Updated Jan. 11, 2026, 4:25 p.m. ET

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell short in the AFC wild-card round, losing to the Buffalo Bills 27-24.

With the dust having settled on Sunday’s playoff game, let’s highlight three takeaways from what took place.

Jaguars‘ run defense holds up

Jaguars vs. Bills was a matchup of the best rushing offense in football against the best run defense — and it was the Jaguars who won this battle.

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Buffalo running back James Cook led the NFL in rushing this season, but he was held to just 46 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt.

Stopping the run is often where success starts for a defense, as it puts the offense behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations. The Jacksonville defense also did well to make things consistently difficult for Josh Allen, but at the end of the day, he’s still Josh Allen.

Parker Washington does it again

Washington has emerged as a go-to target as this season has progressed, and he again came through in a big way in this game. Washington led the Jaguars in receiving, totaling seven receptions for 107 yards with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

This was the third time in four games that Washington eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark.

It wasn’t always easy moving the ball through the air in this one, but Washington was often on the receiving end when a spark was provided.

Jaguars’ run game comes to life

It’s been a sluggish stretch for the Jaguars’ run game — even during the team’s eight-game winning streak. But against a Bills’ defense that has struggled to defend the run, Jacksonville came to life.

As a team, the Jaguars rushed for over 150 yards and averaged nearly 7.0 yards per attempt. Jacksonville found a lot of success running outside the tackle box. The Jaguars’ receivers were excellent as blockers in this game.

Perhaps the big question was why the Jaguars’ offense didn’t lean into this element more often throughout the game?

A strong second half from Trevor Lawrence

It was a slow start for Lawrence and the passing offense. There were several short possessions when the Jaguars’ offense could hardly move the ball. Lawrence also threw an interception on the second possession of the game.

However, there were also some really well-put-together drives as well, resulting in the Jaguars putting up 24 points. Lawrence really began to find success in the second half during a number of critical drives.

Lawrence finished the game 18-of-30 passing for 207 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.