JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in a 2025 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday.

John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…

1. Inches and big plays. The NFL postseason is about pressure plays in pressure moments – and Sunday revealed again the game-of-inches aspect of postseason football. The AFC South Champion Jaguars and wild-card Bills were never separated by more than a score. Neither team held momentum. The Jaguars as they move on a remarkable season will remember the closest of calls in this memorable Round 1 playoff game. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence's knee brushing the turf a blink too early and turning first and goal with a chance to take a double-digit second-quarter lead into a turnover on downs at the Bills 8. Kicker Cam Little's potential game-tying 54-yard field goal on the final play of the first half bouncing from the left upright. The Jaguars' defense never quiiite being able to get Bills quarterback Josh Allen off the field in a back-and-forth fourth quarter and the Bills converting two third downs and two fourth downs while scoring two go-ahead touchdowns in that heartbreaking period. The most critical of inches went the Bills' way Sunday – and one of the memorable Jaguars seasons ended with the emptiest and most-frustrated of feelings.
2. Helluva game, helluva season. Sunday's Jaguars loss revealed again the brutal, unavoidable truth of the NFL postseason – that one team's season ends and the other's continues even when both teams deserve to win. The Jaguars in many ways did enough to win Sunday – but when playing a Hall-of-Fame caliber player such as Allen, it's not always enough to play with passion and poise. Allen is one of the few NFL players truly capable of "carrying" a team – and because he did so Sunday, the '25 season ended without the postseason run of which the Jaguars were capable. What shouldn't be forgotten in Sunday's disappointment was what this Jaguars team accomplished. The second-most victories in franchise history. The fifth division title in franchise history. The second-longest winning streak in franchise history. Most significantly, the 2025 Jaguars emphatically put a long stretch of frustration and disfunction in the rearview. Lawrence late Sunday emphasized that this season's success does not guarantee future success. But he emphasized at the same time that what happened in 2025 is sustainable. "I hope that we've established a standard of competing at a high level, of mental and physical toughness, of putting the team first, and that we're going to make every decision as an organization that puts the team and 'the grass' first because that's what matters," Head Coach Liam Coen said late Sunday. The Jaguars absolutely did that this season – and what the Jaguars accomplished this season shouldn't be lost in the empty feeling that every player, coach and fans felt late Sunday.

Brian Sexton, Senior Correspondent…

1. The Jaguars looked a bit uptight in the first half. It was a big stage against the NFL's reigning MVP. But they settled down and settled in for the second half, scoring a field goal and two touchdowns on their first three possessions and taking a 24-20 lead with four minutes remaining. Allen ultimately made enough plays to win, but Lawrence overcame a first-half interception and constant pressure to throw three touchdowns and look like the guy we watched over the final two months of the 2025 season. If the normally sure-handed Jakobi Meyers catches Lawrence's final pass, we might have seen an NFL-record fifth fourth-quarter lead change – or at least a field-goal attempt to force overtime. If the disappointment of the season ending suddenly overtakes you, don't forget that the Jaguars found their head coach this season and that he rediscovered their quarterback. That sets a higher standard for the future in Jacksonville.
2. It will be hard for the Jaguars to sleep tonight. Two plays the Jaguars didn't make cost them a chance to advance – and that makes you a bit queasy. The fourth-down attempt in the second quarter that originally was a first down but overturned by a replay review – and the 54-yard miss by Little on the final play of the first half. Lawrence was ruled down inches shy of a first down instead of getting a first down with inches to spare and the home team came away with no points. To make it worse, they then allowed Allen to orchestrate a 92-yard drive to give Buffalo the lead. The Jaguars were then given one second at the end of the half after it appeared they didn't get the snap off in time because two Bills defenders were offsides trying to get back across the line of scrimmage – only to have Little miss from 54 yards. Who knows how it might have turned out? That's life on the NFL's big stage.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter/Producer...

1. Good but not good enough. The 2025 Jaguars faced off against experienced opponent in the Bills – and I believe that made the difference in the game. While I commend Coen for sticking to his guns, choosing to forgo a field goal early in the game ended up being the difference in a 27-24 loss. Allen was impressive. Playing through myriad injuries, he threw for a touchdown and rushed for two more. His most impressive stat of the day was no turnovers. Lawrence had two interceptions, and the Jags just couldn't put all the pieces together at the right times. In the playoffs, small things can be the difference between winning and losing. The Jags were good throughout the regular season, but they couldn't quite get it done when it counted most.
2. Duval County once again showed up big time. The Jaguars hosted their first playoff game in three seasons, and a sold-out crowd witnessed it. While Bills fans were present for Wild Card Sunday, there was no question whose stadium the game was being played in. In a way that only sports can, a winning football team has revitalized the city of Jacksonville. With the new regime in place, hopefully this is just the beginning of things to come.