5 Reasons the Jaguars Can Rebound and Pass the Bills in the AFC in 2026

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The last time we saw the Jacksonville Jaguars on the field, they were suffered a narrow Wild Card loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills and former MVP Josh Allen.

Since that loss in January, the Jaguars have gone back to the drawing board in attempts to find a way to go even further in 2026. They had a stellar season last year, of course, but the loss to the Bills at the very end of it left a bitter feeling.

While the Jaguars do not have the Bills on their regular-season schedule, it is fair to say that the Jaguars will likely have to find a way past Buffalo in 2026 if they want to reach their ultimate goals. So, why should the Jaguars be confident in a potential Wild Card rematch? We break it down with a few reasons below.

Liam Coen vs. Joe Brady

If there is any area between these two franchises where there is a significant gap, it is at head coach. Perhaps that is a bit unfair to new Bills head coach Joe Brady since he has yet to officially coach in a game, but a rookie head coach with no sample size certainly has a lot of catching up to do in comparison to Coen. The Jaguars’ head coach might have just one year at the helm, but it seems certain we are not far away from him being considered one of the AFC’s top coaches.

Coen already went through all of the rookie moments a first-time head coach must endure last year, and now it is Brady’s turn. It would be a true best-case scenario for the Bills if Brady has a rookie year that is anything like the year Coen had in 2025, but until he actually does that, then Coen is the clear top dog when it comes to a head coach comparison.

Brady has led several strong offenses throughout his career as a play-caller, but being a head coach is completely different. Whether he is truly up to the task still remains to be seen until he actually does the job.

Travis Hunter

One player the Jaguars didn’t have at their disposal during their playoff loss to the Bills was No. 2 pick Travis Hunter, who was sidelined with a season-ending injury after just seven games. Hunter flashed top-level talent at both cornerback and wide receiver as a rookie, but it is what he can do as a cornerback that could make the difference the next two times these teams play.

Simply put, the Jaguars’ secondary and pass defense lost them that playoff game. The offense took two different leads in the fourth quarter and the run defense stopped James Cook all game long. If the Jaguars had Hunter at cornerback that day, perhaps the game goes differently and the Jaguars keep playing. There is no way of knowing how big of a difference Hunter would have made, but we could be able to get an answer if these two sides face off again.

Lessons Learned

travon walke — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) walks off the field after the game of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars have had more than six months to reflect on their loss to the Bills, and it is hard for me to imagine the Jaguars’ staff would not be prepared for anything. Buffalo might throw at them the next time around. The Jaguars’ staff showed last year that they can be amongst the best in the entire NFL in terms of game planning, and a Jaguars staff that is using lessons already learned could be dangerous.

Last year’s loss came down to a few bad bounces and missed yards here and there. Replay the game 10 times and you likely get a different result every time. With a margin of error that small, a year of reflection on what went wrong could prove to be a legitimate difference-maker. The Jaguars can't do what the 2018 Jaguars did and put everything into their rematch, like that team did vs. the New England Patriots. But they must learn the lessons that knocked them out of the playoffs early, and make sure they apply them.

Tuten Time

The last time these two teams played, perhaps no player presented a bigger “what if?” than running back Bhayshul Tuten. The rookie running back picked up 51 yards on just four carries in the playoff loss to Buffalo, and the question of whether the Jaguars would’ve found a different result had they leaned on Tuten has certainly come up.

This time around, though, there will be no Travis Etienne to take Tuten off the field. Tuten will have to earn snaps over Chris Rodriguez, of course, but there is little reason to doubt whether he would get the ball more than four times in a rematch. Tuten was a force against the Bills and their spotty run defense the first time around, and it is fair to say he could make an even bigger impact if given another shot.

A Healthier Jaguars Team

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, center talks with Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty before the start of practice. The Jaguars held their final Organized Team Activity on Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This one, of course, remains to be seen. But consider this: when the Jaguars played the Bills in the Wild Card round, not only were they without Hunter, but they also did not have starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen or cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Every team has to deal with injuries, especially at that point in the season, but those are three very significant injuries the Jaguars had to deal with the first time they played Buffalo.

Nobody can look this far ahead and tell just how healthy the Jaguars will be in January, but injury luck normally fluctuates year-to-year. The Jaguars were at the wrong end of it the last time they played Buffalo, but perhaps they will get a better luck of the draw this time around. Who knows what the result would have been last year had the Jaguars been able to field their team completely healthy, but they already nearly knocked Buffalo off. Would a Jaguars team with all of its key playmakers be able to take down Josh Allen? There is certainly a good chance.

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