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The Buffalo Bills trip to London for their Week 5 “home” game against the Jacksonville Jaguars did not go well. Not only did the Bills lose 25-20, but they also lost several key players to injuries throughout the matchup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen couldn’t get into a rhythm with his offense until he hit wide receiver Stefon Diggs with a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 left in the first half. While there were numerous opportunities for Buffalo to come back and win, the team looked sluggish and was unable to get it done.
At one point in the game, Diggs, who finished on Sunday with eight receptions for 121 yards and one score, lost his cool on the sidelines. NFL Network’s broadcast captured the 29-year-old receiver smashing the playbook on the bench, video of which quickly went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It’s not clear which play happened to make Diggs get so animated, but all of Bills Mafia felt his frustration. Diggs did his best to get his team hyped while they were down.
West Herr’s Bradly Gelber posted, “TV broadcast said the #Bills sideline has been quiet and subdued since the (Matt) Milano injury except for the Diggs who has been fired up and engaging with every player trying to keep spirits up.”
During the last drive of the game, Allen targeted Diggs, who’s typically his most reliable receiver, with about 15 seconds left on the clock. However, the three-time Pro Bowler made an uncharacteristic fumble, which ended the game.
“I felt like we did have a little – I’m not gonna say lackadaisical – but we were kind of just like not as, ‘let’s go get it, let’s get after it,’” Diggs told reporters after the loss. “We were trying to figure it out but that lack of sense of urgency, it showed.”
“We have it in practice and you try to build off of it in the game. It’s supposed to be easier,” he added. “You work hard in practice and it’s (supposed to) carry over.
Stefon Diggs Said Josh Allen a.k.a. ‘Sleepy Head,’ Needed His Rest
While there was a lot of concern over the Bills’ travel schedule and expected jet lag, Diggs told reporters on Friday, “I’m not a huge sleeper. I don’t need too much rest. I’ll be up throughout the night,” he said.
“I don’t care when I play, where I play. I just go out there and try to go hoop. I’m fine. I’m ready to go…. It’s no big deal to me. ‘Sleepy head’ (Allen) does need to get his rest. He was tired this morning, so I look forward to him making the turn and getting some rest a little bit.”
However, Allen admitted the he was feeling the jet lag pretty hard. He told reporters, “I’m not gonna lie,” I’m tired right now,” Allen said on October 6.
“Didn’t get much sleep on the plane. Basically went straight to meetings and practice,” he continued. “We’ve been listening to our sports science staff that’s in-house and trusting what they’re saying, and just making sure that our body clocks are aligned with the time zone here. Just trying to get as much ready as we can to go on Sunday.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who’s never been to London before, exuded confidence in Joe Collins, a London native, who’s head of the team’s sports science department.
“Done a ton of research over the years and now it’s ramped up obviously this offseason and making sure we’re going about it the right way here,” McDermott told reporters on October 4. “I think the cool piece of it is, there’s been a number of people working behind the scenes on this since we got word that this was going to happen. It’s a great opportunity.”
After losing the Jaguars, Allen refused to blame the team’s performance on jet lag. “We didn’t play our best stuff and they did. And they beat us,” Allen told reporters.
Diggs agreed. “I won’t ever use an excuse,” he said of the jet lag. “You can obviously look at the data or whatever, but man, I ain’t trying to hear that s***. I feel like we can play better, we will be better and we must.”
Matt Milano’s Injury ‘Does Not Look Good’
After the game, McDermott gave an update on Milano, the Bills All-Pro linebacker who went down with a right leg injury with 7:44 left in the first quarter.
Milano, arguably the team’s best defensive player, who already had made three tackles with the game, needed assistance to exit the field. After getting evaluated, he was seen in an air cast that went from his shin to thigh.
“It’s a knee and lower leg injury. It’s not looking good,” Sean McDermott told reporters after the game, which doesn’t sound like a promising update. Bills safety Jordan Poyer said during his press conference, “I just heard the news about Matt, and it’s tough,” but didn’t go into specifics.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted, “Milano suffered a fractured leg and is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury in today’s loss.” The Bills have already lost cornerback Tre’Davious White for the season, so losing Milano as well would be a devastating blow.
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