Sunday | 9:30 ET
England hosts an interesting game on Sunday morning. The Bills are the class of the AFC right now, coming off of an impressive 48-20 blowout of the Dolphins. They have scored 48, 37, and 38 points in each of their last three games, respectively. On the other hand, the Jaguars- who came into 2023 with high expectations- have been underwhelming thus far. The offense is not clicking like it should be. However, they are coming off of a solid win over the Falcons, and have an interesting advantage over the Bills in this matchup. Jacksonville has spent over a week in London, since their Week 4 matchup was also across the pond. The team has had ample time to adjust to the time change and focus on football. Meanwhile, the Bills will have to deal will all of the difficulties that come with traveling across the world.
Josh Allen has been phenomenal over the last three weeks. He will look to continue his hot streak against a middle of the pack Jaguars defense. Jacksonville’s PFF coverage grade is 7th in the NFL, while its run defense grade is 24th. Seemingly, the way to attack is through the run game. Buffalo has shown a willingness to rely on its run game this season that they haven’t shown in the past. RB James Cook could see a big workload. The Buffalo offense is simply on fire right now. All that the Jaguars can do is hope to slow them down enough that Trevor Lawrence is able to keep them in the game.
The Jaguar offense has been disappointing in 2023. After dropping 31 points in Week 1, they only scored 49 in Weeks 2-4. The weapons are there in Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley, Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk. It feels like it is just a matter of time before they find their footing and explode. However, Week 5 is probably not the time for that. The Bills have only given up 55 points on the season, which is good for 2nd in the NFL. The defense has racked up the most sacks in the league so far at 16. The probable return of future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller on Sunday morning will only make matters more difficult for the Jacksonville offensive line.
When working correctly, the Jaguars’ offense relies upon YAC. This does work in their favor, as Buffalo ranks 29th in PFF tackling grade. Maybe with a logistical advantage and a little momentum, Trevor Lawrence and the Jags can pull the upset. Still, it’s tough to pick against the Bills. I think that the Jaguars will eventually figure it out, just not this week.