JACKSONVILLE – Each week during the 2025 season, Jaguars "experts" – Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Kainani Stevens – will analyze the following day's Jaguars matchup.

Up this week:

The Buffalo Bills at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville in a 2025 AFC Wild Card Playoff game.

Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars

• The Jaguars will win if: They continue playing with balance and efficiency. That gets more difficult against one of the NFL's best teams, and best quarterbacks. Offensively, the Jags must find a bit of a running game, more similar to what they did early in the year. The Bills are much better against the pass than the run. So you must run some. This game probably will come down to the fourth quarter, likely with a lot of points, so red-zone offense is critical. Defensively, the Jags must keep Josh Allen from making plays off schedule. He has rushed for more than 500 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's a passer gets flushed out of the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield, so keeping him in the pocket is critical. They also must win first down. Cook can't take over the game if the Bills are behind the sticks often.
• The Bills will win if: They really get to Lawrence. The Jags have protected him, but the Bills really cover, so Lawrence will need more time. The Bills' pass rush is critical and they probably need a few explosive plays from Cook. The Jags are SO good against the run that hitting a few big ones would really help the Bills.
• As Frangie sees it: This will be one of the best -- if not the best -- games of Wild Card weekend. Two terrific teams. But the Jags are red hot, have been consistent, and are playing with great confidence. I think the Jags have the better team. The Bills tend to turn it over. The Jags tend to get takeaways. Close game. But I like the Jags.

Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end

• The Jaguars will win if: They win the turnover battle. Takeaways and stopping the run have been the calling cards of the Anthony Campanile-coached Jaguars defense. Stopping James Cook and putting Allen in obvious passing situations will create opportunities for takeaways. Trevor Lawrence and the offense must continue protecting the ball as they have in the last six games, a stretch in which he has only thrown one interception.
• The Bills will win if: Their defense can shut down a hot quarterback in Lawrence. Buffalo's No. 1-ranked pass defense will present a tough challenge for Lawrence to find easy completions. Buffalo also brings a large amount of playoff experience, having been a regular participant in the playoffs for the last seven seasons.
• As Lageman sees it: This will be a great environment without an empty seat to be found. The Jaguars' fans will be loud and the Bills Mafia will be felt as well. A great matchup of head coaches that will square off as play-callers against one another. The Bills have the experience but also the pressure that comes with high expectations. The Jaguars have a team that has been resilient throughout the year and are playing at a high level. Both teams have great quarterbacks that can win games with their arms and legs. Should be a game to remember.

Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director

• The Jaguars will win if: They score more than 27 points and don't let Allen and Cook have monster days. With Allen at quarterback, the Bills have played 13 playoff games and scored less than 24 points just three times. The Bills are going to score some points, so the Jaguars have to match them on the offensive side.
• The Bills will win if: They play even in the turnover game and win the trenches. It's good on good with the Bills' running game and Jaguars' rush defense. The Jags have also been so good at timely turnovers, so Allen will have to stay away from big mistakes.
• As Martineau sees it: This one is going to be fun. I think it's the best game of the weekend and both teams have great confidence in their franchise quarterback right now. The Jaguars might be the best team in the AFC and I think they will play like it. The Jaguars hold off Allen and the Bills in a shootout, 31-27.

John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer

• The Jaguars will win if: They finish drives offensively, run decently and get the Bills' offense off the field in critical situations defensively. The Jaguars have reliably scored in the 30s in the last two months when they avoid red-zone turnovers. The Bills' offense is really good and will score, but the Jaguars must come up big in big moments defensively.
• The Bills will win if: The Jaguars can't stop the run. The Bills are the NFL's best run offense and the Jaguars are the best run defense. The Bills are good enough running that they will produce some long runs and long gains. The Jaguars can't let the Bills dominate the game in this area.
• As Oehser sees it: The Jaguars enter this game hot. They are as good as any team in the AFC and maybe in the NFL as the postseason begins – and quarterback Trevor Lawrence is playing as well as any NFL quarterback. If the Jaguars finish in the red zone and avoid turnovers, they should win a high-scoring game.

Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent

• The Jaguars will win if: They can keep pace with Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills have scored 30 or more points 11 times this season and 40 or more three times. They're the NFL's No. 1 running team and lead the NFL in time of possession – plus, they are outstanding on third down and convert nearly 45 percent. They're masters at controlling the game and limiting their opponent's possessions, which has protected a defense that isn't as powerful as it was last season. The Jaguars must make the most of every possession, which means they can't turn the ball over in the red zone or go three and out on multiple drives.
• The Bills will win if: Running back James Cook has a big day. Allen has been Superman again this season, in part because Cook has taken some of the attention away from the quarterback. Cook has run for 1,606 yards at nearly 5.2 yards per carry with 12 touchdowns. If he controls the tempo against the NFL's No. 1-ranked run defense, the Jaguars are in trouble.
• As Sexton sees it: The Jaguars are the AFC's most complete team. They don't have the glaring holes that almost every other team is fighting to overcome. They're playing great football and are a tough matchup – as the No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos can attest. The Bills have won at least one playoff game in each of the last five seasons, but none on the road. I like the Jaguars' chances playing at home, where they've been excellent this season and where the home crowd has come to play with an energetic advantage. Give me the Jags to advance to the Divisional round.

J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com senior reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: They establish physicality on both lines. The Jaguars would love to get the run game going against a Bills defense that ranked low in the league in the regular season. The Jaguars' defensive front seven must stand up against the NFL's best rushing attack.
• The Bills will win if: Allen finds balance on offense, and the Jaguars make mistakes and turn the ball over. Allen is the leading rusher among NFL quarterbacks, and can make any throw, though his receivers are not necessarily household names. If the Jaguars give them extra possessions and give them giveaways, that's a bad recipe.
• As Shadrick sees it: The environment at EverBank Stadium Sunday should be electric. This team has energized the city and fanbase, and the Jaguars will have all the support they need to see it through and move on to the Divisional round. This is the Bills' seventh straight playoff team, but the Jaguars' first since 2022. The team that can handle the early emotions of the game - and make big plays in key moments - will have the advantage.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars team reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: They continue to play their game and don't get caught up in the pressure of the moment. The Jaguars have the better team on paper and if they play to their ability, I think they can win easily. Lawrence is playing at an elite level and I don't doubt the Jags' ability to score. If the Jags' defense can keep the Bills' run game in check, then they will put everything on Allen's shoulders to save the day.
• The Bills will win if: Allen puts on his cape, but he also gets some help. Buffalo doesn't have its normal array of elite wide receiver targets, but the tight ends have potential to open things up for the Bills' offense on Sunday. The Bills' defense has improved the latter half of the seasons and Head Coach Sean McDermott has done well with in-game adjustments. You can never count Allen and the Bills out, even with a double-digit lead.
• As Stevens sees it: I don't think it favors Buffalo to try and get into a shootout with the Jags. If the Bills' defense can find a way to slow down Lawrence, then this will be a tight game. If the Jags get an early lead, they will not relinquish it. The Jaguars win streak will keep rolling with another victory at the 'Bank on Wild Card weekend.