AFC WILD CARD
BILLS AT JAGUARS
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis previews the AFC wild-card matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars When: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS) Where: Jacksonville’s EverBank Field Line: Jaguars by 71⁄ 2
Injuries: A major subplot of this game will be the status of Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who was carted off the field in Week 17 after suffering an ankle injury. THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Let’s party like it’s 1999: The last time the Jags hosted a playoff game ... was in 1999. The last time the Bills reached the postseason ... was in 1999 (a trip curtailed by the Music City Miracle). This is an opportunity that’s been a long time coming for both franchises, and the Jaguars have already gotten permission to boost their stadium capacity by 3,500 after removing those ugly tarps from the upper decks of EverBank Field. Both teams have to be thrilled to be here given almost no one could have predicted this meeting during training camp. But it feels like the Bills — given McCoy’s injury and their late entry into the field after a miraculous meltdown by the Ravens — are playing with house money, while the Jags’ propensity to draw attention to themselves could ultimately be counterproductive. 2. Defense of the defense: These Jaguars can — and will almost certainly have to — ride their deep and talented defense as far as it will take them. They have playmakers at all three levels, and their ability to dually apply intense pressure in tandem with tight coverage on the back end is a challenge to most opponents and certainly one as limited offensively as Buffalo. The Bills defense hasn’t been quite as good, though it is stingy with touchdown passes allowed (tied for fewest with 13). Still, this could be a tight game and one that could fuel even more scrutiny of QBs Tyrod Taylor and Blake Bortles, who are often perceived as hindrances rather than assets even if both have often outperformed their reputations in 2017.
3. Coachspeak: Buffalo’s Sean McDermott is a first-year head coach who’s already survived one infamous rookie move — his decision to bench Taylor for fifth-rounder Nate Peterman in a Week 11 blowout loss to the Chargers that nearly scuttled the Bills’ season. Jacksonville’s Doug Marrone — remember, he chose to leave his post as Buffalo’s coach after the 2014 season — is also now taking a team to the playoffs for the first time and blamed his own game-management blunders on the Jaguars’ Week 12 loss at Arizona. Just like rosters chock full of young, green players, inexperience could be an issue under the headsets on Sunday afternoon.