NFL Playoffs: Jaguars End Bills’ Cinderella Story With 10-3 Victory
On Sunday the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills did something that neither franchise has done in quite some time, that of course is play in a playoff game. Both teams came in looking to avoid being one-and-done, but only Jacksonville was able to avoid that label.
The first half of the game provided fans with nothing more than a pair of field goals (one from each team) and numerous missed opportunities. Neither quarterback was able to find a rhythm in the first half, at times Blake Bortles looked downright terrible throwing the ball.
In the second half the defenses continued to shine and Bortles was able to step up and lead his team with both his arm and his legs. A late touchdown pass in the 3rd quarter allowed for Bortles and company to take a 10-3 lead heading into the 4th quarter. The scoring drive was led by a handful of big Bortles’ runs before he capped the drive off with his lone TD pass of the game.
The rest of the game saw the Buffalo offense look similar to how the Jacksonville offense looked in the first half. The Bills had a big play by LeSean McCoy called back due to a penalty on one drive and later they had a first down in Jaguars’ territory called back when Clay didn’t reestablish himself after going out of bounds.
Despite the strong effort by the Buffalo defense, the Bills will head into the offseason after losing a playoff game they had plenty of opportunities to win. As the Bills head into the offseason they will be faced with plenty of questions about 2018, one of those being what to do with Tyrod Taylor (who left the game with an apparent head injury with 1:17 to play in the 4th quarter). Although Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs this season, he wasn’t much of a factor on the field Sunday and that will further fuel the fire to replace him.
Next: News and Notes For Jaguars And Bills
Despite the disappointing end to the season today, Buffalo fans should find solace in the fact that it looks as though there is a foundation to build on moving forward. A few tweaks, a solid draft and a couple of additions in free agency could have the Bills back in the playoffs in 2018.