Bills’ wide receivers choose the perfect moment to rewrite their narrative

The Buffalo Bills knew they were in for a difficult day down in Jacksonville for their Wild Card matchup with the Jaguars. The Jaguars ran the ball effectively, and Trevor Lawrence made huge plays with his arm and his legs throughout the day, but the Bills had Josh Allen.

Allen picked up his first fourth-quarter comeback victory, leading the Bills on a 9-play, 66-yard scoring drive, capped by a tush-push score. While none of Allen’s three scores on the day involved a wide receiver directly, it certainly helped to have strong production from the position between the 20s when the Bills needed it most.

After Allen connected with Khalil Shakir three times on the final drive, Allen looked for a deep shot to his newest receiver, as Brandin Cooks hauled in a 36-yard pass, setting the Bills up with favorable field position to chew on the clock while they pushed toward the end zone.

Buffalo Bills' most unreliable offensive unit picked the perfect time to respond

Earlier in the week, leading up to the game, the Bills lost Josh Palmer to the Injured Reserve list with an ankle injury. Then, Gabe Davis, who caught two passes for 12 yards, was lost to a knee injury that appeared to be serious. Still, Cooks, Shakir, and even Keon Coleman stepped up for Allen on the outside.

Shakir caught all 12 of his targets for 82 yards, Cooks had three catches for 58 yards, and Coleman had 36 yards on his 2nd quarter catch-and-run that helped set up Allen’s first rushing touchdown. Including backs and tight ends, Allen connected with nine different pass-catchers in Sunday’s playoff contest.

Allen put on the Superman cape for the Bills late, just like they knew they would need him to. But there’s no doubt his job was made easier against the Jags with his wide receivers stepping up in a clutch moment.

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With the first postseason test passed, the Bills are going to need these receivers to continue to play well going forward. The Bills lost the run-game battle, and more strong run defenses await in the AFC bracket, so having the insurance of steady, reliable receivers out wide can keep the Bills in every game the rest of the way.

The Bills will have to figure out depth with Palmer and Davis out of action, but in the meantime, they can celebrate one of the roster’s biggest weaknesses playing a huge role in a postseason road playoff victory.