The Buffalo Bills have started the 2024 NFL season with a winning streak despite making changes to their offense in the offseason.
The Bills have defeated the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals to get to 2-0. They will have another opportunity to win in Week 3 when they play the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Josh Allen, who still ranks among the greatest quarterbacks in the game, has managed to get by with a redesigned wide receiver room that includes players like Mack Hollins, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman.
The main rusher and pass catcher out of the backfield, James Cook, is continuing where he left off from the previous season and is a big part of the reason the offense hasn’t declined.
Buffalo has also performed well defensively in making the most of their talent, largely due to head coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills, via Buffalo Bills PR, revealed their injury list, which included nine players, prior to their Week 3 game against the Jaguars.
“Injury report for Saturday.”
Saturday injury report pic.twitter.com/7jV2SHSw02
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) September 21, 2024
After a week of sessions, Allen appears to be well and does not have an injury classification after suffering a left hand injury in Week 1.
On the other hand, due to forearm and pectoral injuries, respectively, cornerback Taron Johnson and linebacker Terrel Bernard will miss games for the defense.
Buffalo will have most of its core players available aside from those two, which is good news for a club looking to maintain its perfect record.
If the Bills play as they have been playing, it appears that they will win three games overall.
Three Important Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars MNF Matchups
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who haven’t visited Buffalo since Josh Allen’s rookie season in 2018, will be the visitors to the Buffalo Bills this Monday night at home. The Bills’ recent record versus the Jaguars is 1-3, with three of those losses coming on the road and one occurring in London during the previous season. These two teams have not had a great history together.
Without a doubt, Monday night’s game will be a challenge for the Bills. Three crucial games that the Bills need to win are ones that they must watch out for if they hope to prevail on Monday night.
Bills pass rush versus Jacksonville’s offensive line, game one
It’s no secret that the Jaguars offensive line has played terribly through three weeks of the 2024 season. Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback for the Jaguars, has been running like crazy, which has undoubtedly contributed to his early season troubles. The Jaguars signed LG Ezra Cleveland to a three-year contract to keep him in Jacksonville, despite his troubles in 2023 and early this year. They also added seasoned presence to their very young offensive line by bringing in C Mitch Morse from Buffalo.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Bills have started the 2024 season with a 47% Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR), demonstrating their ability to consistently get to the opposing quarterback. The passing games of the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa quarterbacks failed to establish any chemistry against the Bills, and for the faltering Jaguars offensive line, facing the Bills must be terrifying.
Lawrence will find it difficult to locate open receivers because of the constant barrage that the Bills pass rush will be putting up against an offensive line that has already experienced some difficulties against some of the best pass rushing units in the league, notably the Cleveland Browns with LB Myles Garrett.
2. Star receivers for the Jaguars vs. Bills secondary
Through the first two weeks of the season, Bills cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford have made an impression on the league. In Week 1, they held rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Cardinals to just one reception for four yards, and in Week 2, they limited Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins, two of the best receiving tandems in the NFL, to a combined 65 yards. In place of injured All-Pro NCB Taron Johnson, backup nickel cornerback Cam Lewis has been performing exceptionally well, helping to further block passing lanes for even the most formidable offenses.
WRs Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis continue to get more looks, but Lawrence’s favorite target in the passing game is rookie wide out Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jaguars, who will be their next opponent. Additionally, the Jaguars have ruled out wide receiver Evan Engram for Monday night’s game, which means they will have one fewer option in the passing attack against a defense that has been playing absolutely brilliantly.
Lawrence’s receiving options will be limited if the Bills secondary can maintain their recent level of dominance, which will force Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson to switch to a more run-heavy offensive scheme. The Bills have the ability to dominate the game on defense, which should calm the nerves of the entire Bills Mafia.
3. Jaguars pass rush vs. Bills offensive line
Conversely, the Bills offensive line has performed a remarkable job of protecting quarterback Josh Allen from sacks and pressure. They’ll be up against a strong Jaguars pass rush this week, led by DT Arik Armstead and LB Josh Hines-Allen. In their recent meetings, Hines-Allen in particular has a winning record versus Allen. Moving the ball downfield and maintaining the run game with RB James Cook will depend on protecting Allen against this pair.
The Bills offensive line should have a difficult time against the formidable Jaguars defensive front. All the same, Allen’s mobility and playmaking skills should keep any pressure or sacks from happening, which can result in expensive mistakes. It will be encouraging if the Bills offensive line can contain another strong pass rush and keep Allen clean in the pocket. This will protect Allen from even more dangerous teams in the latter stages of the regular season and during the postseason.
