We have now reached Week 5 of the NFL regular season and the Jaguars are staying international with their second game in London.
The Jaguars will go up against the Bills in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.
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The Jaguars got back in the win column this last Sunday in London, beating the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 at Wembley Stadium.
This will be the first time in NFL history that one team has played consecutive games in London.
Jacksonville now sits with a record of 2-2 and hopes to keep its winning momentum moving forward as it takes on one of the top favorites in the AFC.
The last time the Buffalo Bills were in London was 2015 when they lost to the Jaguars 34-31.
However, this Buffalo team is a little different. This team is a three-time defending AFC East champions.
Sean McDermott was hired by the Bills back in 2017 as the team’s 19th head coach in franchise history.
Since then, the Bills have been eyeing a Super Bowl. The Bills are 3-1 and coming off an impressive performance Week 4, trouncing the Dolphins 48-20.
Buffalo’s offense is led by quarterback Josh Allen, who currently has it operating on all cylinders.
The Bills have won each of their last three games by at least 28 points, a margin that’s tied for the longest streak in the Super Bowl era.
Allen has been a big part of that. He went 21 of 25 for 320 yards and five touchdowns (one rushing) against the Dolphins. He has had a near perfect passer rating and thrown eight touchdowns to only one interception in the last three games for the Bills.
Allen’s performance also awarded him NFL AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His favorite target is Bills top wideout Stefon Diggs.
Diggs caught six passes from Allen on Sunday against the Dolphins for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Allen told the media this week that he thinks Diggs should have been named as the NFL AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Since joining the Bills, Diggs has caught 33 touchdown passes, the fifth highest in that time span. He and Allen already rank second all-time in Bills history for a quarterback and pass catcher.
Now, the Bills quarterback is not to be confused with the Jaguars pass rusher of the same name.
The Jaguars’ Josh Allen has been on somewhat of a tear of his own recently. Last week, he had his second three-sack game of the season, and his six total sacks has him tied for first place in the league.
Allen definitely remembers the last time he lined up across from someone with the same name. The Jaguars won the 2021 matchup 9-6 and Allen recorded both a sack and interception, becoming the first NFL player to do so against another NFL player with the same name.
Allen was asked about going up against the Jaguars pass rusher this weekend in London.
“He scares me. He got me last time we played. He’s coming off a really good week, too. He’s a baller. Still considered kind of a young guy in this league. He’s playing really good football right now and their defensive group right now is playing at a high level. They work together very well, so we’re going to have our hands full.”
The Bills offensive coaching staff has done a good job up until this point at putting players in positions to make plays.
“I thought Coach (Ken) Dorsey did a really good job,” McDermott said. “Coach Dorsey and the offensive staff came up with a really solid game plan that incorporated run and pass and a different style of offense. And I thought Josh (Allen) and his teammates went out there and executed at a high level.”
Buffalo’s defense has also been productive so far this season, currently ranking second in points allowed and first in turnover percentage.
They are also expecting to have an impact player return very soon.
Bills edge rusher Von Miller has been on the PUP list since training camp after tearing his ACL last season, but this week the team activated Miller’s 21-day practice window.
On Monday, assistant head coach Eric Washington spoke about Miller’s presence on the defense.
“We anticipate Von just being an integral factor in terms of our ability to generate pressure with four guys,” Washington said. “Von’s influence and attention that he should garner from the protection concepts should allow other guys to be single.
Miller says that if the Bills want him to play, he will play.
“I just get one padded practice tomorrow and then we have a shells practice on Thursday and then we fly to London on Thursday night. I really don’t have all the time in the world to like figure it out. I get one padded practice. So hopefully I look amazing tomorrow. I feel really strongly that I will. That’s just how I think I feel like I will be amazing tomorrow and everybody will give me the green light to go play in the game.”
The Bills entire football mindset and philosophy revolves around guys being able to win their one-on-one matchups.
On Wednesday, Allen was asked about Miller’s return to practice.
“It’s Von Miller, first ballot hall of famer. The juice that he brings for the guys, the trust that everybody has in him,” Allen said. “He is the ultimate closer. So whenever he is ready to go we are going to welcome him with open arms. And hopefully he can pin his ears back and go get the quarterback.”
On Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network sent out a tweet.
Miller will be joining a productive group when he is added to the mix.
Greg Rousseau and Leonard Floyd have combined for seven sacks and 23 pressures off the edge. And in the interior, defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver have combined for 27 pressures through the first four games.
Rousseau has not practiced any this week due to a foot injury so we will have to wait until Sunday to see if he suits up for the Bills.
The Bills defensive line harassed Tua Tagovailoa in Week 4 and look to do the same this weekend in London against Trevor Lawrence and a struggling Jaguars offensive line.
Help is on the way for this Jaguars offensive line. Veteran left tackle Cam Robinson has returned to practice and been cleared to play after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
If the Jaguars offensive line is able to provide time for Lawrence, then attacking this Bills secondary may be one of their goals.
When the Bills take the field on Sunday against the Jaguars, their secondary will be without cornerback Tre’Davious White.
White suffered what is feared to be an Achilles tear while trying to defend Tyreek Hill on Sunday. White is expected to miss the rest of the season due to the injury.
The Bills players and coaches are shaken up about White’s injury, including Diggs.
“This game, people really don’t understand, weighs on you,” Diggs said. “With everything he’s already been through, it’s kind of tough. Keep him in your prayers. It’s easy to say it’s unfortunate, but football means the world to him. You can tell by how he works, how he grinds, how he approaches each and every day. He really doesn’t care about the limelight; he cares about being the player and teammate he can be. … At a time like this, it’s rough.”
Buffalo will now likely turn to fourth-year veteran Dane Jackson to fill the void left by White’s injury.
“Dane, Christian, Kaiir, we expect those guys to step in and to play to the best of their ability,” Washington said. “And to utilize the success and the production that they’ve been able to gain to go back and understand how they need to succeed within their own skillset and mindset. So we’re looking forward to that, and that’s just how we have to proceed.”