2 Bills weaknesses the Jaguars must exploit in Week 3

The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to get their first win of the 2024 NFL season when they face the Buffalo Bills in 2023. Working against them is that they've struggled to get the offense going, averaging 15 points per game the past two games. Fortunately for the Jags, the Bills have a couple of weaknesses that can (and should) be exploited.

Even though Buffalo ranks eighth in the league in points allowed, their defense is vulnerable. They have struggled to contain running backs James Conner and De'Von Achane in consecutive weeks, giving up 124 and 139 rushing yards, respectively.

Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne must step up for the Jaguars on Monday Night Football

The Jacksonville Jaguars rank 28th in the league in rushing yards before contact but are No. 1 in yards after contact. That's because Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby will always be looking to churn out extra yards on every carry they get.

Back in the opener, Tank Bigsby toted the rock 12 times for 73 yards. Unfortunately, he couldn't contribute in the loss to the Cleveland Browns because he suffered an injury early in the game. The good news is that he's got a strong chance of suiting up on Monday Night Football.

But as impressive as Bigsby was in Week 1, he probably will get a complementary role behind Travis Etienne, who was somewhat underwhelming in the opener but bounced back against the Browns.

In Week 2, Etienne had 13 carries for 52 yards with a touchdown. The coaching staff will keep calling his number with the expectation that he'll break off a big run. Against the Bills last year, he racked up 136 yards on 26 carries. That was his best game of the season.

The Jaguars must deploy Christian Kirk and Brenton Strange in the middle

Their linebacker group is another matchup the Jaguars can exploit. With Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard out, Droian Williams and Babylon Spector have had trouble defending the middle of the field. The duo has posted Pro Football Focus overall grades of 47.3 and 51.5, respectively, to start the season. This presents a great opportunity for wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Brenton Strange to show out.

Kirk has been one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets the past two seasons but has been underwhelming in 2024, logging a paltry two catches for 29 yards on seven targets. That's not certainly the start he wanted to remind everyone just how great he is. The silver lining is that if there's a game where he can bounce back, this is it.

On the other hand, Strange was a revelation in Week 2, hauling in three catches for 63 yards. He also fared well as a blocker, so it's fair to say that the Jags won't miss Evan Engram much if he misses his second straight game. Based on head coach Doug Pederson's most recent comments, it looks like that will be the case.

If Strange does get the starting nod against the Bill, he'll need to step up once again, and the coaching staff must make sure he's an important part of the game plan. If Jacksonville does exploit the Bills' weaknesses, they will have a chance to end their losing skid.

More Jaguars analysis here: