The Patriots opened up with a quick FG on a productive drive to make it look like they weren’t going to have any issues with the Jaguars defense. The Jacksonville offense, however, had other plans.
We saw Marcedes Lewis catch his only pass of the day on an easy, wide-open TD.
14-3 is not the greatest look against one of the best defenses in the league. The Patriots however did manage to drive down the field and get a TD before half (as they always do well) to go into the locker room at 14-10. The bad news however, was that they lost Gronk to a brutal hit by Church.
It was a lackluster third quarter which saw the Jaguars take a 20-10 lead after two Lambo FGs.
The Patriots looked to be in trouble after a double-pass play from Amendola to Dion Lewis resulted in a fumble caused & recovered by Myles Jack. The Patriots got the ball back and were faced with 3rd and 18 and as all NFL fans know, this went exactly how you thought it would.
The Jags did put up a small drive to end the game but ultimately could not get the pass to Dede Westbrook as Stephon Gilmore (who has barely made a play all year) made the deflection of his career. The Patriots got the ball back and Dion Lewis finishes the job on third down.
Hats off to the Jags — Belichick is never that happy so this game was clearly in danger of being lost. However, in the end it just wasn’t enough to stop the Patriots for going for #6. The Jags will be back but it’s still the Patriots’ time.
P.S. Get that trophy the hell away from Bill if it’s not the Lombardi.
Bill Belichick’s utter contempt for the AFC Championship trophy remains legendary pic.twitter.com/9TDv96qxde
The 2017-18 season where a team can score 10 points in a home playoff game against Buffalo and follow it up with 45 points at Heinz Field to knock off the Steelers. AND it’s the Jaguars that did it. Crazy.
The Jaguars raced out to a 21 point lead and looked to easily run away with it as Leonard Fournette passed Le’Veon Bell for rushing TDs at Heinz Field this year (crazy stat). However, the Steelers kept fighting back but could never get ahead again. Bortles didn’t play fantastic but he did just enough to keep his team in front of Pittsburgh and never allowed them to take the lead. Pittsburgh had some incredible TDs and Big Ben still threw 5 TDs on the elite Jaguars’ defense but it was not enough.
The Jaguars move on and everyone’s preseason prediction of the formerly 3-13 Jaguars against the Patriots comes true. The Jaguars certainly deserve some respect but run into the immovable object that is the Patriots next week for a chance to play in Minneapolis.
The Eagles are going across the pond for the first time ever to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The people of London have never seen a matchup between two teams with a winning record and this may be their chance. Both teams are still remaining in the playoffs (though both are projected to lose) and should follow up their successful seasons with more of the same next year.
London will get to see the MVP front-runner before his injury, Carson Wentz live take on the London Jaguars who suddenly cannot lose in London. They shellacked the Ravens 44-7 this season to make it 3 straight in London.
Obviously, the Jags have found success in general now but London used to be the only place they could win. The week hasn’t been announced yet but will be shortly when the NFL officially announces it.
NFL Wild Card Weekend will bring a match-up with two teams who haven’t had a ticket to the dance in quite some time. We have the Buffalo Bills, who last made the Playoffs in 1999, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars last Playoff appearance was in 2007-2008 in New England. They lost 31-20 to the then undefeated Patriots.
The Bills last lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Music City Miracle game. An event that doesn’t need much explaining:
This game is the game I am look forward to most this weekend. It is mediocrity at it’s absolute finest. Two middling teams duking it out, to see who has the right to get their ass kicked in New England, or Pittsburgh. I’m sure these two fanbases will make sure there will be plenty of debauchery in the stands as well. Couldn’t be more excited.
Buffalo Bills:
What a year it has been up in Buffalo. The longest Professional Sports playoff drought in America finally comes to a close. The Bills exceeded expectations in general in 2017. A year after cleaning house from the Rex Ryan regime, it looked as if the Bills were orchestrating a tank job. They traded away key starters in Ronald Darby, and Sammy Watkins for lesser options in Jordan Matthews and E.J. Gaines. This was an attempt to give young coach, Sean Mcdermott a fresh clean slate.
The Bills responded by being a playoff contender for much of the year. They picked up key wins against the Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Colts. Needing a win in week 17, Buffalo took down Miami 22-16, and Cincinnati knocked out Baltimore with a last second Andy Dalton touchdown to Tyler Boyd.
The Bills most explosive offensive weapon is Lesean McCoy. Shady can beat you in every single facet of the game. He is quick enough to beat you to the outside, he’s tough enough to run inside the tackles, and is a major weapon is the passing game. He’s pretty much the entire Buffalo Bills offense. Look for heavy dose of shady on Sunday, if he is healthy enough to go. It is sounding like he should be ok to play.
Not much else for the Bills on offense. It’s been a rough year on that side of the ball. Tyord Taylor is currently their starting Quarterback, but Sean McDermott famously switched to Nathan Peterman against the San Diego Chargers. Peterman threw 5 interceptions on the day, and the Bills got throttled.
Tyrod Taylor hasn’t exactly set the world on fire as the full-time starter for Buffalo. He did however, throw less interceptions over the course of the entire season, than Peterman did against the Chargers alone. He just doesn’t have many weapons to work with. His three biggest weapons are Charles Clay, Kelvin Benjamin, and Jordan Matthews. Even with those names, Shady is still the Bills best weapon in the passing game.
Defensively is where the Bills earn their stripes. They rank 16th in points, and 19th in yards allowed. The ’85 bears they aren’t, but they can keep themselves in games with solid defensive play.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
The Jags finished 2017 with a 10-6 record, and a playoff birth for the first time since 2008. They do so after entering the season amid a QB controversy. Jags head coach, Doug Marrone had considered turning the keys of the offense over to Chad Henne in training camp. Marrone wisely stuck with Blake Bortles.
Bortles went on to have a solid year at the helm. The Jags had signature wins against the Steelers, Ravens, Seattle, and Houston twice. Most of it was lead by rookie Running Back, Leanord Fournette.
Fournette rushed for 1,040 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He added 302 yards, and 1 touchdown receiving.
Their calling card is their defense. Jacksonville finished 5th in points allowed, and 4th in yards allowed. Calais Campbell leads a very strong defensive line. He finished the season with 14.5 sacks, and was an all-pro as both a Defensive End, and Defensive tackle. Jalen Ramsey leads a young strong secondary. Ramsey finished 2017 with 4 interceptions, and 14 passes defended. There are many other strong pieces including Dante Fowler, Tashaun Gipson, Malik Jackson, and A.J. Bouye. The Jaguars are very young, and very good on defense. Don’t be surprised if Jacksonville goes on a little playoff run, as long as Bortles doesn’t revert back to his old self.
Final Verdict:
Jacksonville 17- Buffalo 3
Buffalo is just not good enough offensively to compete with this Jags team. Tyrod Taylor likely won’t pick apart the Jags, they are too strong on defense for the lowly Bills offense. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage, and turns it over fewest will win. Going to be a snoozer, but it is Mediocrity’s Super Bowl after all!
Office Chatter 