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It’s GOOD! Bills 3-0 Jaguars 2:54, 1st quarter
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M Prater 50 yard field goal
Big stop from the Jaguars who throw up a brick wall with a three and out. Trevor Lawrence will be feeling a little brighter on the sideline. Meanwhile Josh Allen is in the blue tent after being tackled on 3rd down. Bad news, Bills. Let’s hope he returns to the game on their next drive.
PICK! Bills 0-0 Jaguars 5:02, 1st quarter
Ooooh so close! After moving the sticks Lawrence is almost picked off as a wobbly throw bounces off Parker Washington’s hands and almost into a defenders. The next effort is PICKED though. Shaq Thompson on the money with the interception and a 22-yard return. Disguised coverage outfoxes the QB completely and Thompson makes the easy catch. The Bills about 30 yards out from the opening score.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 6:51, 1st quarter
Josh Allen felt the pressure there and had to get rid of it with an inaccurate throw to his tight end. Trevor Lawrence has a second crack and the drives stalls a touch after a penalty forces the Jags back to 2nd and 12. The quarterback is not best pleased.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 7:51, 1st quarter
The Bills want a pass interference call as Dalton Kincaid dives to make a grab but misses on 3rd down. Buffalo punt at their 40-yard line, Parker Washington raises his hand for the fair catch at his 20.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 9:22, 1st quarter
There is a seriously charged atmosphere in Jacksonville. The jeers are popping off while Josh Allen picks up another 1st down with a 10-yard pass to Brandin Cooks on the right sideline. Before that a Bill and Jag were locking facemasks. Spicy.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 11:22, 1st quarter
On 2nd down Josh Allen drops back to his own goal line to give himself room to find a receiver but Khalil Shakir is swallowed up. He does so again on 3rd down but this time they move the chains with a 14-yard gain from Tyrell Shavers. A neat curl route shook Shavers loose.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 13:42, 1st quarter
Buffalo force a quick three and out after stuffing the run behind the line of scrimmage on 1st down. The punt is a good one, despite almost being blocked, and will start Josh Allen on the five-yard line.
Bills 0-0 Jaguars 14:28, 1st quarter
Buffalo have kicked off. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense get going around the 33-yard line. Let’s go!
Here he is … just a few minutes away from kick-off now!
Meanwhile, ESPN analytics share the opinion that this is possibly too close to call. They say Buffalo have a 49.8% chance to win and Jacksonville have a (100-49.8=???) 50.2% shot at the W. Thank heavens for analytics, we would be up the creek without you.
“Be you” has been the message from Jaguars head coach Liam Coen to quarterback Trevor Lawrence this season. The simple mantra appears to have unlocked his potential in running the ball as well as through the air in a career year in the NFL. Lawrence scored nine rushing touchdowns, almost double his previous best of five from 2022, while throwing a career-best 29 scores too, four better than 2022. Buffalo are going to have be pin-sharp on defense to stop him.
So how about those Bears then?! A first playoff win since 2010 featuring the largest comeback in franchise playoff history while inflicting the biggest blown lead in Packers history is really rather impressive, isn’t it?
Head coach Ben Johnson’s first year in Chicago has transformed the team from a rabble into never-say-die warriors. So how far can this rising force go? Who they face next is, of course, crucial. If the 49ers beat the Eagles then they host the Rams next weekend and if the 49ers lose then the Eagles head to Soldier Field. If forced to choose you might think Caleb Williams and company would prefer a visit from the Eagles. We shall see.
On the CBS broadcast Nate Burleson is billing Bills v Jags as pressure v opportunity. A rather apt way of looking at it considering where these teams are at. Another juicy nugget they dropped was how important Jacksonville’s trade for Jakobi Meyers has been. The Jaguars are 8-1 since acquiring the wide receiver.
Preamble
Well, well, well … if it isn’t wildcard weekend as I live and breathe! The Rams and Bears kicked off proceedings rather well last night, didn’t they? Dramatic doesn’t even begin to cover it so we can chop up yesterday’s action a bit in a mo. Before that let’s just hope the tone has been set for another pair of thrillers to pour over for the next few hours. First up we have maybe the most delicately poised matchup of the first round in the AFC’s bracket starting at 12pm CST/1pm EST/6pm GMT:
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(6) Buffalo Bills v Jacksonville Jaguars (3)
Then another close call in the final wildcard battle from the NFC at 3.30pm CST/4.30pm EST/9.30pm GMT:
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(5) San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles (4)
Who are we picking to come out on top? A prediction on either feels a bit like waving a finger in the air. However, if pushed I like the Bills and Eagles to find a way. The magic Josh Allen can produce in the tightest of spots for Buffalo and Philadelphia’s mighty defense schemed up by coordinator Vic Fangio (who owns a 3-1 record over 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan) are the factors just tipping the scales, in my scratchy opinion.
