Bills vs. Jaguars: Five Questions with Big Cat Country

We're not in London this time, Bills Mafia! The Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 3. Playing a primetime game is always a huge moment for any NFL team, and the Bills may have an extra bit of motivation to show up and show out against a Jaguars team they've struggled against in recent seasons.

Since Buffalo's Josh Allen was drafted in 2018, the Bills have gone 1-2. They haven't won against the Jaguars since Jacksonville's Josh Allen was drafted in 2019. Most matchups between the two clubs tend to carry a fair bit "weird" football, as defensive tackle Ed Oliver discussed early in the week.

But with each new season comes renewed opportunity. Though the Jaguars are 0-2, it's likely that Bills head coach Sean McDermott has instilled the importance in remaining focused and hungry to come out of Highmark Stadium with a W.

This week, a favorite of Buffalo Rumblings readers returns: Five questions. Below you'll find my conversation with Gus Logue, site manager and writer at Big Cat Country. Be sure to check out my response's to Logue's questions about the Bills (made available on Buffalo Rumblings' home page and linked here when available).

As for below, read on as we get to know the latest version of these Jaguars ahead of Monday night, including what's really wrong with the team, and the importance of tight end Evan Ingram — who's dealing with a hamstring injury.

We'll also catch up a bit on Gabe Davis' new NFL home, hear what the Jaguars could be doing to better-leverage their offensive talent, and what Jacksonville must do to capture it's first win of the season in a hostile environment.

Jacksonville's defense hasn't been spectacular during Pederson's tenure, but it hasn't been *the* problem either. It's clear to anyone who's watched the Jaguars for the past year-plus that the offense isn't as good as it could/should be with Trevor Lawrence at the helm. They beat themselves far too often, whether that comes in the form of blown blocks, dropped passes, pre-snap penalties, etc. There seems to be a trust issue between Jacksonville's players and coaches. We don't know who's calling plays this season, but whether or not Press Taylor is in the headset doesn't matter. This is Doug Pederson's team, and Doug Pederson's offense, and it simply must be better. His seat is warming up.

Engram sustained a hamstring injury in pregame warmups last week, and his unexpected absence certainly didn't help against Cleveland's vaunted defense. This is an oversimplification, but Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. are the deep threats while Engram and Christian Kirk are the short targets for Jacksonville. With Engram dealing with an injury, and Kirk being uncharacteristically quiet to start the season, the Jaguars haven't been able to thrive in quick game and keep the offense in a rhythm like they did last season. Brenton Strange and Luke Farrell are the next men up at tight end. They're slightly better blockers and much worse receivers than Engram, so expect Jacksonville to lean on its running game and play action shots out of 12 personnel on Monday night. That said, Kirk needs to step up more than anyone else sans Engram, especially with Bills slot man Taron Johnson out for the contest.

You may not know it based on his 6-catch, 105-yard statline through two games, but Davis is thriving in Jacksonville's scheme. He's being utilized over the middle of the field much more than he was in Buffalo, where he was arguably pigeonholed as a deep threat. "Big Play Gabe" is still an explosive receiver but his catch radius and route intelligence (i.e., knowing how to adjust routes against man or zone coverage) is now being maximized in Jacksonville. Davis is enjoying career-highs in catch rate (60%) and yards per target (10.5) so far this season.

The Jaguars actually have made its run game a priority on game day. They rank below-average in total rush attempts because they rank below-average in total snaps. Fans have even clamored for less runs because it takes the ball out of Lawrence's hands. But Jaguars coaches are insistent on establishing the run, partly to in fact take the ball out of Lawrence's hands with the assumption they're making life easier for him (they aren't, as Jacksonville has faced far too many third-and-long situations, thus making Lawrence's job *more* difficult) and partly to force opposing defenses out of two-high safety coverages so they can attack downfield. Jacksonville should put more on Lawrence's plate and let him cook on early downs rather than treating him like a Jared Goff or a Baker Mayfield.

Force a mistake or three by Josh Allen. Even if Jacksonville's offense rebounds this week, it'd be a surprise to see them score 30-plus points in Buffalo. Jacksonville's defense — led by renowned DL coach Ryan Nielsen — will need to finish tackles and win on early downs to make Allen feel like he needs to don a superhero cape. I don't see the Jaguars winning this game unless they win the turnover battle. And since turnovers decide most games anyway, I'll add this: I don't see the Jaguars winning this game unless Brian Thomas Jr. has over 100 receiving yards. Jacksonville needs to get its dynamic rookie going early and often.

My thanks to Gus Logue for a great exchange this week! Be sure to check out all that's happening over at Big Cat Country, including my Bills-focused responses for this edition of Five Questions.