(Photo: Point Spreads)
AFC Game Of The Week
Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills
Jaguars: They were able to bounce back last weekend against the Atlanta Falcons after losing their last two games. If I can be honest, they could’ve won the week two showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs and I say that because their defense did all they could to keep Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl Champs in check. It was the other side of the ball that hurt them because any time they had an opportunity to do something, they dropped it. In week three against the Houston Texans, they were just punched in the mouth and when a football team is physically dominated in that fashion, they have a tough time recovering in which they did. Right now, the AFC South is the most intriguing division in all of football. The Tennessee Titans are at .500 and they just came off a big win against a team they’ve struggled against in the Cincinnati Bengals, the Houston Texans are playing hard for DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud has looked sharp to start the season, the Indianapolis Colts have played better than anyone expected of them and then, you have the favorites to win this division in the Jacksonville Jaguars who haven’t looked the sharpest to open up their season. As I eluded to up top, the offense has been struggling to move the ball up the field and sustain drives. Many were looking for Trevor Lawrence to take that next step, but he’s struggled himself. I’m not going to throw the towel in on him just yet because there’s a ton of football left to be played this year and this is still my pick to win the division because they have the best Quarterback and Head Coach in the division by far. They are back in London for the second consecutive week and will face one of the hottest teams in the league on Sunday morning.
Bills: It’s almost as if the loss to the Jets has been erased completely from their memory. Since then, they’ve won their last three games and have done it in dominating fashion. They beat up on the Las Vegas Raiders in week two, absolutely pummeled the Washington Commanders and the defense was everywhere recording nine sacks and four interceptions. Last week against the Miami Dolphins, I feel they made a statement and they showed once again why they are the team to beat in the AFC East. Just like the both of us, they heard all the talking about how the Dolphins scored 70 points the week before and they haven’t seen an offense like Miami’s this year which is very true, but people failed to realize the Bills have an electric offense themselves and they could match them score for score and they did just that. I remember speaking with Cole Johnson before this game and I told him my main key for a Buffalo win was to keep Tyreek Hill contained and to make him earn his yards underneath meaning as soon as the ball was in his hands, bring him down. Cheetah was held to under 100 yards receiving! Josh Allen had some of the best stats I’ve seen from a Quarterback in week four. He completed 21 of his 25 pass attempts for 320 yards and he accounted for five total touchdowns (four passing and one rushing). His jersey was also relatively clean. Though they didn’t run the ball as effectively as we’ve seen early on, I can appreciate the fact they are attempting to be more balanced. Here’s my one question though: Can they sustain this style of play when it matters most which is in January for a run in the playoffs? Only time will tell. They will travel across the pond on Sunday.
Jaguars X-Factor: Christian Kirk– Say what you want about him receiving that contract last year, he’s been pretty solid for this offense. Christian has a strong ability to track the football and come away with any ball thrown in his direction. If you watch him, he’s always moving and never stops running his route because he plays with a Quarterback who can extend plays. Christian is so shifty and quick enough to break away from any one on one look.
Bills X-Factor: Terrel Bernard– He’s been the Tremaine Edmunds replacement and he’s been excellent for a defense that’s been one of the best in the league thus far. Terrel is everywhere for this Buffalo defense. He can drop back and cover the pass, plays in the box and shuts down the run. I love the closing speed he displays! He bursts to the football and ball-carrier. Terrel tracks the football at all times. He’s an energy guy and has elevated this Bills defense.
Three Things I’m Watching
1. Jags offense– They’ve struggled early on to do much of anything to move the football. When that happens, you can’t lose confidence because a team will sense that and capitalize upon that. You have to remain positive at all times and continue to drive the ball down the field. Everything will open up eventually. I think the problem they have is they try to force things too much down the field.
2. Streaking: The Bills have dominated their opponents since the week one loss to the Jets. Can they keep this winning streak going? They’ve done it with a balanced offensive attack, not depending on Josh to do everything and a punishing style of defense who’s without Von Miller at this moment. Just imagine how this will all look when he comes back to the field. This would be their fourth win in a row.
3. Same Name, Different Position: There will be two guys named Josh Allen in this game. One is the Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and the other is an EDGE guy for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The media and commentators ate this one up the last time these two played. Many are referring to this matchup as the “Josh Allen Bowl” which makes sense and it’s clever. Jacksonville’s Josh got the upper hand the last time they met up.
Final Analysis: This will be the Jaguars second week playing in London. They handled business against the Falcons. On the other side, the Bills hung 48 points on the Dolphins and held a team that scored 70 the week before to 20. The last time these two met, it was in November of 2021 and the Jaguars upset Buffalo and held them to two Field Goals in a defensive struggle. I don’t think that will be the case here on Sunday morning. The Jags need to attack this Bills defense with the running game that’s struggling to limit teams on the ground. This could help things for Trevor. Can this Jags defensive front get home to Josh and keep him from extending plays with a moving pocket? I can see the Jaguars keeping this close, but Buffalo is the better team at this moment. I like the Bills to keep it rolling.
Prediction: Bills 32, Jaguars 21
