Bills vs. Jaguars: Five questions for Big Cat Country

This time we are not in London, Bills Mafia! The Buffalo Bills will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Monday Night Football Doubleheader in Week 3. A primetime game is always a big moment for any NFL team, and the Bills may have some extra motivation to step up and prove themselves against a Jaguars team they've struggled against in recent seasons.

The Bills have a 1-2 record since drafting Josh Allen out of Buffalo in 2018. They haven't beaten the Jaguars since drafting Josh Allen out of Jacksonville in 2019. Most of the matchups between the two teams are characterized by some pretty “weird” football, as defensive tackle Ed Oliver discussed earlier this week.

But with every new season comes new opportunities. Even though the Jaguars are 0-2, Bills head coach Sean McDermott likely stressed the importance of staying focused and hungry to come out of Highmark Stadium with a win.

This week, a Buffalo Rumblings reader favorite returns: Five Questions. Below is my conversation with Gus Logue, site manager and writer at Big Cat Country. Be sure to read my answers to Logue's questions about the Bills.

Read on to learn more about the latest developments on these Jaguars ahead of Monday night, including what's really wrong with the team and the importance of tight end Evan Ingram, who is battling a hamstring injury.

We'll also take a look at Gabe Davis' new NFL home, what the Jaguars could do to better utilize their offensive talent, and what Jacksonville needs to do to earn its first win of the season in a hostile environment.

Don’t miss the latest news from Gus Logue, who talked all things Bills vs. Jags with John Boccacino on this week’s Billieve podcast!

1. Let's start with the elephant in the room at Duval and what is surely a multifaceted question: What is going on with the Jacksonville Jaguars in particular? While the records have been identical from 2022 to 2023, the Jaguars seem to have fallen off the edge of a promising postseason cliff in Doug Pederson's first season. Is there anything you can point to that explains that?

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 over the last year or more that the offense isn't as good as it could/should be with Trevor Lawrence at the helm. They beat themselves up way too often, whether it's in the form of botched 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 the plays this season, but whether Press Taylor is on the headset or not doesn't matter. This is Doug Pederson's team and Doug Pederson's offense, and it just has to be better. His spot is getting warm.

2. To an outside observer, tight end Evan Engram appears to be the key to the Jaguars' success over the past two seasons, with 187 catches for 1,792 yards and eight touchdowns. If he can't play, how might that affect Jacksonville's offensive strategy?

Engram suffered a hamstring injury during pregame warmups last week, and his unexpected absence certainly didn't help against Cleveland's vaunted defense. That's an oversimplification, but Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. are the offensive targets for Jacksonville, while Engram and Christian Kirk are the offensive 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 impress on quick plays and keep the offense in rhythm like they did last season. Brenton Strange and Luke Farrell are the next men up at the tight end position. They're slightly better blockers and much worse receivers than Engram, so expect Jacksonville to rely on its run game and play 12-man action shots on Monday night. Aside from Engram, Kirk will have to lead the offense more than anyone, especially with Bills slot man Taron Johnson out for the game.

3. Bills fans will be curious to see how Gabe Davis fares. Has his tendency to catch balls indiscriminately followed him and what kind of use has he found with the Jaguars?

You might not be able to tell from his six-catch, 105-yard stats through two games, but Davis is thriving in Jacksonville's scheme. He's being used in the middle of the field much more often than he was in Buffalo, where he was arguably labeled a threat from deep. “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) are now maximized in Jacksonville. Davis is enjoying career-highs in catch percentage (60%) and yards per target (10.5) so far this season.

4. In a recent article at Buffalo Rumblings, we tried to dig deeper into what the Jags are doing well so far in 2024. After two games, it seems like they run the ball really well, but on game day, they don't make that a priority. What do you think is behind this reluctance to better exploit a clear strength?

The Jaguars have actually made their run game a priority on game day. They underperform in total run attempts because they underperform in total snaps. Fans have even clamored for fewer runs because it takes the ball out of Lawrence's hands. But the Jaguars' coaches insist on establishing the run game, partly to actually take the ball out of Lawrence's hands, believing they're making his life easier (which they're not, as Jacksonville has had way too many third-and-long situations, making Lawrence's job *harder*) and partly to force opposing defenses out of two-safety coverage high so they can attack further back. Jacksonville should load Lawrence up more and let him cook on early downs instead of treating him like a Jared Goff or a Baker Mayfield.

5. What do the Jaguars have to do if they want to score their first win of the season away from home against the Bills?

Force a mistake or two from Josh Allen. Even if Jacksonville's offense gets back on its feet this week, it would be a surprise if they score 30 or more points in Buffalo. Jacksonville's defense — led by renowned DL coach Ryan Nielsen — will need to complete tackles and win on early downs to make Allen feel like he has to put on a superhero cape. I don't think the Jaguars win this game unless they win the battle for possession. And since turnovers decide most games anyway, I'll add this: I don't think the Jaguars win this game unless Brian Thomas Jr. has 100-plus receiving yards. Jacksonville needs to get its dynamic rookie going early and often.

Thanks to Gus Logue for a great chat this week! Don't miss everything happening at Big Cat Country, including my Bill-focused answers for this edition of Five Questions.