Jacksonville (0-2) at Buffalo (2-0)
Monday, 7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
BetMGM NFL Odds: Bills by 5 1/2.
Series record: Jaguars lead 10-9
Against the spread: Jaguars 1-1, Bills 1-1.
Last meeting: Jaguars beat Bills 25-20 on Oct. 8, 2023, in London.
Last week: Jaguars lost to Browns 18-13; Bills beat Dolphins 31-10
Jaguars offense: overall (22), rush (15), pass (25), scoring (27t)
Jaguars defense: overall (22), rush (11), pass (30), scoring (8t)
Bills offense: overall (21), rush (18), pass (23), scoring (3)
Bills defense: overall (16), rush (18), pass (12), scoring (8t)
Turnover differential: Jaguars minus-1; Bills plus-3.
Third-year linebacker Baylon Spector is making his first career start and handling the on-field defensive play-calling duties in place of Terrel Bernard, who is sidelined by pectoral injury. Spector had a team-high-tying 10 tackles in playing 62 of 75 defensive snaps against Miami after Bernard was hurt. Spector is now part of a new linebacker tandem, playing alongside Dorian Williams, who began the season filling in for Matt Milano, who's out until at least early December with a torn left biceps.
Josh Hines-Allen, who added Hines to his last name earlier this year to honor his maternal family, is 2-0 against his former namesake Josh Allen. Hines-Allen dominated the matchup in 2021, finishing with eight tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble return in Jacksonville. He was mostly a non-factor in London last year, finishing with a solo tackle. Hines-Allen has six tackles, including a sack, this season.
Jaguars O-Line vs. Greg Rousseau and Von Miller. Jacksonville has already allowed seven sacks, including a safety. Rousseau had three sacks in a season-opening win over Arizona. And Miller has a sack in each outing after failing to have one in 14 games, including playoffs, while coming off a torn knee ligament last season.
Bills coach Sean McDermott has already ruled out Bernard and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (right forearm) from playing. DE Dawuane Smoot (oblique) has resumed practicing and in line to make his Bills debut — against his former team, no less — after missing the first two games. ... The Jaguars don't expect to have TE Evan Engram this week after he injured a hamstring during pregame warmups last Sunday. CB Tyson Campbell (hamstring) will miss his second straight game.
The Jaguars have won four of the past six meetings, including two in London (2015 and last season). Jacksonville also has a 2-0 edge over Buffalo in the playoffs. The Jaguars defeated Buffalo 30-27 in the wild-card round in 1996, which marked Hall of Fame quarterback’s Jim Kelly’s final game. The Jags also beat Buffalo 10-3 in the wild-card round in the 2017 season —Sean McDermott’s first as coach in Buffalo. ... The Bills have won the past three meetings at Orchard Park, New York.
Four Jaguars players and coaches will be making a return to Buffalo: WR Gabe Davis, C Mitch Morse, special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and receivers coach Chad Hall. ... Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is 2-0 against the Bills. He has eight TDs (five passing, three rushing) and no INTs with 96.3 QB rating in six career prime-time starts. ... RB Travis Etienne had a career-high 184 yards from scrimmage and two rushing TDs in the previous meeting against Buffalo. ... WR Brian Thomas ranks third among rookies with 141 yards receiving this season. ... TE Brenton Strange, filling in for Engram, had a career-high 65 yards receiving last week. DE Travon Walker aims for his fourth consecutive road game with a sack. ... The Bills seek a 3-0 start for the third time since McDermott took over as coach in 2017, after doing so in 2019 and 2020. ... Buffalo is 20-29 overall on "Monday Night Football", and dropped both appearances last season — a 22-16 OT season-opening loss to the New York Jets and a 24-22 loss to Denver — with both outings decided on the final play. ... Bills QB Josh Allen has yet to throw an interception after totaling a career-worst 18 last season. He did lose a fumble in the season opener against Arizona, and has a record of 26-4 when not committing a turnover and 39-26 in games he does. ... Allen has topped 300 yards passing and with three or more touchdowns in four of seven appearances on Monday night. .... Buffalo's 13 first downs against Miami was the team's fewest since finishing with 12 in a 20-13 loss at Houston on Oct. 14, 2018, and fewest in a win since having 13 in beating the New York Jets 22-17 on Nov. 12, 2015. ... Buffalo has topped 100 yards rushing in 10 straight outings going back to last season, and is 13-2 when doing so since the start of 2023. ... RB James Cook matched a franchise record with three TDs in a half against Miami. ... Von Miller has a sack in each outing to increase his NFL active player-leading total to 125 1/2. He's now tied with Dwight Freeney for 18th on the career list.
Allen and Cook have so far been the only consistent point-producers in a retooled Bills offense, which opened the season with an “everybody eats” mentality. Start both, while keeping Buffalo's WRs and TEs on the bench in awaiting for a hierarchy to emerge.
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