ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five thoughts on the Buffalo Bills’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
1. The Bills’ defense passed its toughest test of the season with flying colors in last Sunday’s 48-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins. Another challenge awaits, though this one is a bit different.
Can the Bills overcome the absences of key defensive players Tre’Davious White, gone for the season with a torn Achilles, and end Greg Rousseau, ruled out with a foot injury that kept him from practicing all week? It won’t be easy. The Jaguars have a decent quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and the ability to make explosive plays, though they haven’t shown much of that so far this season.
White’s loss will put a strain on the Bills’ depth at cornerback. The Jaguars will try testing the secondary with deep throws. It will be up to Buffalo’s pass rush to limit Lawrence’s ability to connect on them.
That will be tougher without Rousseau, who was off to the best start of his career. Von Miller, who is in the 21-day window to be activated from the physically unable to perform list while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last Thanksgiving, is listed as questionable. That technically means he has a 50% chance of playing, but Miller put it at “94.5%.”
Miller did acknowledge that he isn’t in game shape, which makes sense considering he missed all of training camp and the preseason. He probably would still be fit enough to contribute to a defensive front that needs to fill the Rousseau void, but the Bills would be wise not to push him too hard in his first outing of the season.
Even if Miller sat out, the Bills are getting strong play out of all of the members of their defensive front and the defense as a whole. Some of that is from the deft work Sean McDermott has done preparing the scheme and calling signals.
Given all that has gone well on the defensive side the past few weeks, it’s no surprise the Bills lead the NFL with 11 takeaways. Their three-game streak of two-plus takeaways is the league’s second-longest active streak behind Tampa Bay’s four.
Expect the Bills to also pass this test with flying colors.
2. Josh Allen is on an MVP roll that should continue against the Jaguars.
Allen isn’t merely making the most of his tremendous physical talent. He also is playing some of the smartest football of his career. He’s consistently making excellent decisions about where to go with the ball, displaying a keen understanding of what the defense is showing before and after the snap.
As a result, Allen leads the NFL with a 74.8 completion percentage. He was one of the game’s most dangerous quarterbacks when that number was a paltry 63.3 from 2021 through 2022. Now, he’s playing as well as any QB in the league and is easily the early front-runner to be voted MVP.
Allen is showing far greater patience and understanding that the offense is better when feeds off the defense. That’s reflected in the remarkable balance the Bills continue to show in their passing attack, by involving as many as nine receivers in multiple games.
3. The running game is a big component to the Bills’ ability to the Bills’ averaging 34.8 points per game, second-best in the NFL.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey continues to do a superb job of incorporating the run into his scheming and play-calling. His willingness to stay committed to it is doing wonders for Allen’s ability to stay ahead of the opposing defense and find open receivers. He’ll need to be as sharp as ever against Jacksonville edge rusher Josh Allen and the rest of the Jaguars’ defensive front.
When the Bills are clicking through the air and on the ground, with James Cook leading a solid running-back-by-committee approach, Allen shows increased command that only gets stronger as the game progresses.
4. The offensive line, one of the Bills’ larger areas of concern before the season, has become one of their greater strengths.
The team continues to get excellent play from new guards O’Cyrus Torrence and Connor McGovern. Along with center Mitch Morse, they’ve done plenty to greatly improve interior pass protection and run blocking.
Tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown have also elevated their play, giving Allen his most secure pocket since his rookie season in 2018. That has helped translate to Allen’s increased poise and ability to often go through all his read progressions.
5. It will be curious to see whether the Bills’ decision to travel to London Thursday night, minimizing their chance to acclimate to the five-hour time difference, has any impact on the team’s performance.
After landing Friday morning, the Bills went through a walk-through practice, mainly to get loose after the long flight. Whether jet lag catches up with the players on Sunday is something for which many (including other NFL teams) will be watching, especially with the Jaguars having the advantage of having been in London since before their game against Atlanta there last Sunday.
For now, the Bills get the benefit of the doubt because their travel plan is rooted deeply in sports science, an area in which the team has made a big investment. It was something on which they did not lean as heavily in 2015, their last trip to London when they also faced the Jaguars.