Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars: First-half open thread

The Buffalo Bills headed down south this week, and in just around half an hour, they’ll kick off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two teams are franchises headed in opposite directions, as the Bills sit atop the AFC East Division, while the Jaguars sit in third place of the AFC South Division, ahead of only the lowly Houston Texans.

Jacksonville may be in Florida, but the weather will have a definite Buffalo feel today, as cooler temperatures have descended on Duval County. It’s only expected to be 64 degrees at kickoff, which may not be arctic, but it’s certainly better than the last time Buffalo played in Florida during an 89-degree day in Miami back in September.

The Bills are without three starters on offense today, as tight end Dawson Knox (hand), left guard Jon Feliciano (calf), and right tackle Spencer Brown (back) are all out. Tommy Sweeney, Ike Boettger, and Cody Ford, respectively, will replace those players. The Jaguars may be a one-win squad, but they do have some talent along the defensive line, especially with edge rusher Josh Allen. If the Bills have to shift their focus to the outside, it could leave some backups playing one-on-one matchups on the inside against Jacksonville’s starters.

It may not matter, though, as the Bills currently sit at the top of the league in both points scored per game (32.7) and points allowed per game (15.6). This is why they play the games, though, because if this one were played on paper, the Bills would already have been granted the victory. Buffalo has plenty of advantages, but they need to execute in order to come out with a win.

Your first-half thread for the first of what should be many meetings between quarterbacks Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence is here, friends. Don’t forget to toggle the comments to “oldest” for that classic game-thread feel. Be civil to each other. Most importantly, enjoy the game wherever you are watching.

Go Bills!