Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills scored on both of their first two possessions on Monday night in a rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but something seemed missing for the high-powered offense.
That something was rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, whom Bills coach Sean McDermott benched for the first quarter due to an issue related to being on time.
The incident didn’t occur on Monday. Coleman knew he wouldn’t play for the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and McDermott was impressed with how the 21-year-old handled the disappointing news ahead of his first Monday Night Football game.
“We addressed it, we support him and we move forward,” McDermott said. “I’m just very impressed with the way Keon handled it.”
Coleman made an immediate impact once he entered the game. On his fourth play in the action, Coleman gained separation in one-on-one coverage against Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown. The Bills receiver stretched across the field, caught a perfectly-placed ball from Bills quarterback Josh Allen at the 5-yard line, and then ran it in for the score.
The catch was Coleman’s only grab of the game, and it went for the first touchdown of his NFL career.
Allen recognized that Jacksonville was playing man coverage. So, he quickly whipped his head around after faking the handoff to running back James Cook and located Coleman, who was breaking open across the middle of the field.
“(Keon) did a good job of getting on the hump and running and making a play,” Allen said. “I’m happy for him, getting his first one. Got (running back) Ray-Ray Davis in the end zone, his first one. Those are special moments that you’ll always remember so it’s good to see those guys get in.”
Bills fans provided their usual exciting environment at Highmark Stadium for Coleman’s first taste in a home primetime game. His first touchdown in front of the Bills faithful lived up to the hype.
“Just feeling the crowd was electric,” he said. “For that…
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