Orchard Park, N.Y. — The magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on Sean McDermott on Sunday night after his Buffalo Bills closed down the old Highmark Stadium.
McDermott took a few chances to soak in the atmosphere and appreciate the celebration for a stadium that’s home to 52 years’ worth of memories.
But at the podium after the game, when he was asked about how he flips the page to start preparation for the playoffs, McDermott said it had already been flipped.
“I’m already there,” he said. “That’s who I am … my wife would say I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing things. That’s where my head is already right now, is ready to put in the work to get ourselves ready to go to play our best football.”
The AFC’s No. 6-seed Bills draw the No. 3-seed Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at 1 p.m. It’s arguably the toughest matchup of the first round for the traveling Wild Card teams. The Jaguars enter the playoffs on an eight-game win streak and have won nine of their last 10 games. During that run, they’re averaging nearly 33 points per game, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence has passed for 17 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Here are five thoughts on the Bills’ matchup, how they’re entering the playoffs, and the collection of teams they must defeat to get to the Super Bowl.
1. Turnover battle looms large
Three of the Bills’ five losses this season came on the road, and each game had one common denominator: turnovers. Buffalo lost the turnover battle in all three of those games.
Jacksonville finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the NFL in turnover differential (+13). The Jaguars’ defense ranked second in the league at forcing takeaways (31), and their offense did a solid job taking care of the football.
McDermott knows just how vital ball security will be in Jacksonville this weekend.
“You can’t beat yourself,” he said. “You got to play good solid football and we’ll have a big challenge ahead of us here.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was asked about what went well for the team in December road wins over the Patriots and Browns after early-season struggles on the road.
“Ball security,” Allen said. “Yeah, not putting ourselves in bad situations.”
Even if the Bills win the turnover battle, the Jaguars still pose a difficult challenge. In the only two games this season in which they turned it over more than their opponent, Jacksonville still won.
2. Bills’ injury woes
Rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston left Sunday’s game against the Jets with an ankle injury. The 22-year-old has been splitting time with veteran Tre’Davious White since he returned in Week 8 from a training camp injury. With his status in question for Sunday against the Jaguars, Buffalo’s lack of boundary cornerback comes into sharp focus.
General manager Brandon Beane tried to sign veteran Darius Slay after the Pittsburgh Steelers released the 34-year-old last month. Slay, not wanting to move to a new city, opted not to report to Buffalo. In the meantime, the Bills released veteran cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram to make room for Slay. Ingram was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans, and the Bills were left without a fourth cornerback.
Buffalo will likely turn to veteran practice squad cornerback Dane Jackson, who’s been with the team since signing as a free agent in March. He’s been active for three games this season, but has only played three defensive snaps. The Bills could also try to lure Slay to report and add him to the roster if Hairston misses this week’s game or longer.
Making injury matters worse, veteran kicker Matt Prater re-injured his quad, which forced him to miss two straight games in December. The Bills brought in veteran Michael Badgley, and his missed extra point against the Philadelphia Eagles proved costly in a 13-12 loss.
Options are extremely limited on the free agent market at kicker. Younghoe Koo was recently one of several kickers brought in for a tryout. The Bills could look to bring him in, even though his stint with the New York Giants didn’t go well. Prater could play next week, but the Bills should add insurance just in case.
3. House of horrors
The last two games the Bills played inside EverBank Stadium conjure stomach-churning memories for Bills fans. After finally breaking the 17-year playoff drought, the Bills went on the road to Jacksonville only to go down in a 10-3 defensive struggle.
The last trip to Jacksonville provided arguably the worst loss of McDermott’s career. The Jaguars were floundering under former coach Urban Meyer, and the Bills left their offense in Buffalo, dropping an ugly 9-6 snoozer to the Jags.
The Bills haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2013.
4. Ed Oliver watch
Oliver’s return from injury timeline became cloudier last week when McDermott revealed the defensive tackle suffered a knee injury during rehab from a torn biceps. He had a minor cleanup procedure on the knee, and he’s still expected to be back around the same amount of time.
When will that be?
It’s anybody’s guess. The Bills likely need to advance at least a round into the playoffs to have a chance at getting Oliver back, but the AFC Championship game always seemed like the most likely finish line.
Rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders recorded his first NFL sack in Week 18 against the New York Jets. He’s played much better since returning from a mid-season knee injury. The Bills front also could benefit from the return of veteran DaQuan Jones, who’s been nursing a hamstring injury. He was inactive for the finale.
5. After the Jags, opportunity awaits
The Jaguars went on the road and beat the Denver Broncos, the No. 1 seed in the AFC, just a few short weeks ago. The Bills went into Foxborough, Mass., and erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Patriots. Buffalo also beat the Steelers, who snuck into the playoffs on a missed Tyler Loop field goal on Sunday night against the Ravens.
The Texans are the team nobody wants to face in the AFC playoffs. They have the best defense and have won 12 of their last 14 games.
But no AFC playoff team strikes fear into the heart of opponents like the Kansas City Chiefs did all those years. The Bills have to beat good teams to get to the Super Bowl, but the field has never been more wide open. Opportunity awaits.