NFL sets Jaguars-Bills playoff date, time. When will teams kick off?

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NFL sets Jaguars-Bills playoff date, time. When will teams kick off?

Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union · The Florida Times-Union

Mon, Jan 5, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Josh Hines-Allen vs. Josh Allen .

Duuuval vs. Bills Mafia .

The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the Buffalo Bills , in the playoffs, again.

The place is EverBank Stadium. The time is 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, and Jaguars fans across the First Coast can circle it for Jacksonville's return to the postseason against a familiar playoff foe.

A fan cheers on the Jaguars against the Titans in Sunday's game. The Jaguars open the playoffs at home against Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 11.

Jacksonville's 41-7 rout of the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 4 secured the No. 3 seed and the matchup against the sixth-seeded Bills (12-5). It's the Jaguars' ninth playoff visit, and their third meeting against the Bills in the first round.

Jacksonville (13-4), which has completed the regular season with its best record since 1999, could have jumped to the AFC's No. 2 or even No. 1 seed depending on Sunday's late games, but both the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos won in the 4:25 p.m. NFL window.

The NFL announced the kickoff times on Sunday night during halftime of the AFC South decider between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers . (The Steelers won 26-24).

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence throws under pressure from Bills defensive linemen DaQuan Jones (92) and Greg Rousseau (50) in the teams' 2024 game.

The Jaguars-Bills matchup stirs winning memories for longtime Jacksonville fans. In the 1996 postseason, the Jags won 30-27 in New York during the first round of the playoffs to eliminate the Bills in Jim Kelly's last game. Then, in the 2017 playoffs, the Jags managed to grind out a 10-3 victory on home turf in the opening round with Ben Koyack 's touchdown catch from Blake Bortles making the difference. Jacksonville ultimately reached the AFC Championship Game in both postseasons.

However, the last Jaguars-Bills meeting turned into an all-out Buffalo stampede: Josh Allen threw for four touchdowns and the Bills rolled 47-10 in Monday Night Football on Sept. 23, 2024.

Each team owns 10 wins in the series, counting postseason games.

Over the years, playoff road trips haven't ended well for Buffalo. The Bills have lost their last eight playoff games away from home since their last road win in postseason, defeating the Miami Dolphins 29-10 in the AFC Championship on Jan. 17, 1993. Jaguars coach Liam Coen was 7 years old at the time.