close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Four Things to Watch in Monday’s Jaguars-Bills, Commanders-Bengals on ESPN, NFL+
news

Four Things to Watch in Monday’s Jaguars-Bills, Commanders-Bengals on ESPN, NFL+

  • WHERE: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, NY)
  • WHEN: 7:30pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

1) Supervised offensive distribution accounts. Monday should feature an intriguing matchup between young running backs Travis Etienne and James Cook, two of just seven running backs with 1,600-plus scrimmage yards through 2023, according to NFL Research. The latter could play an unexpectedly pivotal role if his usage through the first two games continues. The Bills have been known as a passing team in recent years because of the talent of quarterback Josh Allen, but that trend has reversed so far this season, with the run game ruling. Of the Bills’ 103 offensive snaps this season, 57 percent have been run plays, up from 47 percent last season. And last week, with Allen nursing a minor non-throwing hand injury, Cook took over the game, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and adding another through the air. Two games is undoubtedly a small sample size, but it will be interesting to see if this new ratio holds up in Week 3, especially since the Jaguars currently rank 11th in rushing yards allowed but 30th in passing yards.

2) Lawrence, Jags WR’s need to get the scoring going. To get things on track and avoid an 0-3 start, the pressure is on the Jaguars’ offense to show marked improvement after opening the season with games of 17 and 13 points scored, respectively. After ranking 9th in passing yards in 2023, Trevor Lawrence’s offense ranks 25th after the first two games and has failed to reach 200 passing yards in either contest. Notably, the offense has also converted just five of its 19 third-down attempts (26.3%) and has scored on less than half of its red-zone trips, neither of which are great recipes for success. To compete with the Bills’ high-scoring unit, Lawrence will need to find the spark from his pass catchers that has been lacking thus far. The QB has failed to connect meaningfully with Christian Kirk (29 yards), while Gabe Davis, who plays Monday night against his former team, has just six catches through two games. It doesn’t help that tight end Evan Engram, who injured his hamstring in warmups last week and didn’t play, appears headed to missing another game with the injury, leaving Lawrence without one of his more trusted targets. One reason for hope was rookie Brian Thomas Jr., who appeared to break out in the latter stages of last week’s loss with a 66-yard reception, finishing with 94 yards, an effort they’ll hope to build on.