Vin+ 3,121 Posted January 6, 2018 http://hosted.stats.com/fb/preview.asp?g=20180107030&home=30&vis=2 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NFL doesn't do the Cinderella story often, but one is coming when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game on Sunday. The question is, which is the Cinderella story? The Jaguars (10-6) won their first-ever AFC South title, are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and will host their first playoff game since 1999 at EverBank Field. Jacksonville was an NFL-worst 17-63 over the previous five seasons. The Bills (9-7) were able to snap a playoff drought that dated back to 1999, winning the sixth seed and final wild-card berth with a win over Miami in the regular-season finale. The winner of Sunday's game will become the playoff darling. There are other notable storylines as well. Jaguars first-year coach Doug Marrone coached the Bills in 2013-14 before opting out of his contract and walking away with a $4 million payout when Buffalo changed ownership. Marrone ended up missing out on an immediate head-coaching opening and was hired by former Jaguars coach Gus Bradley to be the offensive line coach. Marrone served as the interim coach for two games last season after Bradley was fired and was promoted to head coach last January. Buffalo's roster has changed over significantly since Marrone left. There are only six players on the roster that played under Marrone. The Bills have also already fired the coach that succeeded Marrone -- Rex Ryan -- hiring first-year coach Sean McDermott. Marrone's exit has come up before -- at his introductory press conference last January and at the league's scouting combine a month later when he acknowledged his "mistake." He tried to deflect questions as best he could on Monday. "There has obviously been a lot of stuff out there," Marrone said. "That stuff is done. It is over. I can't put it any simpler than that. I am not going to take away from my primarily responsibility to look back on a situation that occurred three years ago. If I do that, then I shouldn't be the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. My job is to make sure I do the best job for this team." The two teams also completed a trade prior to the deadline Oct. 28, with the Bills sending high-priced defensive tackle Marcell Dareus for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick. The Jaguars had the worst run defense in the NFL when they made the move and ended up finishing 21st. "I just told him to be smart (on Sunday)," Marrone said. "The last two games, he's played well. He looks like he's becoming more comfortable with the calls and what we do. Again, it's hard to insert someone right away." The Bills don't seem to match up well on paper. They rank 30th in sacks allowed and are 29th in total offense. The Jaguars defense ranks first in the NFL in yards-per-play, pass defense and interceptions and is ranked second in total defense, sacks and scoring defense. They could be in line for another dominant outing, especially if Bills star running back LeSean McCoy can't play after injuring his ankle in Sunday's win over Miami. McCoy has carried 287 times for 1,138 yards with six touchdowns this season and has a team-high 59 catches for 448 yards and two scores. McDermott would have a tall task in replacing McCoy. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is the team's second-leading rusher with 427 yards and four touchdowns. Mike Tolbert (247 yards) would likely fill in for McCoy, but is a plodding runner compared to the electric McCoy. Marcus Murphy made his season debut on Sunday, rushing for 41 yards. He has eight career carries in the NFL. "You never replace a player like LeSean," McDermott said. "I've got a lot of confidence in Mike Tolbert and Murph and whoever else we put in the backfield. They did a nice job this past weekend and I expect them to do the same moving forward." McCoy did not practice Wednesday. McDermott did say McCoy is maximizing his treatment opportunities. McCoy's absence would put immense pressure on Taylor and the Bills' 31st ranked passing offense. "We want the best for Shady," Taylor said. "If he's healthy, we want him absolutely to be out there playing and giving us his all. If he's not, we have a tremendous group of guys in the backfield that would be able to step in and carry the load. Of course, Shady's a special playmaker. You miss him if he's not out there, but at the same time, we can't use it as an excuse." Defensively, Buffalo ranks 30th in stopping the run. That should give the Jaguars offense hope after two consecutive losses to close the regular season. The Jaguars lead the NFL in rushing offense and are fifth in scoring. Point differential really separates the teams. The Jaguars are plus-149. That's second best in the AFC behind New England and tied for third in the NFL. Buffalo is minus-57. There are nine teams that didn't qualify for the playoffs with a better number. Still, the Jaguars have shown a penchant lately for turnovers -- the stat that will be above all others on Sunday. Quarterback Blake Bortles has thrown five interceptions the last two games and the team has committed seven turnovers in that span. "Everyone realizes it's your last chance," Bortles said. "If you lose, you go home. It's over. So there's no reason and no excuse to not play as hard as you can every single play, but I think our guys do that on a weekly basis anyways and I'm excited to go out there for this opportunity." The Jaguars finished the season tied for fifth in turnover margin at plus-10. The Bills are plus-9, one of their few impressive stats. "This is the start of a different type of season," Marrone said. "This is 12 teams. Every one of those teams has overcome something during the year and has earned the right to be here. Every one of those teams is dangerous and it comes down to how you perform on that Sunday." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 6, 2018 See... the Jags should win this game, but I don't trust Bleak Ballthrows in the postseason. You need a guy to Dilfer it when it you get there, not Jeff George it. 15 13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 6, 2018 Even a mediocre performance from Bortles and the Jags can win this one. Shady is less than 100%, too. Sorry, Buffalo fans, but the ride ends here. 24 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBen07 285 Posted January 6, 2018 (edited) Jags running game will do just enough to force Buffalo to rely on Taylor, which won't bode well for the Bills. 20 16 Edited January 6, 2018 by BigBen07 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted January 7, 2018 Teams Im rooting for are 0-2... Sorry Jags Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 7, 2018 Jags defense too busy talking shit to play defense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted January 7, 2018 What are all the "Tyrod was benched because he's black" trumpeters going to say now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 7, 2018 Tyrod was benched because the Jags knocked him the fuck out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted January 7, 2018 Tyrod was benched because the Jags knocked him the fuck out. I'm talking about when he was benched during the regular season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted January 8, 2018 I'm not saying that Peterman was the answer or whatever, but I also can't blame McDermott for taking a chance and trying something different. Tyrod is a super poor man's version of Russell Wilson that won't take chances with the deep ball. He's solid backup caliber at best in this league, and it's definitely not a race issue. If the Bills are smart,(tough sell) they will draft Mayfield if he's still on board in the first round. I love Bills Mafia, they deserve a good team to root for. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted January 8, 2018 He doesn't take a lot of chances on the deep ball because he can't throw it well enough. You could live with that maybe if the guy was a better decision maker. I would say he's much closer to a poor man's version Alex Smith than he is Russel Wilson. I'd love to see Baker Mayfield go to Buffalo though. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) It's too bad Tyrod won't throw deep more because his arm is insane. Dude can fling it 60 yards in the air no problem. That being said, the QB position isn't the biggest problem in Buffalo. They need some real WRs. Edited January 8, 2018 by BwareDWare94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted January 8, 2018 ^ Disagree. Robert Woods was unstoppable in the Rams playoff game. How did Tyrod not hook up with him deep down the field on a regular basis when he was in Buffalo? Bills need a QB. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JetsFan4Life 542 Posted January 8, 2018 It's too bad Tyrod won't throw deep more because his arm is insane. Dude can fling it 60 yards in the air no problem. That being said, the QB position isn't the biggest problem in Buffalo. They need some real WRs. They had real WR's and they got rid of them. Woods, as Sarge said, is killing it in LA. Goodwin had a great season in San Francisco. They wasted them with a mediocre at best QB. QB is definitely the biggest problem. Fill in receivers accordingly after the fact. Jones is turning into a decent guy, just struggled with drops earlier. They still have Benjamin. He's someone you can trust to go and get it but Tyrod's jump balls end up in the stands instead of on the field. Clay is a good TE. McCoy is a threat out of the RB position. Is WR position strong for Buffalo? No. But their biggest problem? Not with Tyrod at QB. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 8, 2018 So will the Bills target a QB in the draft? They have the 21st and 22nd overall picks, certainly ammunition to move into the top 10 or 5. Or will they go for a free agent/trade target like Alex Smith or Kirk Cousins? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 8, 2018 Why not do both? Or rather, try both. Go for the Alex Smith and the Kirk Cousins. If you win, surround them with more talent. If you lose, use your two picks to try to get up early in the first round and get a QB. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted January 9, 2018 Teams I rooted for went 1 - 3.... Way 2 Go, Jaguars. Please keep it up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
