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Four things to OBSERVE against the Jaguars

The NFL gods have blessed Western New York with the elusive postseason play. Today, Buffalo (9-7) will face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) with kickoff slated at 1:05 p.m. on CBS.

1. Dareus, JAX run D versus Bills run

All eyes were on LeSean McCoy as he limped on the field last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. As he punched the Florida grass, Bills fans felt hope for a competitive playoff game became more slim than making it.

With the help of Cincinnati, the Bills stole the sixth seed, but an efficient McCoy did not come with Buffalo to Jacksonville. On Friday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott noted that, “LeSean, we’ll see him do some things today, and we’ll go from there.”

Being less than 100 percent is not pleasing as McCoy will face former Bill Marcell Dareus and a D-line that controls games.

Jacksonville is second in the NFL for yards allowed, first in passing yards allowed (which doesn’t bode well for Buffalo’s feeble pass attack) and has the likes of Calais Campbell (14.5 sacks, second in NFL) and Yannick Ngakoue (12, tied for eighth).

Without McCoy, McDermott is still convinced Mike Tolbert and Marcus Murphy can hold their own, despite the obvious dropoff from the elite running back.

“Yeah, my confidence is still there,” McDermott said. “I saw it in Mike (Tolbert) and (Marcus Murphy) last week in Miami, and that’s really been the approach of our team all season long – preparing 63 guys and the next man up. We’ve done a good job of that to this point.”

Unfortunately, the “next man up” for the running back position is either a slow, trucking back who ran for 3.7 yards a carry or a practice squad signing that took seven handoffs this season.

2. Passing in a no pass zone

As alluded to earlier, Jacksonville’s pass defense is good. I could reiterate the blitzers, toss in a few cornerbacks that jump routes well and stress that the matchups aren’t in the Bills’ favor when it comes to a Tyrod Taylor attack. That’s obvious.

Insight into how Buffalo will mount the tall task is minimal as the offense is focused on “execution.”

“(They are) a very talented team, a very talented defense across the board,” Taylor said Wednesday. “Up front, at the linebacker position, and of course on the back end, they definitely pose a great challenge to anyone they play against just because of the number of talented players they have out there on the field. Like every week, it boils down to execution for us, staying ahead of the chain, that we have to be good on early downs to give ourselves a good shot on third downs to be able to move the chains.”

To have the offense succeed, in any manner, the Bills have to go with what worked. In games where Taylor got out of the pocket and had six or more rushes, Buffalo is 8-2 in 2017. Having the mobile threat is only one part to improve the underwhelming passing numbers and the only constant this year.

3. One for Buffalo

Though it is not a Super Bowl, going to the playoffs has arguably more meaning in Orchard Park than for any other professional sports team. After finally breaking the barrier and getting a top-six finish in the AFC, some players may have had their final games at home.

The one player that stands out is Kyle Williams. It is well reported that Williams may be exiting his Bills’ jersey for the last time once the 2017-18 season comes to an end.

“Well, the moments I took were with my sons on Sunday night, with my teammates in the locker room and on the way back,” Williams said Wednesday. “Once I got into Monday afternoon, it totally shifted gears and turned into another week for me. (I’m) preparing for Jacksonville, a good football team, and pouring everything into getting ready to play those guys.”

4. Enjoy the game

Bills fans go above and beyond – why else would tailgating become a game in itself? However, expectations to some are “on to Foxborough.” Being the sixth seed alone should humble fans, but overthinking and overanalyzing factors gives a sense of optimism.

Do not let fanatics blind the enjoyment of an extra NFL game or a loss hinder such memory of breaking the 17-year drought in spectacular fashion. No one says that it is a promise that a team only goes up – look at Carolina the last three years (from Super Bowl, to a 6-10 year, to 11-5).

McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have the offseason, the draft, free agency and much more to see if this may happen again in 2018 or not for a while. So, sit back, grab some wings and toss on your Andy Dalton jersey while taking in the 60 minutes of football.

Twitter: @Kuczkowski95

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