Winners and losers of the Bills-Jags and Commanders-Bengals doubleheaders – NBC4 Washington

One Monday Night Football game delivered on its promise, the other…not at all.

Week 3 ended with a doubleheader in which Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills crushed Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 at home. Buffalo led 34-3 at halftime and never looked back, while Jacksonville remained winless on the season.

In the second game, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals wanted to avoid a 0-3 start at home, but were surprised by rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, who won 38-33 in a thrilling game.

Let us analyze the two games with winners and losers in more detail:

WINNER: Josh Allen, Bills

It’s simple. When Allen plays well, the Bills usually do too. And Allen was outstanding against Jacksonville. He dominated, completing 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and he had 44 rushing yards on six attempts.

Buffalo scored regularly, especially in the first half, when it scored on every possession to build a 34-3 halftime lead. James Cook and Ray Davis didn’t gain any rushing yards, but both scored a touchdown on the ground to back up Allen.

For all the talk about Allen’s receiver team, that wasn’t an issue tonight. Khalil Shakir, Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson and Curtis Samuel all caught at least three passes, and Keon Coleman scored a 24-yard touchdown.

Everyone may have tougher games ahead, but the Bills will be in the conversation as long as he’s on the field.

LOSERS: All of Jacksonville

Pathetic, lethargic, uninspired – whatever you want to call it, it’s probably an apt description of Jacksonville’s night as it fell to 0-3.

Offense, defense and special teams all failed to make an impression. Lawrence made headlines after signing a five-year, $275 million contract extension in the offseason. Lawrence struggled mightily, completing 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown, one pick and being sacked four times. He had no more than 60 passing yards at halftime.

Travis Etienne Jr. has 68 rushing yards on 11 carries, but all discussion will revolve around Lawrence’s inability to win games, an eight-game streak that now stretches back to last season.

There wasn’t much to report on defense either, as Buffalo’s near-50-point win showed.

Even Mac Jones came into the game for Lawrence in the fourth quarter and was immediately sacked, but was lucky that Casey Toohill missed the possible scoop-and-score opportunity.

WINNER: Damar Hamlin, Bills

After suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing on the field during a Monday night game in January 2023, Bills safety Hamlin came full circle when he recorded his first career interception on the same platform.

In the second quarter, with Buffalo leading 20-3, Lawrence’s play-action fake ended in an overthrow that fell right into Hamlin’s hands.

Hamlin has been in the starting lineup as a safety for Buffalo since Week 1 and is gradually repaying the trust placed in him.

LOSERS: Bengals Defense

While Burrow and Co. will get the headlines for the loss, they couldn’t do much more than that as the defense made enough stops. The same goes for Washington, but the offense took advantage early and didn’t let Cincinnati take the lead.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is now under more pressure to potentially make changes on that side of the ball.

Burrow finished the game with 29 of 38 successful passes for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Chase Brown (62) and Zach Moss (58) combined for 120 rushing yards, while Ja’Marr Chase had his best game of the season with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

That was all for naught, but the schedule is getting a little looser. Cincinnati’s next four games are away at Carolina, home against Baltimore, away at the New York Giants and then at Cleveland. A possible 3-1 win would put the Bengals back in the conversation, but the game against the Ravens will be a big challenge for them.

The Commanders took an early lead against the Bengals, but Cincinnati tried to catch up shortly before the end, but was ultimately thwarted by Washington.

WINNER: Jayden Daniels, Commanders Announce Arrival

Daniels is here. Washington’s No. 2 overall pick burst on the big stage and led his team to a convincing victory, not just on the scoreboard but in terms of impact.

He threw for 254 yards on 21 of 23 successful passes, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and had 39 rushing yards on 12 attempts and one touchdown. The Heisman winner exuded confidence and composure in his first NFL prime-time game, which was also played away from home.

The Commanders have made some interesting plays throughout the offseason, but none of that would have been of any use if the quarterback’s play hadn’t been up to the task. With a 2-1 record in their first three games, things are looking good for Daniels and Co. under head coach Dan Quinn, but they will have to prove their legitimacy in the next phase.

Washington’s next four games are at Arizona, at home against Cleveland, at Baltimore and at home against Carolina. The Commanders entered the season with unknown expectations, but that will change depending on what their record looks like in a few weeks.