Buffalo Rumblings
The six-seeded Buffalo Bills (12-5) face the three-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) at 1 p.m. EST this afternoon in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs, and this will be the third time these two teams have squared off in the postseason.
Before this playoff showdown, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 57 players who saw action for both the Bills and Jaguars.
Sunday’s game will mark the 21st meeting all time, with the teams having split the first 20 matchups. Buffalo is 10-8 against Jacksonville in the regular season and 0-2 versus the Jaguars in the playoffs.
The first-ever matchup was a painful one for Bills fans, as it was the final game of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s illustrious Bills career. Hosting Jacksonville in the Wild Card round of the 1996 season, running back Thurman Thomas caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Kelly for a 7-0 lead, and ran in from two yards out for a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter. The teams were tied at 20 after three quarters, but the Bills seized a 27-20 lead when cornerback Jeff Burris picked off quarterback Mark Brunell and raced 38 yards for the touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
But Brunell responded with a two-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Jimmy Smith to tie the game with 8:40 remaining, and Jacksonville’s defense knocked Kelly out of the game on a sack from safety Chris Hudson and recovered the ensuing fumble, setting up kicker Mike Hollis’ 45-yard field goal that doinked in off the right upright with 3:07 remaining.
Kelly was carted off the field after suffering a concussion on the sack fumble, and backup quarterback Todd Collins was sacked twice and lost a fumble to seal Buffalo’s fate in what was the franchise’s first home playoff loss at then Rich Stadium. Kelly completed 21 of 32 passes for 239 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while wide receiver Quinn Early caught nine passes for 122 yards and Thomas added a rushing and a receiving touchdown in the loss for the Bills.
It was Buffalo’s first home playoff loss at Rich Stadium.
Last postseason matchup: The Bills snapped their 17-year playoff drought during the 2017 season before dropping a 10-3 clunker at the Jaguars in the Wild Card round.
Tied at three heading into the second half, quarterback Blake Bortles directed an 86-yard scoring drive, culminating with a one-yard touchdown toss to backup tight end Ben Kovack on a 4th & Goal from the one for a 10-3 lead. The Bills never could mount the potential game-tying scoring drive, punting on their next three possessions.
Starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was knocked out of the game and suffered a concussion when he was tackled hard by defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. Backup quarterback Nathan Peterman...
