Press Taylor outlines the biggest challenge the Jaguars offense will face in Week 3

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a 5.5-point five underdog for their Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Although they'll have a couple of favorable matchups, the Jags will also face several challenges. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor talked about the biggest one ahead of the game.

Taylor met with the local media and said that the Bills' defensive front will be the team's biggest test on Monday Night Football.

"I think the D-Line is a very good unit," Taylor said Friday. "I think as a whole, they've always done a really good job with communication, so they can do a lot of things at a lot of different times that all look the same. It's really, for the most part, it doesn't seem like it's overly complicated, but the fact that they can do what they need to do by making it all look the same is what's really impressive.

Taylor continued, "I have a lot of respect, just for the communication aspect of it, to all be on the same page all the time regardless of who's playing. And then the D-Lline is just relentless. They got a lot of depth play, a lot of bodies, throw a lot at you, and they do a good job."

All things considered, Taylor has a point. Leaving aside All-Pro edge rusher Von Miller, Buffalo has lots of talent in the trenches. Whether it's defensive tackle Ed Oliver, defensive end A.J. Epenesa, or a familiar face in Dawuane Smoot, the Jaguars will have their work cut out on Monday Night Football.

Speaking of Smoot, he signed with the Bills in May after spending the last eight years in Jacksonville. A third-round pick in 2016, the former Illinois Fighting Illini was a key rotational piece for the Jags, appearing in 99 games with 17 starts and registering 23.5 sacks. However, he wasn't at full strength in 2023 after tearing his Achilles the year prior.

After missing the first two games of 2024, Smoot is looking forward to making his debut and facing his former team," It's my first game back as well, too, after my toe injury. It's really exciting, especially being against my old team. I was with them for about seven years, so it's one of those weeks for sure," Smoot said via Ralph Ventre of Buffalo Bills on Sports Illustrated.

Regarding Miller, Taylor says that the three-time First-Team All-Pro designation is still playing at a high level.

"If you're going to start listening off the best pass rushers in the league, it's not going to take you long to get Von Miller still. And he has that respect from us and really across the league, as you talked, a lot of people that have played him and what they know he's still capable of providing out there."

After stints with the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams, Miller signed with Buffalo in 2022. He's gone on to play 25 games with 11 starts with them, registering 10 sacks. This season, he's already tallied two.

The Jaguars have the pieces to counter Von Miller and Dawuane Smoot

There's no doubt the coaching staff will need to find a way to slow down Von Miller, Ed Oliver, and Dawuane Smoot, who will be motivated to show his old team that they shouldn't have moved on from him. Having said that, the Jacksonville Jaguars have one big thing going in their favor.

As stout as the Bills' front four is, they've had trouble defending the run, giving up 124 and 139 rushing yards in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Add the fact that it could be a rainy day, and the Jaguars' game plan could revolve around the backfield tandem of Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby.

Etienne was unremarkable in the season opener but bounced back in Week 2, toting the rock 13 times for 52 yards. On the other hand, Bigsby missed the last game but showed out in Week 1, registering 63 yards on 12 carries. By establishing the run, the Jags would be taking lots of pressure off Trevor Lawrence, who's not off to a great start to 2024.

Ultimately, it won't be easy but if the Jags do manage to get the running game going, they'll have a chance of getting their first win of the year in Week 3.

More Jaguars analysis here: