In the first of two wild card matchups this Sunday, the 9-7 Buffalo Bills make their long-awaited return to postseason play against the 10-6 Jacksonville Jaguars in a 1:05 p.m. kickoff on CBS from EverBank Field.
Buffalo at Jacksonville Game Overview
The last time the Bills played past the final week of the regular season was way back in 1999 and they needed a small miracle in Week 17 this year to finally break that playoff drought. They took care of business on their end by beating Miami 22-16 as two-point home favorites in the season finale, but they also needed Cincinnati’s improbable upset against Baltimore to secure the sixth and final seed in the AFC. Buffalo has gone 8-6-2 against the spread this season including a 3-4-1 record ATS on the road.
The big question mark with the Bills’ offense is the health of LeSean McCoy’s ankle after the All-Pro running back was injured in last Sunday’s victory against Miami. Right now, he is listed as questionable for this Sunday in a situation that bears watching. Even with its top rusher in the lineup, this offense was ranked 29th in the NFL in yards per game (302.6) while averaging 18.9 points. Buffalo’s defense has had its issues slowing opposing teams down with a 355.1 yards-allowed average that is 26th in the league.
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Jacksonville has lost its last two games by scoring 33 points in an 11-point setback to San Francisco and by posting just 10 points in last Sunday’s loss to Tennessee. The Jaguars still managed to earn the AFC South Division title and the No. 3 seed in the AFC at 10-6 SU with a 9-7 record ATS. They did cover in five of eight home games and the total went OVER in four of their last six games overall.
You never know what you are going to get from Blake Bortles as Jacksonville’s quarterback. He threw for 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, but he has also been picked off 13 times with five of those interceptions coming in his last two games. This is another team that loves to run the ball behind rookie Leonard Fournette. He rushed for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns on 268 carries. The ‘ace in the hole’ for the Jaguars this season has been a defense that is ranked second in the NFL in both yards (286.1) and points (16.8) allowed.
Buffalo at Jacksonville Game Betting Trends
- The Bills have failed to cover in their last four playoff games and they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games coming off an ATS win. The total has gone OVER in six of their last eight January games.
- The Jaguars are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a SU loss and they have gone 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in five of their last six playoff games.
- Head-to-head in this AFC tilt, the road team is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings and the total has gone OVER in the last five games between the two.
