![\"Jacksonville](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767920712_640_image.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nJACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills don\u2019t have to beat Kansas City, Cincinnati or Baltimore to reach the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
The team with the reigning MVP and the AFC\u2019s most playoff experience faces a new path, beginning with a wild-card game in Jacksonville. Although this journey doesn\u2019t seem as daunting as those in recent years that included Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, it might be equally treacherous.<\/p>\n
Especially with the Bills being on the road \u2014 and the streaking and surprising Jaguars already feeling overlooked.<\/p>\n
Allen opens his latest quest to get Buffalo back to the NFL\u2019s ultimate stage on Sunday. That\u2019s the way most outsiders will look at the matchup featuring the third-seeded Jaguars (13-4) and the sixth-seeded Bills (12-5).<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole football industry is going to be watching us,\u201d Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said. \u201cPeople who haven\u2019t been seeing us, we get to show them who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jaguars have won eight in a row while averaging 33.6 points a game and have derived extra motivation from being underappreciated all season, whether it\u2019s perceived slights from national pundits or actual snubs like Pro Bowl votes cast by players, coaches and fans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. Credit: AP\/Carolyn Kaster<\/p>\n
For this game, the Jaguars merely need to peek at the betting line to find fuel: BetMGM installed Buffalo as a one-point favorite at EverBank Stadium, where the Bills last won in 2013.<\/p>\n
Buffalo also is 0-5 on the road in the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott, starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round. The Bills have dropped eight consecutive postseason games on the road since winning at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. It\u2019s the NFL\u2019s second-longest active playoff road skid.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust got to go out there and play,\u201d Bills running back James Cook said. \u201cYou only got one game left, so every game, you just got to play like it\u2019s your last.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffalo has been at its best when Cook is, well, cooking. The Bills are 8-1 when the NFL rushing leader tops 100 yards on the ground. He\u2019s facing a tough task against the Jaguars, who haven\u2019t allowed anyone to reach 75 yards rushing while becoming the league\u2019s top run defense in 2025.<\/p>\n
![\"Buffalo](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767920712_636_image.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III celebrates his touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. Credit: AP\/Sue Ogrocki<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a great opportunity for us to be the only team playing,\u201d Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said. \u201cGreat opportunity for us to maximize what we can do and be on a platform to where people can watch our games everywhere and see what type of team we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
All eyes will be on the quarterbacks, and for good reason.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s Trevor Lawrence is playing as well as anyone. Lawrence has accounted for 24 touchdowns during the team\u2019s winning streak.<\/p>\n
Allen, meanwhile, carried the Bills as usual \u2014 he has four fourth-quarter comebacks this season \u2014 and made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. Could this finally be his Super Bowl year?<\/p>\n
\u201cJosh just wants to win,\u201d Bills receiver Gabe Davis said. \u201cHe\u2019s a huge competitor. And I feel like when it comes to these moments, it\u2019s when he really shines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffalo\u2019s kicking concerns<\/p>\n
Bills kicker Matt Prater, 41, will try to play after aggravating a quadriceps injury last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to feel confident and feel good,\u201d said Prater, who took over the kicking duties after Tyler Bass was sidelined by hip and groin issues before the season opener. \u201cI\u2019m going to do everything I can to get back and play. But we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Prater can\u2019t go, the Bills have Matthew Wright on the practice squad. Wright has six seasons of NFL experience, including 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021.<\/p>\n
Jaguars want to get home with four<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a common theme in Buffalo\u2019s five losses: Allen was under intense pressure in each game, leading to sacks and turnovers. Eight sacks and two interceptions against Houston. Five sacks and two fumbles against Philadelphia. Four sacks, two interceptions and two fumbles against Atlanta. Three sacks, an interception and a fumble against Miami. One sack, an interception and a fumble against New England.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s goal: Pressure Allen with a four-man rush and don\u2019t let him scramble for big plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuge test for those guys,\u201d Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. \u201cI believe they\u2019ll be up for the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bills feeling the heat?<\/p>\n
With Kansas City, Cincinnati and Baltimore missing the playoffs, Buffalo has been a trendy pick to win the AFC. Does that put more pressure on the Bills?<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t we the sixth seed?\u201d left tackle Dion Dawkins quipped. \u201cThe whole world\u2019s not saying the Bills. Nobody\u2019s talking about the Buffalo Bills. So I feel like all the stress is not on our shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play to be in the dance. We\u2019re dancing. Now we just need to be prom king and queen at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills don\u2019t have to beat Kansas City, Cincinnati or Baltimore…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":665156,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2060],"tags":[53,7,212,125,2401,213,6,2309],"class_list":{"0":"post-665155","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville-jaguars","8":"tag-buffalo-bills","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-jacksonville","11":"tag-jacksonville-jaguars","12":"tag-jacksonvillejaguars","13":"tag-jaguars","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-wires-bot"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115862459766653702","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}