Jaguar Report

Date, Kickoff Time Finalized for Jaguars' Wild Card Battle

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Buffalo Bills next weekend in the Wild Card.
Nov 7, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;  Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen (41) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) in the first half at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nov 7, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen (41) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) in the first half at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In this story:


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The date and time has been set for the Jacksonville Jaguars' big Wild Card matchup.

The Jaguars will play the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, the first game in the Sunday slot for the NFL's Wild Card round.

Wild Card Battle

Thanks to the Jaguars clinching an AFC South title in Week 18 with their 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans. As a result, the Jaguars earned the No. 3 seed in the AFC and will hope to forge a playoff path that will have to go through Jacksonville. But first, the Jaguars will ace the Bills for the second time in the Wild Card round after hosting them in 2017 -- the year before the Bills drafted Josh Allen.

The last time the Jaguas hosted a playoff game was against the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2022 season, which led to a wild comeback win for the Jaguars that is one of the most memorable wins in franchise history. The atmosphere for that game was electric, and the Jaguars will hope for the same this week against Buffalo.

nf
Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen reacts on the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

"It's huge. I've seen so many cool pictures of the '22 game here at home and what that crowd did and what the community can do for a football team, and what a football team can do for a community. I think that the majority of these guys, they all want to play," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Sunday.

"They all want to play, the whole team. They want to play in front of this crowd. I remember hearing Brenton Strange's comments a few weeks ago, yeah, it's cool to play on the road and see those cool atmospheres, but there's nothing like playing at home in front of this crowd and in front of this community. We need all of them. We need all of Duval to come out.

nf
Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli (right) celebrates with head coach Liam Coen after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

After going 4-13 last year, the Jaguars improved to 13-4 this season to conclude one of the best seasons in the entire history of the franchise. The unbelievable run, though, was very believable for the Jaguars' locker room.

“I can, because I know the talent and I know what we are capable of in this room. We have the talent, we have guys that care about the game, we have guys that do the right things all the time from the top down," Cam Little said on Sunday. "To know that all this hard work and all these guys and the talent levels that they’re playing at is paying off, it’s not a surprise to me because I saw it built up in the offseason, I’ve seen it built up since I’ve been here. They’re all special players and we’re all putting it together and we’re building something special, so it’s sick.”

nf
Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars placekicker Cam Little (39) celebrates with head coach Liam Coen after kicking a sixty-seven yard field goal against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Jaguars when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news.  SIGN UP HERE NOW.

Follow us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and make sure you like our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.


Published
John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

Share on XFollow _john_shipley