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The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without a key member of their offensive line in their Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The team ruled out starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen on gameday morning, adding pressure to quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Van Lanen headlines the Jaguars’ six-player inactive list, which also includes receiver Dyami Brown and defensive tackle Emmanuel Ogbah. The fifth-year blocker had been questionable all week and “tried to go,” per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, before ultimately landing on the final injury report.
#BUFvsJAX Inactives pic.twitter.com/Lf2ZBYF8Pc
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 11, 2026
Van Lanen will miss the game with a knee injury he suffered against the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. He will miss his second game of the season.
The 27-year-old has started 10 of his 16 regular-season games, including the final five at left tackle. Head coach Liam Coen inserted him as Lawrence’s blind-side protector after shifting his initial left tackle, Walker Little, to guard due to other injuries.
Little, who started the first 12 games at left tackle, will likely return to the starting lineup. Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari and Anton Harrison will join him as the Jaguars’ starting offensive line for their first playoff game since 2022.
If the Jaguars take care of the Bills, Van Lanen should have a good chance of returning in the Divisional Round, considering how close he was to playing on Sunday. Jacksonville committed to him as its franchise left tackle after giving him a three-year, $51 million extension before its regular season finale.
Despite losing Van Lanen, the Jaguars are closing as 1.5-point favorites to beat the Bills and advance to the second round. Buffalo initially opened as the favorite before the line flipped midweek.
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