Jaguars-Bills: 3 Things to Watch

What three things will we keep our eyes on when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football?

Oct 8, 2023; London United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) is pursued by Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde (23) on a 35-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in need of a big win against the Buffalo Bills

The Jaguars have won each of their last two games against the Bills dating back to 2021. Most recently, Jacksonville defeated Buffalo, 25-20, in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Can they do it again in Week 3, and how could it happen?

We break down the top storylines below.

Can Travis Etienne repeat his success against the Bills?

Travis Etienne had arguably the best game of his career when the Jaguars upset the Bills in London last year, rushing for two touchdowns and 136 yards while averaging over five yards per carry.

Etienne looked simply too dynamic for the Bills' defense last year, breaking tackle after tackle and turning small gains into big ones ones on a consistent basis.

Can Etienne do it again? The Jaguars will need him to.

Buffalo ranks No. 12 in yards allowed before contact per carry, which suggests there could be some running room for Etienne. The Jaguars need to do better of staying ahead of the chains, and a repeat performance from Etienne is their best bet to do so.

Christian Kirk's involvement

In the first two games of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Christian Kirk saw 17 and 18 targets in the first two weeks.

This year, Kirk has gotten just seven targets in the first two games, becoming an increasingly small part of the offense despite the unit not exactly thriving away from him.

The Jaguars' offense isn't hitting many easy buttons through two weeks, so naturally Kirk's involvement should go up to make things easier on Trevor Lawrence.

The Bills are allowing 60 yards per game to slot targets per NextGenStats, which suggests this could be a week where Kirk could get back into the swing of things. If he continues to be an afterthought, though, then the troubling trend will likely have reached a boiling point.

How will the Jaguars slow down the Bills tight ends?

The Bills have one of the league's top tight end duos in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. The Jaguars have one of the NFL's top linebacker duos in Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd.

Something will have to give when the two units meet, especially with the Bills transitioning to a more quick-passing attack in 2024.

With the Bills not presenting a lot of weapons on the outside, the Jaguars will have to ensure they don't let the Bills attack the middle of the field and extend drives.

If Oluokun and Lloyd are going to be the true backbone of the defense, then they will need a big week against the best tight end group the

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