Ed Oliver uses peculiar word to decribe Jaguars games against Bills

The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL in recent years. Yet, they've had trouble beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. In fact, they've lost their last two games, which defensive tackle Ed Oliver calls weird.

Oliver met with the press corps ahead of the Monday Night Matchup against the Jags and said that their past two encounters had weird vibes.

"The London game was a weird game, started very weird. It was a very weird game," Oliver said. "I addressed the team, I addressed my D-Line, about how weird these games could be. I remember the game we played in Jacksonville, a sunny day, great day. I remember it vividly, but it was just a weird, a weird aura. And then playing in London, it's just weird, I can't even explain it. Just a weird game. I've never beat these guys, so it's just weird."

Oliver continued, "Man, it's just, I'm just letting the guys know. I don't know what it is. It's just weird, and I speak life into it. So this game won't be weird, but the past two times have been weird when we started slow. Oh, it's just very weird games. Y'all go back and watch it."

"I think the first time we played it. What was the score? 9-6, something like that. Something crazy. What was it? 9-6? Come on. Like, we playing the NFL game, 9-6. I remember Josh Allen catching the pick on Josh Allen. I remember that. It's just a weird game. How can a D-lineman catch a pick? but it's just a weird game. I remember that vividly."

The former Houston Cougar isn't wrong. Although the Jags got off to an 8-3 start in 2023, they struggled against playoff teams, except for one: the Bills. Jacksonville won 25-20.

Buffalo looked underwhelming throughout the game and even jet lag was brought up as a a reason they lost because they didn't prepare properly for the trip to London. Things didn't go any better in 2021. That was the only year Urban Meyer coached the Jags, and they surprisingly upset the Bills 9-6. Josh Hines-Allen stood out in that game because he did a hat trick, meaning that he had an interception, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

The game was also noteworthy because defensive tackle Taven Bryan was on fire. Mostly unremarkable throughout his stint in Duval, the former first-round pick logged a career-best two sacks. He ended up playing a role in helping the Jags get their second win of the year and the last of the Urban Meyer era.

That was then and this is now, though. The Jags are currently 0-2 and dealing with several issues on both sides of the ball. While they played well at times, they've also been inconsistent. Their offensive line cannot protect Trevor Lawrence or open lanes in the running game. The defense, for their part, has struggled to wrap up tackles.

Here's Oliver talking about his past two encounters against the Jaguars, via Jonathan Acosta of WGRZ-TV.

Weird or not, the Jaguars have the pieces to pull off the upset vs. the Bills

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a 5.5-point underdog ahead of Monday Night Football. The good news is that there are several things they can build off of.

The defense ranks eighth in the league in points surrendered. In two games, they've given up just 38 points and you could make the case they can be even better if they clean up their communication issues in the defensive backfield.

Their pass rush could be better but Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker have made an impact. The former earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade among edge defenders in Week 2 and the latter logged two sacks in the season opener. Their secondary, on the other hand, has performed well even though they're missing cornerback Tyson Campbell.

If the defense steps up, it will be up to the offense to do their part. Trevor Lawrence has been inconsistent in 2024. While he's gotten poor protection, his decision-making the past two games hasn't been great. The Jaguars will need to help him and No. 16 will have to work his magic. If they put it all together, they should have a favorable chance of defeating Buffalo.

So how weird would it be if the 0-2 Jags beat the undefeated Bills in primetime? It's certainly doable. It will be up to them to seize the opportunity.

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