Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had to face some tough defenses as a rookie. The team as a whole struggled mightily against one of the NFL’s best in the Denver Broncos back in Week 2, but this week’s challenge will be the toughest yet.
The Buffalo Bills come to town, and in addition to an explosive offense led by MVP candidate Josh Allen, they boast the league’s best defense. Buffalo ranks No. 1 in total defense, pass defense, turnover differential, and points allowed per game. Its relative weakness, its run defense, still ranks fifth in football.
Jacksonville offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said that the Jags will have their hands full this week after struggling to get things going against one of the league’s worst defenses in Seattle last weekend.
“Outstanding defense, really at all three levels from the back end all the way forward,” Bevell said. “Obviously best against the pass, really good against the run, I think also the thing that really stands out is they’re No. 1 in turnovers, as well. They’ve got 18, they’re turning it over in all kinds of ways so we’re going to have to match their execution. They’re a very well-coached team and have a very sound scheme. The guys are in the right place and they do a really nice job.”
The Bills do a great job of forcing takeaways, as they have a +13 turnover differential on the season, and that will make it very important for Lawrence to make good decisions with the ball to avoid interceptions, which have been a bit of a problem for him this season.
This week will also present a bit of a unique challenge as Buffalo runs a 4-3 defense as opposed to the 3-4 base defense that most NFL teams are running these days. With four down linemen, Jacksonville’s strategy may change a bit, and Bevell said that could open up some opportunities to run.
However, if the run game is going to be established, it may have to be done without James Robinson available. Bevell couldn’t confirm his status for Sunday, but it sounds as if the team is preparing for him to be unavailable, which would obviously be a major loss for an already overmatched offense.
The Bills are one of the league’s best teams and arguably the strongest Super Bowl contender in the AFC right now. Pulling off a win in this game would prove to be perhaps the biggest upset in the NFL so far this season, and doing so will not come easy.