JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Thursday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.
The AFC South Champion Jaguars (13-4) will play the wild-card Buffalo Bills (12-5) at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday in a 2025 AFC Wild Card Playoff game. A look at Thursday around the Jaguars – with Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile speaking to the media before practice:
The Jaguars on Thursday issued the second of three injury reports for the week, with starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen missing practice for a second consecutive day with a knee injury sustained in a Week 18 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Cornerback Jarrian Jones practiced limited after missing Wednesday with an illness.
Starting right guard Patrick Mekari, who has missed the last two games with a back injury, practiced limited for a second consecutive day.
Three Jaguars players practiced limited for a second consecutive day: Rookie defensive end Danny Striggow (ankle/elbow), starting cornerback Montaric Brown (neck) and starting cornerback Greg Newsome II (shoulder).
Walker Little, the Jaguars' starting left tackle for the first 12 games of the season, started the last two games for Mekari – the latest Jaguars offensive lineman to start for an injury starter this season.
Van Lanen has started at five different offensive line positions this season – left and right tackle, left and right guard and extra tackle in a big offensive line set. Rookie Jonah Monheim has started two games for Robert Hainsey at center.
"The luxury is he can play both," Udinski said of Little. "[Reserve] Chuma [Edoga] has played both. Cole has played all over the place. These guys have gotten these reps starting at all these different positions. It's unfortunate that we've had to be in those situations and get those guys certain spots.
"I would love to say we had the same five offensive line start every single game at the same spot all year. But that's not the case and it's probably never going to be the case. So, the luxury of that is or the benefit of that is now guys have reps on both sides."
James Cook is really good. So is the Jaguars' defense.
Those elements are the core perhaps the No. 1 matchup in Jaguars-Bills Sunday, with the Bills and running back James Cook entering as the NFL's No. 1 running offense and the Jaguars entering as the NFL's No. 1 rushing defense.
It's strength versus strength – and Cook, the NFL's leading rusher in 2025, is really strong.
"He's an elite back," Campanile said.
Cook, a fourth-year veteran, rushed for 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns this season for a Bills offense that rushed for 159.6 yards per game. The Jaguars allowed 85.6 yards per game and did not allow a runner to rush for more than 75 yards in a game.
"They challenge you in so many ways with their run game," Campanile said. "They make everybody tackle. They do a really good job in their combinations. They do a good job playing with their hands as an offensive line. Their perimeter does a really good job blocking. That's generated a lot of their runs downfield.
"It's a challenge at every level of the defense."
The Bills enter Sunday ranked seventh in the NFL in defense, allowing 21.5 points per game, and also rank No. 1 in the NFL in pass defense at 156.9 yards per game.
"They've really mastered that scheme," Udinksi said. "You're not going to be No. 1 in pass defense without having really a great group across the board that's highly coordinated, plays hard, great technique, great fundamentals.
"They do a great job matching route concept, passing different things off, making it challenging. Not only post-snap, they make it challenging pre-snap. They present a bunch of different looks for the quarterbacks and that causes different issues that show up, whether it's the pass game or the run game. It's a solid group across the board."
Campanile, too, discussed Bills quarterback Josh Allen – the 2024 NFL MVP who has 25 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing this season. Campanile called Allen, who has quarterbacked the Bills to seven consecutive playoff appearances, a "phenomenal player."
"He's elite in the pocket, an elite thrower," Campanile said. "He's hard to tackle. He's a smart guy. He's running the show. He gets them into great plays. He has all the skill set of an elite player at that position and he makes you stay up late at night trying to get it right, that's for sure."
