Bills head to London for first time since 2015 to take on Jaguars in Week 5: What to know
ORCHARD PARK - The Buffalo Bills will be making their way overseas later this week for their second appearance in London, both against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Unlike the first game which was played in historic Wembley Stadium and won by the Jaguars 34-31, this one will take place in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a venue that gives off a few vibes relating to how Buffalo’s new stadium in Orchard Park will look and feel like.
Back in 2015, the Bills and Jaguars put on quite a show as Jacksonville raced out to a 27-3 lead thanks in part to some abysmal quarterbacking by E.J. Manuel. But the 2013 first-round pick rallied Buffalo into the lead at 31-27, only to see Blake Bortles pull out the game in the final two minutes with a touchdown pass to Allen Hurns.
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Back then, the Bills were heading for a 16th straight season without a playoff appearance. This time, they are three-time defending AFC East champions and are fresh off a hugely impressive 48-20 blowout of the Dolphins Sunday.
Jacksonville is already in London, having beaten the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 Sunday at Wembley so technically, they have a built-in advantage having already acclimated to the time difference. Will it matter against a Buffalo team that has scored 123 points the last three weeks?
Here’s an early look ahead to the Bills vs Jaguars matchup:
Top players for Jacksonville Jaguars on offense, defense
▶ QB Trevor Lawrence: It’s been a bit of a murky start for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, but he has the Jaguars at 2-2. He has thrown for a rather pedestrian 943 yards with four TDs and two interceptions thus far.
▶ RB Travis Etienne: He’s a true dual threat as a runner and a receiver. He has rushed for 260 yards and caught 14 passes for 96 yards this season.
▶ WR Calvin Ridley: After sitting out 2022 while being suspended for gambling, Ridley had a great first game for the Jags with eight catches for 101 yards and a TD. Since then he has just seven catches for 110 yards.
▶ WR Christian Kirk: He has been Lawrence’s No. 1 target to date with 24 catches for 257 yards and one TD.
▶ TE Evan Engram: He continues to be one of the better receiving TEs in the NFL and he has 25 catches for 232 yards though he hasn’t scored.
▶ DE Josh Allen: The other Josh Allen, the one that creates havoc on defense. The last time the Bills played the Jaguars, their Josh Allen had his way with Buffalo’s Josh Allen during a stunning 9-6 Jacksonville victory. He had three sacks against Atlanta for 31 yards in losses.
▶ LB Fovesade Oluokun: He is the Jaguars leading tackler with 46 and he made his second fumble recovery of the season Sunday against the Falcons.
▶ CB Tyson Campbell: He’s a solid cover corner who this season has three pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.
▶ S Andre Cisco: The former Syracuse standout patrols the deep middle for the Jaguars defense and he’s been one of their most consistent performers. He made his second interception of the year against Atlanta.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Jaguars?
The Bills have opened as a 5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-210 (bet $110 to win $100) and Jaguars plus-175 (bet $100 to win $175). The over-under is 48.
What time does the Bills vs Jaguars game start?
Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable TV: NFL Network which is available on channel 96 on Spectrum cable in the Rochester area. Because Rochester is a secondary market for the Bills, there is no network availability. In Buffalo, the game can be seen on the FOX affiliate, WUTV.
∎ TV stream: With subscriptions you can watch on Spectrum streaming, DirecTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
∎ Online streaming: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Jaguars game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 88 (Bills) and channel 388 (Jaguars), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during training camp, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play next? What to know about London game vs Jaguars
