Story by
Miscommunications arrived at worst time for Jaguars' defense
- Story by
- Miscommunications arrived at worst time for Jaguars' defense
The Jacksonville Jaguars ' defense picked two terrible times to have miscommunications: The fourth quarter of their 27-24 AFC wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 11.
On Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid 's 15-yard touchdown catch with 8:56 remaining, giving the Bills a 20-17 lead, he ran a kind-of wheel route to the left side.
Advertisement
Safety Eric Murray followed receiver Khalil Shakir to the flat. Cornerback Greg Newsome turned his attention toward receiver Tyrell Shavers running down the left seam. Linebacker Devin Lloyd initially followed Kincaid until turning his back to play zone coverage.
Who was at fault? Nobody would confirm my thought that it was Newsome.
"Everybody just needs to be in the right spot; it was a breakdown," Lloyd said.
And on Buffalo's winning drive, Lloyd was the free blitzer when quarterback Josh Allen lofted a 36-yard pass to receiver Brandin Cooks . To start the play, Cooks was wide left. Murray, the slot defender, traveled with Shavers on an out route. Newsome had outside leverage and safety Antonio Johnson was playing deep between the hashmarks. Cooks was wide open. Did Newsome believe he had over-the-top help? Johnson wouldn't say.
Advertisement
"A miscommunication," Johnson said. "Pretty much that's what it was on the back end and (Allen) found him."
The Bills scored the winning touchdown five plays later.
Here are 10 more thoughts about Bills- Jaguars :
1. Bhayshul Tuten provides spark
Rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten ended the first quarter with consecutive rushes for 20, 14 and 13 yards as the Jaguars worked the edge of the Bills' defense.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) dives forward for a first down during the first quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
First play:Key blocks by receiver Jakobi Meyers , tight end Johnny Mundt and right tackle Anton Harrison .
Second play:Key blocks by Mundt, Harrison and right guard Patrick Mekari .
Advertisement
Third play:Defensive end Joey Bosa failed to keep containment.
"We got a lot of juice and energy from those plays," Tuten said.
Tuten, though, had only one more carry the rest of the game.
"I wouldn't say I was surprised; it was just the flow of the game," Tuten said.
MORE FROM O'HALLORAN: What an opportunity squandered for Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence in playoffs
2. Trevor Lawrence 's first interception
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence's first interception appeared to be a gotcha play by veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson , who retreated into a "Tampa Two" look (split safeties, deep middle linebacker).
Advertisement
"I dropped a pick in practice and I told myself I was going to catch one (in the game)," Thompson said. "I caught that one. It wasn't just me, though. It was everyone doing their job."
The Bills turned that takeaway into a field goal.
3. Failed fourth down
After taking a 7-3 lead on receiver Brian Thomas Jr. 's 3-yard touchdown catch, the Jaguars got it right back when rookie LeQuint Allen , Jr. served as a human missile, forcing kick returner Ray Davis to fumble. The Jaguars faced a fourth-and-2 at the Bills' 9.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) surges forward for a first down during the fourth quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
It looked like left guard Ezra Cleveland was supposed to get out to Thompson, but Cleveland was hip-checked by Bosa. I would have liked to see Lawrence lower his shoulder to run through Thompson instead of trying to dive for the marker. The virtual measurement gave the Jaguars a first down, but Bills coach Sean McDermott won the challenge.
Advertisement
The Bills marched 92 yards for a touchdown. A big momentum turn.
4. End-of-first-half chaos
The Jaguars were unable to capitalize on a semi-gift at the end of the first half.
Lawrence's 34-yard pass down the middle to receiver Parker Washington ended with seven seconds on the clock.
The Jaguars raced to the line of scrimmage. As center Robert Hainsey snapped, the clock hit zero, but flags were thrown because Bosa was offsides. Watching it live, I didn't think right tackle Anton Harrison was set.
Officials hemmed and hawed before deciding center Robert Hainsey had snapped the ball on time even though the replay showed it was a fraction late. On replay, Harrison was set.
Advertisement
The Jaguars couldn't take advantage because kicker Cam Little's 54-yard field goal hit the left upright, ending his streak of 20 consecutive makes.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
5. Bills lean on Khalil Shakir
The Bills' top-ranked running game was contained by the Jaguars' top-ranked rush defense. Rushing champion James Cook carried 15 times for only 46 yards.
Buffalo pivoted its plan and used short passes to receiver Khalil Shakir to serve as their running game.
Shakir caught all 12 of his intended targets for 82 yards. In the second half, Shakir's seven catches had air-yard distances of 0, 18, 4, 4, 5, 0 and 0 yards. He is a post-catch maestro.
Advertisement
6. Parker Washington's go-ahead TD
Parker Washington's 6-yard touchdown catch with 12:55 remaining gave the Jaguars a 17-13 lead and came against top Bills cornerback Christian Benford . It was great stuff by the Jaguars.
"I knew I had an opportunity to get the ball with the progression of the play," Washington said. "I had a pretty good release (at the snap). (Benford) wanted to stay inside so I wanted to use speed to wrap around him. Trevor trusted me and I made a play."
Lawrence's high-velocity pass was one of his best of the day.
7. Final interception
On the Jaguars' final play, Bosa split Cleveland and left tackle Walker Little . If Lawrence had another split second, he would have had a chance to throw deep to Washington.
Advertisement
Washington ran a deep post, but Lawrence threw over the middle to Meyers. Cornerback Tre'Davious White broke it up and the pass was intercepted by safety Cole Bishop .
8. Appreciation for MVP
I was fortunate to watch Allen lead the Bills for three seasons (2022-24), which included seven playoff games. What guts and moxie and leadership he showed against the Jaguars.
Allen knew he had to play turnover-free and never gave the Jaguars a chance at an interception. He was 28-fo-35 passing for 273 yards.
In 14 playoff games, Allen has 26 touchdown passes and only four interceptions, and also rushed for nine touchdowns. What a player.
Advertisement
9. Numbers of note
The Jaguars were minus-1 in turnover differential; they finished 2-1 when losing that department. … Meyers played 54 of 56 snaps. … Fourth-quarter lead changes: 17-13 Jaguars, 20-17 Bills, 24-20 Jaguars, 27-24 Bills. … The Bills were 7 of 14 on third down.
10. Ups and downs
Ups:Washington finished with 107 yards on seven catches; his third 100-yard game in four weeks. … Etienne totaled 116 yards on 15 touches.
Downs:The secondary had no pass break-ups (the Bills had nine). … Receiver Dyami Brown 's forgettable tenure ended with a healthy scratch (one-year contract for $10 million). … The pass rush had only one sack. ... Walker Little had both Jaguars penalties (false starts).
Contact O'Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: How Jaguars were bitten by miscommunication at worst possible time
