The Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars will be making their long awaited return to the playoffs when they meet in the second AFC Wildcard playoff game, which will be played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon. It is scheduled to begin at 1 PM. ET.
Bills vs Jaguars Betting Odds
Here are the odds for the game from Bet365.com:
Point Spread
- Buffalo Bills +9
- Jacksonville Jaguars -9
- Over/Under 39.5
Money Line
- Buffalo Bills 4.25
- Jacksonville Jaguars 1.23
My Pick
Buffalo Bills Analysis…
The Bills were able to sneak into the playoffs thanks to their win over the Miami Dolphins and a quirk in the tie breaker system. Despite how they got in, the team and their fans are excited to be back in the playoffs after a 19-year drought.
The biggest question surrounding the Bills as they prepare for their playoff game is the status of running back LeSean McCoy, who suffered an ankle sprain in the season finale against the Dolphins.
The early word is McCoy is expected to play in the game against the Jaguars. If he does play, how effective will he be?
The Bills offense was already one of the worst in the NFL when they had McCoy in the lineup, without McCoy, they will likely get torn apart by the Jaguars defense, which is one of the best in the league.
Tyrod Taylor can make some plays with his hands and feet, but without McCoy in the lineup, the Jaguars defense will come after him on almost every down, which is something the Bills are hoping doesn’t happen.
Defensively, Buffalo isn’t as good as Jacksonville, but they have stepped up when they needed to. The Bills will need their defense to be at its best to win this one.
Jacksonville Jaguars Analysis…
The Jaguars were hoping to get a first round bye so they could rest some of their injured players. But the team lost to the Titans in their finale, and the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns, leaving them as the third seed in the AFC.
After losing their last two games, the Titans will be trying to prevent another loss by jumping out to a big lead over the Bills.
Blake Bortles played well in the final month of the season, but expect to see a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 1,040 yards and 9 touchdowns this season.
If Fournette can get going, it will open up opportunities on offense for Bortles and the rest of the team. Also expect the Jaguars to go after Taylor in this game due to the injury to McCoy.
Even if McCoy plays, he likely won’t be at his best, so the Jaguars will go after Taylor and force him into making some mistakes.
The pick…
The Bills were bad offensively this season, even with a healthy McCoy. I expect the Jags to wreak havoc on defense and win a pretty easy game. Take Jacksonville -9.
Play: Jaguars -9
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