IN spite of the majority of the talking heads picking the Jaguars to win and typically biased officiating the Buffalo Bills defeated them in Jacksonville! The Bills play the Denver Broncos in Denver on Saturday 17JAN26.
'Game over' | The Bills share their appreciation for regular season adversity and each other after Wild Card win
Buffalo beat Jacksonville on the road on Sunday, 27-24. This marked the Bills' first road playoff win in 32 years and snapped Jacksonville's eight-game win streak.
Regular season adversity prepared Buffalo for Jacksonville
The Bills faced injury after injury in the 2025 regular season, but found ways to win. That "next man up" mentality drove Buffalo to a 12-5 record, and eventually a Wild Card win over the Jaguars.
"It builds character," head coach Sean McDermott said. "You go into every season and you're hoping and praying that there's no adversity. But we've all been around this long enough to know that there's going to be adversity, it's just a matter of what form it comes in and how big it is. And we've really been dealing with it quite a bit this year."
On Sunday, the Bills were without captain and linebacker Terrel Bernard. Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson was prepared to step into that role, having done so before during the season. Thompson led the team in tackles with eight. He also had a pass defensed and an early interception. That interception allowed Buffalo to get on the board first, putting up three points and the only score of the first quarter.
During the game, wide receiver Gabe Davis and safety Jordan Poyer sustained injuries that ruled them out. Rookie safety Jordan Hancock stepped into Poyer's role and the wide receiver depth that was contained for most of the season ended up being the driving force on offense.
The team also adjusted to finding different ways to win games throughout the season. Even with the top rushing offense in the league, the Bills couldn't solely rely on running back James Cook III to win games.
Sunday was no different. Cook had just 46 yards on 15 carries. In total, Buffalo only accumulated 79 yards on the ground with quarterback Josh Allen picking up 33. In the pass game, though, Allen finished with an 80 percent completion rate on 28-of-35 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught all 12 passes that came his way for 82 yards.
McDermott emphasized the importance of a two-dimensional offense in his postgame press conference.
Up against the top run defense in the NFL, Allen took what the Jaguars gave him. The run game couldn't spark, but that didn't mean he couldn't find ways to win battles himself or target his receivers and tight ends to get the job done.
"We made the plays that we needed to make when we needed to make them," McDermott said.
Buffalo also had a series of comeback wins. Though it had the lead for a majority of the game, only giving it up just over halfway through the fourth quarter, the Bills' regular season proved that they know how to win no matter how far behind they're trailing or how close the games end up.
There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars, all of which Buffalo had to overcome with trips to the end zone as it fell behind by four points each time Jacksonville went up.
"To have the wherewithal to not blink," Allen said. "That's just the mantra that we've adapted to this year."
Bills share their love for veteran cornerback
Safety Cole Bishop came up with the game-sealing interception, but it was cornerback Tre'Davious White that made that possible. White tipped the ball, allowing Bishop – who was in the right place at the right time – to get his hands underneath it.
"'Game over. Game over,'" White recalled was running through his head when Bishop came down with the ball. "'Get down. Get down. Don't try to run it back for a touchdown. Get down so we just go onto the next game.'"
Even though he's the one that was credited with the pick, Bishop knew it wasn't a one-man effort.
"He was making plays out there," Bishop said of White. "I'm super grateful for him. And then him tipping that ball was huge … I know I'm getting a lot of the credit for that interception, but he made the play.
"It means a lot … I'm sure [White's] had a lot of doubters this past year, and being able to come make a play in the biggest game this season and the biggest moment was huge."
White ended the game with three passes defensed and two tackles. Aside from the last play, White forced two incompletions in the third quarter, making Jacksonville settle for a field goal and allowing the Bills to stay in the lead by three.
His effort wasn't overlooked by anyone on the team, not only Bishop.
"A guy that's been under a lot of scrutiny the last couple of years," Allen said of White. "To get him back and to get him back in a Bills' uniform and making plays for us when we need it the most [means a lot]."
"[White] left it all on the field. Tre White is back man … I'm so glad [White] is here. I'm glad that he's feeling good, I'm glad that he's motivated, I'm glad that he has his confidence back," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "Guys love on each other positively and [White's] playing free."
"In [White's] fashion, there's nobody that works harder, and he's gotten himself back now to where he is," McDermott said of the cornerback's NFL journey. "He's playing really good football and credit to him and the work that he's put in … He's just as good as anyone there is in terms of his determination, his heart and his really resilient nature."
Going for the touchdown at the end of the game
On Buffalo's last possession of the game, Allen and the offense drove forward on fourth-and-inches and ultimately picked up 10 yards. One yard away from the end zone with just over a minute left, the Jaguars used their final timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff, and the Bills had a decision to make.
Going for the touchdown meant quarterback Trevor Lawrence had enough time to get Jacksonville into field goal range. Taking a knee and running down the clock, on the other hand, gave the Jaguars extra breathing room to make a goal-line stop and win the game.
"You can sit there, you can say, 'Hey, let's take a knee.' You lose some yards and you don't score there," Allen said. "Now you're kicking yourself for not scoring earlier … we did what we thought was right, and it turned out to be."
Looking back on the decision, McDermott and the players are pleased with the choice to go for the touchdown on first-and-goal, leaving Jacksonville with 59 seconds on the clock to try and either tie or win the game.
"From a game management standpoint … they have a phenomenal field goal kicker," McDermott said. "We knew that it was going to be tight. We practice those situations, though, when you only can really give up x-amount of yards … Players [on defense] executed. That's what it really came down to."
Bills-Jaguars on Wild Card Weekend Sunday: What We Learned from Buffalo's 27-24 win
- REWATCH: Bills-Jaguars on NFL+ Premium
- READ: Banged-up Allen rallies BUF to first road playoff win since 1992
- Allen leads Bills to comeback road playoff win. Battered, bruised, knocked around, Josh Allen still answered the bell in the clutch. The reigning NFL MVP came in with a foot issue, and before the first half was over was checked for a concussion, injured his hand on a throw and had his knee twisted on a touchdown run. Nothing slowed the Bills' Superman. Allen played a nearly perfect game, spraying passes all over the field. He completed 28 of 35 passes (80%) for 273 yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, with a touchdown for a 108.7 passer rating. The beast also added 11 carries for 33 yards and two rushing scores. With a questionable receiver corps, Allen fit the ball in tight windows with extreme accuracy. If not for a couple of dropped passes, his numbers would be even more impressive. In a wild fourth quarter, Allen was the best player on the field. Leading his first career postseason game-winning drive, the QB was magnificent. With a free-rusher in his face, Allen laid a ball perfectly to Brandin Cooks for 36 yards to put the Bills in charge of the final two minutes. With James Cook and the running game stuffed, Buffalo needed MVP Allen to carry the load. He delivered.
- Lawrence, Jags come up shy. Jacksonville stampeded over the Bills on the ground, gobbling up 154 rushing yards on 23 carries, for a 6.7 average. For stretches, the Jags' rushing attack was unstoppable, particularly on outside runs, where they generated 119 yards. Travis Etienne (10 carries for 67 yards) and Bhayshul Tuten (4/51) gashed Buffalo’s wobbly run D. Liam Coen might regret getting away from the run game at times. Trevor Lawrence experienced an up-and-down day against an excellent Bills pass D, completing 18 of 30 for 207 yards with two touchdowns. However, his two interceptions cost the Jags dearly. The first came in his own end on a misread that he threw directly to linebacker Shaq Thompson, allowing Buffalo to take an early lead. Lawrence bounced back, helping the Jags gobble up 359 total yards and making several clutch throws. However, with a chance to answer in the final minute, Lawrence was again intercepted to seal the loss. The turnovers will sting as Jacksonville’s magical run, which included winning the AFC South title, came screeching to a halt.
- Bills D comes up with key turnovers. Sean McDermott’s defense might not be the stingiest, but it came up with massive plays to help Buffalo into the Divisional Round. Buffalo’s run defense remains leaky, allowing Jacksonville’s top two backs to average 8.4 yards per carry and keep Josh Allen off the field for stretches. However, the pass defense remains stellar. The Bills came up with two INTs and a pivotal turnover on downs in the second quarter. Gregory Rousseau provided some pop up front with five QB pressures and a sack, and the secondary stepped up. Veteran Tre'Davious White had a turn-back-the-clock performance. The cornerback allowed just one catch for 3 yards on four targets with three pass breakups. White’s biggest play silenced the Jags. On the first snap after the Bills took the lead, the sage defender blanketed Jakobi Meyers, forcing a tight window throw over the middle. White tipped the pass and the ball fell into safety Cole Bishop’s lap. Ball game.
- Washington thrives in spotlight. The Jaguars offense, particularly the passing attack, was slow early. With Parker Washington getting checked for a concussion, the Jags pass attack couldn’t do much through two quarters. Then the dangerous slot returned. He jump-started the Jags' aerial attack, catching seven passes for 107 yards and a TD. Washington generated two catches of 30-plus yards (34 and 31) and gave the Bills' secondary fits over the middle, recording four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in the area. Washington was targeted on 50.0% of his routes run, the highest target rate of his career, per Next Gen Stats. His importance to the Jags offense moving into 2026 is evident.
- Bills get first road playoff win since 1992 to march to Divisional Round. Sunday’s win should silence the questions about Sean McDermott’s future in Buffalo. The Bills came in wallowing on the road in the postseason, not winning a travel playoff game since the George H.W. Bush administration. At times, it looked like Buffalo would add to that futility, with the defense allowing scores on three straight Jags drives to open the second half. However, with Josh Allen’s heroics and the game-sealing INT from Cole Bishop, the top playmakers stepped up. In a game with four fourth-quarter lead changes, Buffalo once again proved it has the mettle to play tight tilts as it marches into the Divisional Round.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Bills-Jaguars (via NFL Pro): Josh Allen excelled under pressure in the playoff win against the Jaguars, finishing 9 for 12 for 144 yards under duress.
NFL Research: The Bills snapped the Jaguars' eight-game winning streak with their wild-card win. That is the fourth opponent eight-plus-game win streak that the Bills have snapped since the start of the 2024 season, making them the first team in NFL history to snap that many such streaks in a two-season span.
