In two days the Buffalo Bills will take the field in EverBank Stadium that is hopefully the start of their Super Bowl run. Their first test will be Trevor Lawrence, who has led this Jacksonville Jaguars team to an unbelievable season. Jacksonville is a tough matchup for Buffalo, and Buffalo is a tough matchup for Jacksonville no matter how you look at it.
There are a great number of people who believe that Jacksonville is a team that no one should want to play. It seems like people have forgotten that the Bills are the most experienced playoff team in the AFC in recent memory. Don’t get me wrong, Jacksonville is going to be tough. But we need to stop saying that Buffalo is going definitely going one-and-done.
Sunday’s matchup should be electric and if Buffalo can come out of the gate swinging, Jacksonville won’t stand a chance. Let’s just hope that they don’t get off to the slow start that we have seen.
With that, we take a look at some bold predictions for this game that Bills Mafia will like, and also not like.
Wild Card round bold predictions for Bills vs. Jaguars
Bills sack Trevor Lawrence 4+ times
For as dynamite as Trevor Lawrence has played this season, he is not invincible and he has taken on pressure from opposing defenses. There have only been five games where he wasn’t sacked, and there are seven games where he has been sacked 3+ times. As a matter of fact, he was sacked 14 times in a two-week span.
I’ve got the Bills defense providing all kinds of pressure to throw Lawrence off of his game, and bringing him down atleast 4 times.
Khalil Shakir reaches over 100+ receiving yards
It feels like forever since we have seen Khalil Shakir have a breakout game. In the regular season, he had just one game over 100 yards and it was in the loss against the Texans. While he remains a top target for Josh Allen, Joe Brady has got to utilize him in a role that isn’t always about the screen passes behind the line of scrimmage.
This game feels like a great breakout game for Shakir and builds momentum as the playoffs continue.
Josh Allen has 2 turnovers
Josh Allen hasn’t been bad protecting the football this season, but he’s not what he was last season. Going up against a very tough Jacksonville defense, he’s bound to have a turnover or two.
This season, the Jaguars have taken the ball away from opponents 2+ times in ten games. In their first four games of the season, they had 13 takeaways which was absolutely ridiculous. This Jacksonville defense is going to make a play or two against Allen, whether fans want to hear it or not.
James Cook leads Bills past Jaguars
While Allen has a tough game, the Bills should be focused on getting the rushing attack going with James Cook. The NFL’s leading rusher will definitely have his hands full against Jacksonville, who has only given up 100+ rushing yards in five games. On average, the Jaguars are only allowing 85 rushing yards per game.
For the biggest bold prediction I have Cook being the main reason why the Bills get this win over Jacksonville. Cook is a phenomenal runner inside and outside the tackles and with Reggie Gilliam leading the way for him, Cook should have himself a great day and be the main reason why Buffalo advances in the playoffs.