Jacksonville, Fla.
With each run, the goal line grew nearer, just a few more steps needed to give the Jacksonville Jaguars much-needed breathing room in a seesaw battle of offensive ineptitude. But rather than go back to Fournette, their dynamic 1,000-yard rusher, the Jaguars put the drive in the unpredictable hands of their quarterback. And this time — on fourth-and-goal — Blake Bortles didn’t disappoint.
The 25-year-old delivered a perfect 1-yard pass in the back of the end zone to tight end Ben Koyack to give the Jaguars a lead they would never relinquish. And in the end, third-seeded Jacksonville edged the sixth-seeded Bills, 10-3, in their AFC wild-card game on Sunday at EverBank Field.
With the win, the Jaguars advance to a divisional-round game where they’ll face the second-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fans of each franchise waited at least a decade to witness their team engage in playoff football. But instead of inspired football, diehard hopefuls were treated to a sad amalgamation of unimaginative play-calling and even worse quarterback play for almost three full quarters. But in the end, there had to a winner in the so-called “Doug Marrone Bowl” — named after the Jaguars head coach who in 2015 opted out of his contract as the Bills’ head coach. And on this particular afternoon, Marrone’s Jaguars were just a tad better. But not by much.
Save for a few decent passes — like his touchdown throw to Koyack — Bortles rarely resembled an NFL-caliber quarterback, let alone a signal-caller who could rival Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense next week at Heinz Field. Bortles, who entered the game with a 21-40 career record and a completion percentage of 59.1, completed 12 of 23 passes for 87 yards and one TD against the Bills. But while Bortles’ arm was a liability at times, his feet helped keep the Jaguars offense afloat. He rushed 10 times for 88 yards, including a 20-yard scramble.
His counterpart, Tyrod Taylor, didn’t fare much better.
In what many believe was his final appearance in a Bills uniform, Taylor (32.1 QB rating) woefully underperformed and eventually was forced to leave the game with 1:17 left after a hard hit from Dante Fowler Jr. caused his head to hit the turf. His replacement, Nathan Peterman — the rookie quarterback who, after he was surprisingly named the starter over Taylor against the Los Angeles Chargers, threw five interceptions in his one and only starting appearance this season — picked up where he left off in Week 11. Literally.
Peterman completed a 14-yard pass, then followed it with an interception with 26 seconds left to seal the Jaguars’ victory.
With their six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy (19 carries, 75 yards) significantly hampered by a badly sprained ankle the Bills’ offense rested solely in the hands of Taylor. He completed 17 of 38 passes for 134 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Taylor, who entered the game with a 22-20 career record and a completion percentage of 62.4, also was sacked twice.
The Bills exorcised their 17-year playoff demons last week, courtesy of their 22-16 win in Miami and the Cincinnati Bengals’ stunning final-minute victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo’s longstanding postseason drought energized the blue collar city and caused members of their fan base — dubbed the “Bills Mafia” — to descend on the Florida panhandle. But Taylor’s inaccuracy, McCoy’s sore ankle and the Jaguars’ suffocating defense proved too much for the Bills to overcome.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, will advance in the postseason for the first time since 2007.
fbn-steelers-jaguars