On November 7, 2021, the Buffalo Bills went to Jacksonville as one of the best teams in football and the Jaguars were 1-6. Buffalo was favored by 14 and a half points. The Jaguars won 9-6 without scoring a touchdown, and the player who did the most damage had the same name as the Bills’ quarterback.
Josh Allen against Josh Allen
Buffalo took quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh pick of the 2018 draft. A year later, Jacksonville used the seventh pick on a Kentucky pass rusher who was also named Josh Allen. The two had traded messages on social media but had never met before that Sunday.
The Jaguars’ Allen had a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery, all against the Bills’ Allen. It was the first time a player had sacked a quarterback with the same name since the league began counting sacks in 1982.
| Time | Play | What it led to |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd quarter, 0:28 | Sack of Josh Allen for a 10-yard loss at the Buffalo 22 | The teams went to halftime tied 6-6 |
| 3rd quarter, 2:02 | Interception at the Buffalo 41, returned 11 yards to the 30 | Matthew Wright’s 21-yard field goal for a 9-6 lead early in the fourth quarter |
| 4th quarter, 5:41 | Fumble recovery at the Jacksonville 37 after Dawuane Smoot forced the ball loose on third-and-2 | Buffalo got the ball back only once more, with 2:59 left |
Three field goals were enough
Buffalo drove to the Jacksonville 6 on its first possession and settled for a Tyler Bass field goal. The Bills never got that close again. Jacksonville’s Matthew Wright kicked field goals of 39, 55 and 21 yards, and that was all the scoring the Jaguars needed.
It nearly went wrong for Wright in the third quarter. He missed three straight attempts, all to the left, in a matter of minutes. Penalties wiped out two of them, but none went through.
The Jaguars’ 9-6 lead came after the interception. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Buffalo 11, Trevor Lawrence ran for three yards, and Wright’s short kick followed with 12:13 to play.
Buffalo had two more chances. Allen fumbled on a third-and-2 run at the Jacksonville 37 with 5:41 left, and the Jaguars’ Allen fell on it. On the final drive the Bills reached the Jacksonville 39 before Smoot sacked Allen on third down. A fourth-and-16 pass to Stefon Diggs fell incomplete with 1:11 left. The Jaguars ran down the clock and punted on the final play.
| Bills | Jaguars | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 6 | 9 |
| Total yards | 301 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 4 | 2 |
| Penalties | 12 for 118 yards | 8 for 54 yards |
| Red zone trips, touchdowns | 1, 0 | 2, 0 |
What they said
Buffalo’s Allen completed 31 of 47 passes for 264 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. “This loss stings, but we will be better because of it,” he said.
Lawrence called it one of the best defensive performances he had seen. “That’s what we’re supposed to do,” the Jaguars’ Allen said. He also wanted the other Allen’s grass-stained No. 17 jersey for a wall at home. “I’m gonna get it, though,” he said.
Where both teams went from there
The win moved Jacksonville to 2-6. It won only one more game, finished 3-14 and fired coach Urban Meyer before the season ended. Buffalo recovered to go 11-6 and win the AFC East. It beat New England 47-17 in the wild-card round, then lost 42-36 in overtime at Kansas City.
The name confusion ended in July 2024, when the Jaguars’ pass rusher changed his last name to Hines-Allen to honor his mother’s side of the family. He still wears No. 41 for Jacksonville.
The teams have met in the playoffs since then. In the wild-card round in January 2026, Buffalo won 27-24 in Jacksonville. Neither team plays this weekend. The Bills are 5-1 and the Jaguars are 4-2, and both are on their bye.
Related WhyNFL reading: November 8, 1970: Tom Dempsey’s 63-yard field goal.
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