Pederson Confident in the Jaguars To Step up to This "Benchmark" of Week 3 Monday Night Football

Sep 19, 2024 at 05:34 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – This is big, and really important.

It's also a difficult task at a difficult time, but Head Coach Doug Pederson on Thursday focused on opportunity as the Jaguars' 2024 prime-time debut approaches.

"It's a benchmark," Pederson said.

Pederson spoke as the Jaguars (0-2) prepared to play the Buffalo Bills (2-0) at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Monday at 7:30 p.m. It's a prime-time road game against the four-time defending AFC East Champions, with players on Thursday speaking of the accompanying urgency of the situation.

This is critical, and it's time to play like it.

"If you can't get up for one of these, you definitely have a problem," Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk said. "Everybody relishes the opportunity of being able to play on Monday night, especially in a place like Buffalo in that environment.

"We're going to have to band together. The energy's going to be high and guys will have that sense of urgency and level of intensity that we need."

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrencecalled Monday "an important game."

"This is a good team," he said. "This is a team that if you look at the last handful of years, it's always one of the better teams in the AFC and in the NFL. That's a team we want to be moving forward. We want people when they think of the Jags to think of a team that is one of the best teams in NFL, that's a top contender in the AFC.

"We understand the matchup and the team that we're playing and what it's going to take to beat a really good team in Buffalo. We're looking forward to the opportunity, but we're not making it more than what it is.

"Every game is important and we have to just attack every week."

Lawrence, after being pointed and emotional following a disappointing home loss to the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, on Thursday afternoon spoke of improving offensively after a subpar performance against the Browns – and of the importance of the moment.

"They're all important," Lawrence said. "That's what's frustrating is the first two were important. Offensively we didn't play up to our standard and didn't play the way that I know we can play. That's where the frustration was from.

"We've had a couple days to let it marinate, let it breathe, and move on, and we're ready to go attack Buffalo."

Pederson said such an approach by players after back-to-back losses to open the season is a positive.

"I can appreciate what they're saying," he said. "It tells me that it means something to them. They understand we could easily be 2-0, but we're not. We have to fix some things. Obviously players are a big part of that. They know that. They've seen it. We've shown it to them. This is a good opportunity for them.

"It's player-driven. As coaches, we put the best gameplans together that we can, but it comes down to execution – and we've got to coach and teach and they have to go play."

The Jaguars, after winning nine regular-season games each of the last two seasons, have lost the first two 2024 regular-season games on the final play of the game. They lost to the Miami Dolphins in Miami, 20-17, on a 52-yard field goal in Week 1. They lost to the Cleveland Browns, 18-13, in Week 2 when Lawrence's 33-yard pass to tight end Brenton Strange fell incomplete.

The Bills, after an offseason of transition, rallied to beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week then beat the Dolphins, 31-10, in Week 2. That they again look like Super Bowl contenders makes Monday's moment as big as the task for the Jaguars.

"It's just good for our team," Pederson said. "It's a great opportunity to go on the road. It's a really great atmosphere for football. It's a Monday night game. Fans are going to juiced up and ready to go. It will be good for us.

"It's a measuring-stick game right now. We need to be in these atmospheres. This is a great opportunity for them."

NOTABLE

Jaguars tight end Evan Engram was listed as not practicing Wednesday, having missed this past Sunday's game after sustaining a hamstring injury during pregame warmups. "We'll have to kind of take it day by day with him," Pederson said of Engram, who started his first 35 regular-season games with the Jaguars. Also for the Jaguars Wednesday: Safety Darnell Savage (quadriceps) and running back Tank Bigsby (shoulder) were listed as practicing limited. Savage missed this past Sunday's game and Bigsby was injured in the first half before returning. "Hopefully he's available," Pederson said of Savage, adding that Bigsby is expected to play Sunday.

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) during practice at the Miller Electric Center on September 19, 2024.