the offense yet again), allowing the Jaguars to hold the ball for well over 20 minutes in the second half.
Terrell Owens was a huge factor for the Bills, catching 9 passes for 197 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown reception on the Bills' first play of the second half. But completely lacking a running game (Buffalo ran for 53 yards), as well as some errant throws from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and two untimely turnovers, sealed Buffalo's fate. The offense, despite gaining nearly 350 yards, let the defense down once again in the second half.
The Bills also had two touchdowns - a bomb to Lee Evans and a sweep by Fred Jackson - nullified by penalties. You're not going to win too often when you take points off the board three separate times; unfortunately, that's exactly what happened in Fewell's not-boring debut.
Buffalo lost guard Eric Wood to a devastating lower left leg injury on the day; expect the prognosis on him to be bad. Marshawn Lynch was also carted off the field with a shoulder injury.
The Bills is now 3-7 on the season. Their next game is a week from today against the 5-5 Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.