Is Evan Engram playing in the Jaguars game vs. the Bills in Week 3?
The Jaguars will be without one of their offensive leaders when they take on the Bills on Monday Night Football. Tight end Evan Engram has been ruled out but he won't be the only player the Jags will miss.
Engram will miss the game while he recovers from a hamstring injury he suffered during warmups before the Week 2 loss to the Cleveland Browns. His absence doesn't come as a surprise. The Ole Miss Rebel didn't participate in practice and head coach Doug Pederson told the media that he wasn't probably going to make it.
In Engram's place, sophomore Brenton Strange will be starting at tight end for the Jaguars. A second-round pick in last year's draft, the former Penn State Nittany Lion also got in Week 2. He made the most of his chance, hauling in three receptions for 65 yards.
On the other hand, Savage was originally listed as questionable but was ruled to out before the game. The former first-round pick has appeared in only one game this season, the season opener. He registered two passes defensed in that bout.
Rookie Jarrian Jones will replace Savage at nickel. A third-round pick earlier this year, the former Florida State Seminole also played 57 snaps in the slot in Week 2.
The Jaguars can beat the Bills without Evan Engram or Darnell Savage
The Jags are a 5.5-point underdog with a 200+ moneyline for the game. The fact that the game will be at Highmark Stadium and it may rain could make it difficult for them to come out with a win. That said, Jacksonville has enough talent on both sides of the ball, even without Evan Engram and Darnell Savage, to pull off the upset.
The Jaguars have a dependable backfield tandem in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. The latter left Week 2 with a shoulder injury but the team will have both against Buffalo. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence has a stacked arsenal of weapons even without Engram. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. has been a revelation, and Gabe Davis is averaging over 16 yards per reception.
On defense, the Jaguars have the pass-rush duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. They'll be tasked with rattling Josh Allen and forcing him into making mistakes. Right now, his best receiver is Khalil Shakir, who mostly lines up inside. If Jarrian Jones can neutralize, Jacksonville will have a chance.
The bottom line is that Evan Engram has been a steady contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars but they don't need him to beat the Buffalo Bills. A tall task but certainly doable.