Monday Night Matchup Could Get Personal For Jaguars Players

The Jacksonville Jaguars face the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. The game will be a homecoming for two former Bills, Mitch Morse and Gabe Davis.

Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman (33) pushes Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) out of bounds during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars know how important Monday's game is the Buffalo Bills. If they lose, it's an 0-3 hole as opposed to a 1-2 record. With the Houston Texans the next week.

Head coach Doug Pederson discussed the game as a motivator.

"Yeah, I think it's good for our team. Obviously, it's a great opportunity to go on the road," Pederson said. "As you  mentioned, it's really a great atmosphere for football. It's a Monday night game. The fans are going to be juiced up and ready to go. It'll be good for us. It's a benchmark. It's a  measuring stick game right now. It's great for our players to be in these atmospheres. We need to be in these situations more and this is a great opportunity for them."

But for offensive lineman Mitch Morse and wide receiver Gabe Davis there is a little added motivation in facing their former team. Morse spent the previous five seasons with the Bills, playing starting in all 77 games he played.

Davis was drafted in the fourth round by the Bills in 2020. He started in 47 games, played in 64, and recorded 2,730 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns on 163 receptions.

Pederson discussed what the game would mean for the two former Bills.

"Well, yeah,  it would be exciting for them to go back and play in front of the fans that they've played in  front of for many years," Pederson said. "But I know their focus now is to help us try to win this game and  they get back on track. It'll be exciting but at the same time they've got a job to do, and  they'll be ready for that."

Davis, a big offseason acquisition for a depleted wide receiver corps, has performed well through two games.

Davis has played 107 snaps (95 percent of the Jaguars' offensive snaps) and against the Dolphins he had three catches for 62 yards. Against the Browns last week he had three catches for 43 yards. Davis has established himself as one of Lawrence's top targets.

Morse has played every offensive snap for the Jaguars this season.

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