Jaguars Must Prove Themselves Once Again vs. Bills

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished the 2025 NFL season on an incredible run, winning eight straight games to close the campaign.

They needed each and every single one of them, down to the finale against the Tennessee Titans, in order to claim the AFC South crown at 13-4, with the Houston Texans right on their tails at 12-5.

Their immense effort was rewarded with the No. 3 seed and a home playoff game. Unfortunately, it wasn't met with a very favorable matchup, as the Jaguars drew Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the first round.

Jacksonville showed all season that they were the better team in this upcoming bout, but the playoffs present an entirely different challenge.

liam coen — Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates with head coach Liam Coen (obscured) after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Jaguars should be favored

By every measure, the Jacksonville Jaguars are better than the Buffalo Bills. They finished with the better record, 13-4 to 12-5. That's despite the fact that Jacksonville had the stronger strength of schedule, .478 to .471, and strength of victory, .425 to .412. The Bills might have the slightly more potent scoring offense at 28.3 points per game to the Jaguars' 27.9, but Jacksonville has a larger edge in defense, having allowed 19.8 points on average to Buffalo's 21.5.

And yet, FanDuel has the Jags as home underdogs in Wild Card Weekend, spotted 1.5 points in the first round. They're listed at -106 on the moneyline while the Bills are -110. These odds are truly a reflection of the betting public's lack of trust in Jacksonville, opting instead to side with the more experienced postseason contender and quarterback. CBS Sports' Pete Prisco believes otherwise, predicting the Jaguars to emerge victorious in a 32-28 firefight:

"This young Jaguars team is one of the bigger surprises in the league, but they do a lot of things well. They finished as the top run defense and no back ran for over 75 yards against them during the season. That will be big against James Cook, who led the league in rushing. If they can stop Cook, that will put a lot on Josh Allen, who is more than capable."

"On the other side, the Bills have had defensive issues, while the Jaguars have played well on offense with Trevor Lawrence. Look for that to continue. This will be fun to watch as both quarterbacks light it up with Lawrence winning it late." If the Jaguars can get past Allen and the Bills, they might not be the underdogs again until the Super Bowl.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

To see if the Jaguars can pull off another upset, 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.