ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Von Miller is focused on keeping things chill in Buffalo by cautioning Bills teammates against getting ahead of themselves despite a promising — and somewhat surprising — 2-0 start.
“We just need to stick to playing, not to mood,” the veteran edge rusher said. “A true test of a man is how he responds to success.”
In Jacksonville, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is seeking a mood change after voicing his frustrations following an 18-13 loss to Cleveland that has the underperforming Jaguars second-guessing themselves at 0-2.
“It’s not fun being (angry) and wanting to get back out there. I think that’s one of the worst parts about losing, especially when you don’t play well,” Lawrence said Thursday.
“How do we get better from it instead of just being (angry) about the result? How do we use it to actually learn from it and get better?” he added. “So, from that standpoint, that is kind of that feeling of urgency.”
However premature it is to evaluate either team entering Week 3, their meeting on Monday night could alter or affirm each team's trajectory.
The four-time defending AFC East champion Bills have so far defied lowered expectations and validated the approach they took entering the season with a retooled, younger roster that lost six of eight captains during an offseason purge.
“Everyone eats” was the offseason mantra for a Josh Allen-led offense lacking an established receiving threat after Stefon Diggs was traded to Houston and Gabe Davis signed with Jacksonville. The phrase also applies to a defense that has yet to flinch while relying on backups to replace injured starters: linebackers Matt Milano (torn left biceps) and Terrel Bernard (pectoral), and cornerback Taron Johnson (right forearm).
Buffalo followed a sloppy season-opening win over Arizona with an efficient 31-10 victory over Miami.
“All we care about is winning football games, no matter how it comes down to it,” Allen said. “So no, it's no surprise to us. This is what we expect ... We’re just trying to focus more on process than the result right now.”
The process in Jacksonville has been hijacked because of a stagnating, mistake-prone offense and compounded by injuries.
Lawrence has completed 51% of his attempts with one touchdown pass while being sacked seven times, including once for a safety last week. Travis Etienne has accounted for Jacksonville’s two other touchdowns, both rushing. He also lost a fumble near the goal line that opened the door for Miami to rally from a 14-point deficit in a 20-17 season-opening win.
Lawrence has lost eight straight starts dating to last season. The Jaguars' only win over that stretch — against Carolina on Dec. 31 — came when he sat out with a sprained shoulder.
“I don’t think about the two seasons running together. I know we’ve lost our first two this year, and that’s really what matters,” Lawrence said. “We’ve had a couple of days to let it marinate, let it breathe, and move on. And we’re ready to go attack Buffalo.”
Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver has nothing but respect for Mitch Morse, who spent five seasons with Buffalo before being cut in March and signing with Jacksonville.
“He showed me how to practice, showed me how to be a good teammate, become a better pass rusher,” Oliver said. “You could go ask Mitch anything, and he'd tell you what's on his brain.”
Just don't ask Oliver what it might be like to beat Morse for a sack.
“Oh, man, Mitch is my mate, man. I don’t wanna ... hey, c’mon,” Oliver said.
Despite his team averaging a measly 15 points per game, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson isn’t making any changes to his starting lineup.
“Not right now,” Pederson said Thursday. It wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement and opened the door for potential moves along the offensive line — or maybe elsewhere.
Jacksonville expects to be without Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram for the second straight week. Engram strained a hamstring during pregame warmups against Cleveland. Second-year pro Brenton Strange, who caught three passes for 65 yards against Cleveland, is expected to start.
Miller said he's begun paying attention to critics who spent the offseason questioning how good the Bills might be.
“It was a lot of talk about, ‘What is Josh going to be able to do with no star wide receiver? We lost captains on defense. Is Von going to be able to play?’” Miller said. “I didn’t listen to it then, but now, we just use that as fuel to the fire.”
The NFL's active leader in sacks with 125 1/2, Miller has one in each game this season. He was shut out in 14 outings, including the playoffs, last year while coming back from a torn ACL.
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AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.
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