Jaguars 25, Bills 20

The Jaguars and the Bills stand first and second in the NFL in terms of the most regular season games played outside the United States. The Jaguars have unwittingly become London's team after agreeing some years ago to play at least one game per season at Wembley Stadium for an extended period. Team owner Shahid Khan jumped at the "opportunity" when his team was a perennial league doormat and was suffering attendance problems in north Florida. Rather than have vast sections of empty seats in the upper deck (which look awful on television - like most CFL games do these days), the Jaguars made large tarps (with team branding) to entirely cover sections in the upper corners of EverBank Stadium in an effort to make the stadium look "full". Losing one home game annually to an overseas location seemed better than struggling to sell tickets at home. Now that his team is respectable at worst and a legitimate contender at best, Khan may be regretting his commitment but yesterday's win over the bad luck Buffalo Bills marks the team's second consecutive win in the UK this season. Their first win came last week against the Falcons at Wembley.

The Bills hold second position in games played outside the US because former team owner Ralph Wilson decided in 2008 to play one home game each season in Toronto for a period of five years. The Bills ended up seeing that five year commitment through and adding one more game in 2013. Rogers communications made Wilson an offer so good for the first five years (which also included one pre-season game each season)  that he couldn't - or at least didn't - turn it down. The "Toronto Series" was a disaster by any standard of measurement as the team lost its considerable home field advantage as well as all but one of the games. With losses to the Dolphins, Jets, Bears, Seahawks and Falcons in regular season play at the Rogers Centre, fans in Buffalo were furious while fans in Toronto seemed indifferent at best. The Bills only win in Toronto came in 2011 against Washington and Bills fans may remember that the team signed quarterback Ryan "Fitzmagic" Fitzpatrick to a lucrative contract extension following that game. He went on afterward to earn the nickname "Fitztragic" for good reason. The Toronto series left the Bills with a record of one win and five losses in what were supposed to be "home" games. Toronto fans' proved that, while there are plenty of NFL fans in the area, not all - certainly not enough - are Bills fans.

In 2015, the Bills headed to London to play the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in the team's first game outside the US since the Toronto debacle. Quarterback EJ Manuel put on an interception clinic in a 34-31 loss - a score which flattered the Bills who scored a couple of late touchdown to make the score look close. Entering yesterday's game, the Bills took their 1-6 international record to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London and added another failure to the loss column. I saw almost none of the game as we were engaged in the moving of a building at the cottage - a project which was extremely difficult, fraught with problems, took two entire days but was ultimately successful (except for some minor damage to the roof). I did pop inside just as Matt Milano was being helped off the field in what looked like great discomfort. He is probably lost for the season with a leg break or a knee injury (or both), according to reports I read last night. His leg was "rolled up on" in what is a very common way to be seriously injured in football. After avoiding the injury bug for the first five years of the Sean McDermott era, reversion to mean is happening in real time this year to the Bills who have lost a star defensive player in each of the last two games - Tre White last week and now Milano who is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and one who played every down. Recovery from these injuries is certainly possible but it will take an offensive explosion every week to overcome them. If Josh Allen can lead the team to 40 points every week, they may have a chance but based on yesterday's mostly anemic performance by the offence, my confidence level is not high at the moment.

But, the Bills next three opponents - the Giants, Patriots and Buccaneers - may be just what the doctor ordered to get their offence back on track. Maria Taylor and the Sunday Night Football crew come to Orchard Park next week as the Giants visit the Bills. After a sizzling first half of the season and a road playoff win for then rookie head coach (and former Bills offensive coordinator) Brian Daboll in 2022, the Giants have been a disappointment so far this season, getting blown out yesterday in Miami. For the Bills, at least there are no more games on foreign soil on the schedule.