At a Glance
- Josh Allen accounted for all three Buffalo touchdowns and 306 of the team’s 340 offensive yards
- The Bills snapped a 32-year road-playoff-win drought dating back to the 1992 AFC Championship Game
- Jacksonville averaged 6.7 yards per carry but ran only 23 times, leaning on Trevor Lawrence’s arm in crunch time
- Why it matters: Buffalo heads to its sixth straight divisional-round game, while the AFC South champion Jaguars head home after a 13-4 regular season
The Buffalo Bills are headed to the divisional round yet again.
Josh Allen and Co. battled for a 27-24 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in the wild-card round. The thrilling contest featured a playoff-record-tying four fourth-quarter lead changes.
The victory was the Bills’ first road playoff win since the 1992 AFC Championship Game, as Allen had been winless in his first four road starts. Now, the Bills are heading back to the divisional round for the sixth straight year with another road trip on tap.
For the AFC South champions, it was a bitter defeat in their return trip to the postseason. The Jaguars were 13-4 in the regular season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Three takeaways from the Bills’ win
1. Josh Allen toughs it out
Foot injury going into the game? Head injury on the opening drive? Finger injury in the second quarter? Knee injury after a rushing touchdown? None of that could stop Josh Allen in this superhuman performance.
The reigning MVP went 28 of 35 for 273 yards and a touchdown, adding two rushing scores – including the game-winner with 1:02 to play. The final touchdown was set up by a fourth-down conversion, where Allen was shoved forward 10 yards on a tush push to set up first-and-goal.
Heading into this matchup, Allen was the X-factor. Most analysts agreed that the Jags were the more complete team, but that Allen was the best player and could miraculously win it on his own. He essentially did that, accounting for all three Buffalo touchdowns and 306 of 340 offensive yards.
2. Jaguars abandon the run
The Jaguars ran the ball effectively against the Bills’ banged-up defense, but they didn’t do it enough.
Jacksonville averaged 6.7 yards per carry on 23 attempts in Sunday’s loss. Rookie Bhayshul Tuten had 51 yards on four carries, Travis Etienne added 67 yards on 10 carries. But in the biggest moments down the stretch, the Jags relied on quarterback Trevor Lawrence to finish the job.
While Lawrence had some positive moments (3 touchdowns, 207 passing yards), his two interceptions proved costly. He was picked off in the first quarter and then again on the first play of the Jags’ final drive to end it. You have to wonder if running the ball more – thus keeping Allen on the sidelines – would’ve been more of a winning strategy.
3. Bills’ injuries pile up
Buffalo escaped Florida with a win, but it didn’t escape without losing a few key contributors.
Allen’s injuries were well-documented, though he battled through to the end. Elsewhere, wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) and safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) both exited and did not return. Wide receiver and special-teams standout Tyrell Shavers briefly left with a knee injury, though he did get back on the field.
Heading into the divisional round, the Bills need all the help they can get. If the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo would head to Denver to face the Broncos. If Los Angeles pulls that one out, Buffalo would visit the winner of the Houston Texans-Pittsburgh Steelers game.
What’s next
Buffalo now awaits the outcome of later wild-card games to learn its divisional-round opponent. The sixth straight trip to the divisional round keeps alive the franchise’s Super Bowl hopes, though the mounting injury list could test the team’s depth.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, exits the playoffs earlier than hoped after a promising 13-4 campaign. Questions about late-game play-calling and reliance on the passing game figure to dominate the offseason conversation in North Florida.
