The Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars are less than two hours away from their wildcard weekend matchup. Here is a quick look at the final injury report heading into today’s game, as well as some other newsworthy tidbits.
It’s a story that is 17 years in the making as the Buffalo Bills return to the playoffs for the first time since the likes of Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson were on the team. On the other side of the field, the Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves in a spot that many feel is overdue as they have been the trendy playoff pick for the last few seasons. While getting into the playoffs is an accomplishment, neither team wants to be one-and-done.
As both squads prepare to turn their 2017 playoff appearances into Super Bowl bids, let’s look at some final news and notes before kickoff.
Final Injury Report
- Bills: CB Shareece Wright (OUT – concussion), LB Matt Milano (QUESTIONABLE – hamstring), T Jordan Mills (QUESTIONABLE – ankle), WR Deonte Thompson (QUESTIONABLE – shoulder), QB Joe Web (QUESTIONABLE – ankle), RB LeSean McCoy (QUESTIONABLE – ankle)
- Jaguars: WR Marqise Lee (QUESTIONABLE – ankle), RB T.J. Yeldon (QUESTIONABLE – illness)
Weather Report
If this game were being played in Buffalo, both teams would have to deal with below-freezing conditions as the temperature at kickoff would be hovering around 0 degrees with the windshield making it feel more like -6 degrees. However, since the game is in Jacksonville that will not be an issue. The forecast for today’s kickoff in Florida is low 50’s with 60 percent humidity and only a 10 percent chance of rain.
This and That
- Jacksonville enters the playoffs with the 2nd-ranked defense in the NFL this season in terms of total yards allowed. They are 1st against the pass and 21st against the run.
- Buffalo comes into the playoffs with the 26th-ranked defense in the NFL. They are 20th against the pass and 29th against the run.
- The Jaguars had the 6th-best offense in the league in 2017 in terms of total yards gained. They led in the league in rushing yards and ranked 17th in passing yards.
- The Bills had the 29th-ranked offense in the league this season. They were 31st in passing and 6th in running.
- Buffalo’s pass defense has only allowed 14 TD’s through the air this season, that is second-fewest in the NFL.
- Tyrod Taylor led in the NFL in 2017 with the lowest interception rate (.095) as he only threw four interceptions over the course of the season.
- When it comes to opposing QB’s, the Bills rank top-10 (6th) in opposing QB passer rating.
- Media outlets have made note all week of the number of Bills fans that are heading down to Jacksonville to attend the game. On Sunday morning numerous photos of Bills fans heavily outnumbering Jaguars fans tailgating found their way onto social media.
- Sunday will mark only the 16th time that these two teams have played each other. The Bills beat the Jaguars in 2016 (28-21) and the Jaguars beat the Bills in 2015 (34-31).
- Sunday will be the second time the Bills and Jaguars have met in the playoffs. The Jaguars defeated the Bills 30-27 in their previous playoff meeting in 1996.
The game is set to kickoff at 1:05 PM ET today on CBS. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will have the call which should make the game even more interesting to watch given the success that Romo has had in the booth this season.
Next: The Three Biggest Keys For Buffalo and Jacksonville
Should Buffalo win, it will setup another showdown with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. If Jacksonville wins, the Titans will end up having to play the Patriots and the Jaguars will make the trip to Pittsburg next weekend to take on the Steelers. Be sure to comment below and let us know who you think is going to win.