LeSean McCoy rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns and the Bills overcame three second-half deficits to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-21 on Sunday at New Era Field.
The Jaguars (2-9) have lost six straight.
“Our guys played their tails off,” Jaguars Coach Gus Bradley said. “It went back and forth, but they made more plays than we did, especially at the end of the game.”
Bortles completed 13 of 26 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran for 81 yards on eight carries.
“I think we’ve had a little bit of Murphy’s Law,” Bortles said. “If it can go wrong, it will go wrong and at the most inopportune time.”
Jacksonville’s Chris Ivory rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.
The Jaguars scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time in 25 games and went up by a touchdown on Ivory’s 2-yard scamper. Denard Robinson rushed for 39 yards and T.J. Yeldon had 17.
The Jaguars ran for a total of 183 yards; Jacksonville finished with 301 total yards. The Bills finished with 304 total yards. The Jaguars held a lead in the game for over 20 minutes, longer than any time this season.
“Each week, we’ll be in it, but we just haven’t found ways to close out games,” Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns said. “It’s frustrating for us because we invest so much and keep coming up short.”
Hurns caught a short pass from Bortles and ran for a 12-yard score to give the Jaguars a 21-20 edge on the first play of the second half. Hurns injured his hamstring on the play and did not return.
Bortles also threw a 20-yard TD pass to connected with Marqise Lee that put the Jaguars ahead 14-13 early in the third quarter.
The Bills (6-5) now own a winning record after 11 games for just the fourth time in 17 seasons. Buffalo remains one game behind the Miami and Kansas City for an AFC wild card spot.
“As far as the playoff picture, we knew every game matters for us and we have to take it one game at a time,” said QB Tyrod Taylor, who was 12 of 18 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown and ran for 38 yards and another score.
McCoy’s 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half gave Buffalo a 13-6 lead. The run was the longest of McCoy’s career and exceeded the Bills’ yardage total of 50 in the first half.
The Jaguars return to EverBank Field Sunday for the first of two consecutive home games. Kickoff against the Denver Broncos is 1 p.m.
Game notes: Yannick Ngakoue registered his sixth sack of the season. He is one away from the Jaguars’ rookie sacks record of seven set by Tony Brackens in 1996….Sen’Derrick Marks started at defensive tackle alongside Malik Jackson…Safety Johnathan Cyprien’s first-quarter sack was the second of his career…Buffalo kicker Dan Carpenter missed the extra point and the Jaguars went into halftime with a 7-6 lead. …Rashad Greene Sr. (Achilles) and Peyton Thompson (ankle) were injured in the first half and did not return…the Jaguars were also without Abry Jones (ankle). …linebacker Myles Jack shared his first career sack with Tyson Alualu, Jackson had two sacks.
