Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL Wild Card Playoffs)
1ST QUARTER
5:25 ON THE CLOCK: On 2nd & 10 near their own 40 yard line, Trevor Lawrence tried to find one of his receivers but was picked off for an interception. A great read of the play by LB Shaq Thompson to catch the ball and force the turnover in possession for Buffalo. Trevor Lawrence made the tackle to stop Thompson moving any further forward on the 32 yard line. A moment to forget for the Jags QB but a great play by Shaq Thompson.
2:59 ON THE CLOCK: Josh Allen tried to move the ball on his own to force the first down from 3rd & 6, but was stopped just a yard into making the attempt and ended up 5 yards short. The field goal team moved onto the pitch with a 50 yard attempt by Matt Prater which just made between the sticks. The opening score of the game made it 3-0.
2ND QUARTER
14:18 ON THE CLOCK: The fans at EverBank Stadium did not have to wait long for a response with a terrific reply on the next meaningful drive for the Jags. A drive which was largely made with the partnership of Trevor Lawrence and rookie RB Bhayshal Tuten, with an important contribution by TE Brenton Strange also. The 2nd & GOAL attempt was fired into the hands of rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. The extra point was good to make it Bills 3-7 Jaguars.
5:41 ON THE CLOCK: After Trevor Lawrence failed to make the yards needed for a first down on 4th down, which automatically handed the ball back to the Bills. They then moved up the field and had a 3rd & GOAL on the 2 yard line. Josh Allen was able to barge his way into the endzone despite the efforts of 3 defenders for the touchdown. The touchdown and extra point gave the Bills a 10-3 lead.
0:01 ON THE CLOCK: A race against time for Jacksonville to get themselves into field goal range before half time. A 2nd & 8 near their 25 yard line was thrown long by Trevor Lawrence and caught unbelievably by WR Parker Washington. As time ran out it was deemed that Jacksonville had snapped the ball in time as the defence was getting into position. The play clock was reset to 0:01 and Cam Little had the attempt from 54 yards. However, he was unsuccessful as it went wide right of the sticks and was no good. Buffalo kept the lead going into half time.
HALF TIME: BUFFALO BILLS 10 - 7 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
3RD QUARTER
8:16 ON THE CLOCK: The second half got off to a good start for the Bills with continued pressure from their offense. WR Khalil Shakir with a spinning run save a 3rd & 9, as well as a terrific 20 yard throw under pressure from Allen to get another first down. Another 3rd down was saved with efforts from WR Gabe Davis keeping the drive alive. Shakir was unable to get another 1st down after that so a field goal was attempted. The 47 yard attempt from Matt Prater was good to extend the Bills lead to 13-7.
5:52 ON THE CLOCK: Jacksonville’s first meaningful drive of the second half nearly ended in a touchdown but the Bills defence managed to stop it in the nick of time. The 3rd & 10 near the 25 yard line was thrown towards Brenton Strange by Trevor Lawrence but a great diving block by CB Tre’Davious White stopped that. It was given to Cam Little again, this time from 43 yards, which he converted to narrow the gap to 13-10.
4TH QUARTER
13:01 ON THE CLOCK: Following 2 saved 3rd downs from the Jaguars with good catches from Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington the Jags were in good position with their drive. A 2nd & GOAL on the 6 yard line was fired into the endzone again and towards Parker Washington with the catch. The Jaguars took the lead going into the final 13 minutes of the game. Bills 13-17 Jaguars.
9:01 ON THE CLOCK: The game turned again on the next drive with RB James Cook running the ball to get their drive off to a good start. A perfect throw from Josh Allen to TE Dawson Knox got the Bills inside the 30 yard line. Then a 1st & 10 from the 16 yard line was in the hands of Allen again as he threw the ball to TE Dalton Kincaid. He caught the ball just outside the endzone and broke through a tackle to get the touchdown. The momentum shifted again as the Bills took the lead again 20-17.
4:11 ON THE CLOCK: A 2nd & 10 near their 45 yard line for Jacksonville was thrown long by Trevor Lawrence and into the hands of a wide open Parker Washington on the 24 yard line. A few plays later, a 1st & 10 on the 14 yard line was floated over a defenders head to their star RB Travis Etienne Jr. He turned on the catch and powered through tackles to get the touchdown. The lead switched again to the home team taking the lead again. Bills 20-24 Jaguars.
1:05 ON THE CLOCK: Time was running out for Buffalo as they needed a touchdown to take the lead again. Josh Allen threw the ball 45 yards from his own 35 yard line. It landed in the hands of WR Brandon Cooks. He caught the ball well considering he was tackled immediately after the catch. Khalil Shakir then tried his best to get a first dwon from 3rd & 4 a few plays later but was just short.
On 4th & INCHES the Bills elected for the tush push, which nearly went for a touchdown despite only needing inches for the 1st down. It was determined that Josh Allen was short by a yard from the goal line but it was still a tremendous effort to get their QB to get there from the offensive line. Another tush push on the 1st & GOAL on the 1 yard line got the Bills the inevitable touchdown they needed. Another change of the lead with the Bills now up 27-24 with just over a minute left.
0:59 ON THE CLOCK: It was now or never for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence. On 1st & 10 at their 23 yard line, Lawrence threw the ball downfield. The throw was intended for WR Jakobi Myers but the pressure from Bills defender Tre’Davious White made it go into the air. It was caught by Safety Cole Bishop for the interception, who immediately slid to the floor with 54 seconds left. With that catch the game was over as it was handed back to Buffalo to run the time out.
An incredible game for the start of the NFL Play Offs. In the end it was the Buffalo Bills who came out on top by a narrow margin. The Jacksonville Jaguars had an amazing season going from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 winning the AFC South. A phenomenal turn around in just 12 months and a season to be proud of for the Jags and Liam Coen. The Buffalo Bills continue their road to the Super Bowl with the end goal still being to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in San Francisco. They travel to Denver for a Divisional Round matchup with the Broncos.
