ESPN posts surprising Bills' player touchdown prediction vs. Jaguars

In analyzing Sunday's Wild Card game in Jacksonville, ESPN predicts a key TD will be scored by Buffalo WR Gabe Davis.

Jan 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis (13) carries the ball after a reception defended by New York Jets cornerback Samuel Womack III (39) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

By the time kickoff arrives in Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon, the Wild Card game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars will be analyzed and scrutinized from every angle. ESPN, however, has come up with a couple of unique perspectives that could heavily impact the outcome.

In its most recent preview, ESPN offers an officiating nugget about the game.

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"Referee Brad Allen's crew threw the fewest flags per game this season (12.9)," ESPN writes. "That could help the Jaguars, who were the NFL's third-most penalized team (9.3 per game). The Bills were tied for the sixth fewest at 6.8 per game."

The more flags the better for the Bills, who characteristically play a tidy game under head coach Sean McDermott.

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But ESPN's boldest prediction targets the Bills' offense and centers not on star quarterback Josh Allen or NFL rushing leader James Cook or returning leading receiver Dalton Kincaid, but rather complementary receiver Gabe Davis.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis catches a pass for a touchdown despite New York Jets cornerback Ja'sir Taylor trying to break up the pass at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 4, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After four productive seasons in Buffalo, he signed with the Jaguars as a free agent in 2024. But his stay in Jacksonville was short, and not all that sweet. In 10 games he caught only 20 passes for 239 yards and two scores, and was cut after the season. Now he's back in Buffalo, and coming off his best game of the season where he caught five passes and a touchdown in the regular-season finale against the New York Jets.

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In Week 5 of the 2023 season, Davis torched the Jags for six catches and a score.

"Davis, who played for the Jags in 2024, will score a touchdown in his revenge game," ESPN predicts. "The Bills use Davis as a short-yardage and red zone threat because of his 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame. If they can't run the ball in and need to drop back, Davis will be Allen's preferred target.

Gabe Davis | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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