[ad_1]
Sunday’s Jaguars–Bills game seemed like a carbon copy of the Panthers–Rams game the night before in Charlotte. An upstart division champion with a younger quarterback tried to hold off a playoff-savvy veteran team favored on the road.
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes, tying for the most in NFL postseason history. In the end, the Bills’ playoff-savvy veteran led the Bills to a 27-24 win.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Josh Allen pulls out another postseason win
Just like Matthew Stafford snatched the hearts of the Panthers with a final-minute rally to win, Josh Allen did the same after the Jaguars had rallied for the lead with four minutes left.
His final drive, which featured a 36-yard pass to a wide-open Brandin Cooks, saw Allen get a “Josh Push” fourth-and-1 keeper that pushed him all the way to the 1-yard line, and then he scored on another keeper for a 27-24 lead with 1:02 left.
Buffalo’s defense closed it out for Allen, with corner Tre’Davious White tipping a Trevor Lawrence pass that safety Cole Bishop picked off in the final minute for a clinching interception. The Jaguars got to the playoffs with a ball-hawking, turnover-crazy defense, but the Bills eliminated them by beating them at their own game when it counted most.
Josh Allen reacts after rushing for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jaguars that turned out to be the game winner. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
2. Jaguars WR Parker Washington still vastly underrated
It’s easy to forget that most of Jacksonville’s success this year has come despite losing the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, to a knee injury seven games into the season. The biggest reason that hasn’t hurt them is Washington, who has filled a void and then some as a trustable pass threat for Trevor Lawrence.
With wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. looking little like the phenom he was as a rookie, Washington stepped up and led the team with 58 catches for 847 yards and five scores. Down the stretch, he’s been a different player entirely: In the final three games of the regular season, he had 19 catches for 347 yards and two scores, outperforming receiver Jakobi Meyers, who got a three-year, $60 million extension in December.
On Sunday, it was more of the same. Washington had seven catches for 107 yards and a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Not bad at all for a 2023 sixth-round pick from Penn State who will be in line for a nice contract of his own a year from now.
3. Buffalo still needs a leading receiver
That Josh Allen has consistent success without a dominant receiver makes his production all the more impressive. The Bills don’t have a receiver with more than four touchdowns this year — tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox have five and four to lead the way.
It’s not a bad receiver group, there’s just not a singular talent for defenses to worry about. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who had eight catches on his first eight targets Sunday, is a volume receiver who moves the chains. Receivers Gabriel Davis and Brandin Cooks aren’t what they used to be, and Keon Coleman is the kind of player who gets a 36-yard catch just before halftime on his lone target of the game to remind you he exists.
4. Liam Coen is a run-game resuscitator
Jacksonville is better in so many ways in Coen’s first season, including upgrading their running attack the same way he did the Buccaneers’ last season. The Jaguars had an opportunity Sunday facing a Bills run defense that was bottom five in rushing yards allowed and yards/carry allowed, and they made good on that opportunity.
Travis Etienne was a 1,100-yard rusher this season, but the spark Sunday was rookie Bhayshul Tuten, who ripped off three straight runs for 47 yards to set up Jacksonville’s first touchdown. The Jaguars liked Tuten enough to trade Tank Bigsby to the Eagles early in the season. Tuten rushed for only 307 yards in limited work but had five touchdowns.
Etienne broke loose for a 26-yard run in the third quarter and both backs were over 50 yards for the game. Lawrence gets much of the headlines deservedly, but Jacksonville has an offensive balance that keeps the pressure off him.
5. Still a huge step forward for Jacksonville
Much like it was for Carolina a day earlier, Sunday was a tough, tough loss before an electric crowd for a surprising playoff team. Jacksonville exceeded expectations under Coen just to get to a home playoff game, and like Bryce Young in Carolina, Lawrence came up short against a tough opponent.
It’s still a major step forward for Jacksonville, and the Jaguars open 2026 with the goal of getting back to the playoffs, repeating as division champs and making a bigger splash in next year’s playoffs.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
[ad_2]
