What: Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills – NFL Week 5
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
When: Sunday, October 8th, 9:30 AM ET
The NFL heads to London again on Sunday in Week 5 for an intriguing AFC matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills. This game will occur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which hosts most NFL contests across the pond. The kick-off is scheduled for 9:30 AM ET. The Jags actually played in London last week, beating the Atlanta Falcons 23-7. As for the Buffalo, they are riding a three-game winning streak and just annihilated their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2021, but we’ll get more into the head-to-head history below. Keep reading for the Jaguars vs Bills picks.
By no surprise, the Bills are a rather big favorite on the moneyline, coming in at -250 odds. The Jaguars sit at +210. Buffalo is also laying 5.5 points on the spread. The total in points is set at 48. Considering their last matchup, the under could hold value. The Jags beat the Bills 9-6 two years ago. In fact, Jacksonville is 3-2 in their last five against Buffalo.
Jaguars a Mixed Bag Thus Far
Jacksonville started off the 2023 season with an impressive 31-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts, but two losses to the Chiefs and Texans followed. That being said, Trevor Lawrence and Co. got back on track in London last Sunday, putting together a solid performance on both sides of the ball.
Lawrence completed 23 of 30 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown while also running for 32 yards. With Travis Eitenne struggling to do much damage on the ground, Lawrence was actually the most productive runner. Christian Kirk meanwhile reeled in eight receptions for 84 yards while Evan Engram had seven catches for 59 yards. The Jags didn’t wow offensively or anything, collecting just 300 total yards to 287 for the Falcons. But, they capitalized on their opportunities downfield.
Defensively, Jacksonville managed to contain everyone not named Bijan Robinson on the Falcons. The rookie wreaked havoc but didn’t manage to collect a touchdown. Buffalo ranks top-10 in both passing and rushing, so the Jaguar’s defense will have their work cut out for them. Most notably, their run defense is quite good, but they’ll also need to limit the damage downfield, especially with Stefon Diggs always capable of killing the opponent.
Bills Are Hot
A lot of critics thought the Bills weren’t in for a very good season after losing to the Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets in Week 1. That being said, Buffalo has proven their worth since and appears to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They’ve outscored their last three opponents 120-33. Yes, you read that correctly. The offense is wreaking havoc. Most notably, the Week 4 victory over the Dolphins was a real eye-opener.
Tua Tagovailoa and Co. went into that contest fresh off a 70-20 drubbing of the Denver Broncos and had boatloads of confidence. Buffalo absolutely stopped them right in their tracks, though. Josh Allen was phenomenal, completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns. Out wide, Diggs was a beast, reeling in six catches for 120 yards and three TDs to lead the way. Damien Harris, Latavius Murray, and Damien Harris put in work on the ground, too.
While there are some injuries defensively for the Bills, Von Miller could potentially make his season debut this weekend after recovering from an ACL tear. Jordan Poyer’s status is up in the air, and Tre’Davious White just tore his Achilles. Regardless of some potential absences, Buffalo is rolling, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see that continue on Sunday in the UK.
Jaguars vs Bills Picks
I know the Bills haven’t had the best record against the Jags in recent years, but they’re just too good at the moment. Take the Buffalo moneyline with confidence. The three-game winning streak will turn to four.
Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.