Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Following a strong start to the 2024 season with two wins, the Buffalo Bills will look for their first 3-0 start to a season since 2020 when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
While the all-time series only slightly favor the Jaguars, 10-9, a couple of recent games between Buffalo and Jacksonville have been memorable for all the wrong reasons for the Bills.
Back in 2021, the Bills and Jaguars played a stinker in Jacksonville that saw five combined field goals in a 9-6 loss for Buffalo. While Buffalo was the better team on paper, Jaguars pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen was the game-wrecker with three forced turnovers of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Then this past season, the Bills came up flat once again, while suffering significant injuries to the likes of linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones in a 25-20 loss to Jacksonville in a game played in London, England.
This year's matchup will hold a bit of significance for a pair of former Bills players making their return to Western New York. Wide receiver Gabe Davis and center Mitch Morse both joined the Jaguars in free agency this offseason, and will play their former team just three weeks into the 2024 campaign.
"They mean an immense amount to me, to our organization. Still, we wish them well, their families as well. We're happy that they're happy," said Bills head coach Sean McDermott of both Davis and Morse during his weekly appearance on the "Extra Point Show on Friday. "Listen, it's unfortunate, that's kind of the nature of the business from time-to-time. You wish you could have everyone just stay here, such as life in a lot of ways. But at the end of the day, we're proud of those guys, and we're looking forward to competing on Monday night."
This Week 3 matchup will be the second of five prime-time games for the Bills this season, with four of those five contests coming in the first six weeks of the season. This will also be the first home prime-time game for the Bills this year.
Under the bright lights of prime-time on Monday night, McDermott expects "Bills Mafia" to be as loud as ever.
"Believe it or not, we have to practice, it because it's so unique. In our walkthroughs, the defense will be piping in crowd noise, because the communication on the defense becomes a challenge. We love it, but it is hard for us to communicate on defense, at times, because of the level of the crowd noise. But again, we love it. We wouldn't trade it for anything," McDermott said with Sal Capaccio on WGR. "It's just so cool to have that type of symmetry with our fan base, and we look forward to them. And I know people don't like coming here to play us, and a big part of it is 'Bills Mafia'."
Monday night's kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium. Be sure to catch all the play-by-play action on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
