Tonight on Monday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills will be playing host to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time since QB Josh Allen's rookie season in 2018. Historically, the Bills have thrived when playing within the friendly confines of Highmark Stadium, and the matchup on deck looks to continue this favorable trend.
While this game will be controlled largely through both teams efficient running backs and playing clean football, moments will present themselves for the Bills defense to single handedly change the course of the entire game. Specifically, three players have an opportunity to make their marks on Monday night's contest.
1- Nickel cornerback Cam Lewis
For the second consecutive week, Bills head coach Sean McDermott has ruled out All-Pro nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, meaning that backup NCB Cam Lewis will get another shot as a starter. His play over the past few weeks has been above expectations, despite no one truly being able to fully replace Johnson's impact at the position. Lewis recorded ten total tackles, with seven being solo tackles, in Week 1 against Arizona, and four total tackles against the Dolphins in Week 2.
The stats against the Dolphins seem low, but Lewis' impact on the field was noticeable, even as the game became out of reach for Miami and Buffalo switched the style of play to compensate. If Lewis can have another standout game against the Jaguars offensive weapons, it could potentially make Coach McDermott more comfortable with resting Johnson as long as he needs to reach a full recovery, versus feeling the need to rush Johnson back onto the field before he's ready.
2- Cornerback Christian Benford
Christian Benford has been in a league of his own to start the 2024 NFL season. His presence in the backfield, combined with CB Rasul Douglas, has created a virtual "no fly zone" in the secondary, creating matchup nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators to deal with. In coverage against Miami Dolphins superstar wide reciever Tyreek Hill, Benford allowed three receptions for 24 yards. Hill is arguably one of the best, if not the absolute best, wide receiver in the league, and Benford had him locked down all night in what would become a 31-10 Bills blowout win.
Going into the matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Benford looks to be poised for another incredible game, and if he does, it could further cement his status as one of the league's best cornerbacks. Look for offensive coordinators around the league to adjust their playcalling, scheming, and other various tricks on offense to keep the ball away from Benford's hands as the year goes on, should he continue to perform at this high level.
3- Linebacker Von Miller
It's safe to say that Bills LB Von Miller has returned to form. He notched his first sack since 2022 in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, and added another one to the stat sheet against the Dolphins in Week 2. Beyond the numbers, Miller's pressure rate has been consistently high to start the year. In multiple instances, Miller torches the offensive line to get to the quarterback; while not all of these pressures result in sacks, it still puts the opposing quarterback off balance and makes them either have to scramble, or throw the ball away, which can lead to a turnover under the right conditions.
Miller looks to go against a Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line that has struggled mightily to start the year. Jaguars LG Ezra Cleveland, in particular, has been off to a shaky start, continuing a line of shaky performances ever since the Jaguars brought him in during the middle of the 2023 season. If Miller can continue to generate the amount of pressure that he has to start the year, and improve upon those numbers with a dominating performance against the Jaguars, it will go a long way to showing the NFL world that Von Miller has surged back to the form he had playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.