The Buffalo Bills have an opportunity to do something they haven't done this century in the playoffs. Right now, the Bills are 0-5 in road playoff games under superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
This Sunday, the Bills can win their first away playoff game since January 17th, 1993, when they defeated the Miami Dolphins, 29-10, in the AFC Championship game.
With the team finishing the regular season 5-1 in their last six games, the team is ready to face the Jacksonville Jaguars head-on, even though they know it's going to be a battle
Challenges that Bills must be ready to face in order to advance in playoffs
The Bills understand that everything they've done up to this point won't matter if they fail to win this playoff game on the road at Jacksonville. The Bills have tried to fully embrace the "Playoff Caliber Mindset" that head coach Sean McDermott installed since taking over the franchise.
This year has been a rollercoaster ride for the Bills, especially with all of the wild comeback victories in the second half of the regular season. If they want to win their first road playoff game in over three decades, they will need to accomplish these three things.
Starting out games faster
The Bills have had no problem finishing games and coming back from first-half deficits to win late. However, for this game, they will need to execute better from the start and then put the cherry on top of the sundae at the end.
The Bills will be happy with a win, but they also want to demonstrate the consistency they always preach about. That includes executing on the early downs and not falling too far behind the sticks on third down.
Stopping the Run
The Bills currently have the 28th-ranked run defense in the NFL, which makes their No.1 pass defense inconsistent. While the Jags don't often attempt to run the football with running back Travis Etienne Jr., they understand they may need to adjust their game plan to take advantage of a major weakness in the Bills' defense.
On the other side of the coin, the Bills' run defense actually played better during the last three regular-season contests, including the 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, where Saquon Barkley was limited to only 68 yards rushing. The Bills do believe, however, that they can hold Etienne even though he did rush for 1,107 yards in the regular season.
Wide receivers getting open
All year long, the achilles' heel of the Bills' offense has been their lack of explosive weapons in the receiving core. Yes, they know they have big, physical route-runners like Khalil Shakir, who posted 719 receiving yards in 16 games, but they lack a real deep passing game.
This is where receiver Brandin Cooks, who didn't play last week against the Jets, will have to come through, as well as receivers Tyrell Shavers and Gabe Davis. Don't forget about Keon Coleman, who last week had two catches for 49 yards. but has been really disappointing on and off the field.
Whether the pressure for Allen to finally win a Super Bowl is higher or not this year, the Bills know they have a spell to break this week as they look to win their first road playoff game this Sunday vs. Jacksonville.
May the best team win.