Josh Allen helps Bills snap playoff drought in win over Jaguars

Josh Allen has finally won a road playoff game, and it took his Superman moves to get it done for his Buffalo Bills.

The Bills took down the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-24, behind Allen’s two rushing scores, including the game-winner Sunday afternoon.

The fourth quarter was electric for both teams as each scored two touchdowns in the 15 minutes that followed. But it was Allen’s second rushing score of the game that mattered most in the end.

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Allen and the Bills’ offense faced a 24-20 deficit after Trevor Lawrence found Travis Etienne Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown catch where he broke a tackle and flew into the end zone. The Duval County crowd went wild, but the clock was still in Buffalo’s favor.

After all, we’ve seen Allen have some great playoff heroics in the past. But he was 0-4 in road playoff games for his career entering this contest, and the pressure was definitely on as Jacksonville’s defense made it difficult for him all game.

Allen’s first clutch moment of the drive came when he threw the ball 36 yards off his back foot to Brandin Cooks to turn the field into Jaguars territory. Cooks tallied 58 yards on three receptions, including this key one down the stretch.

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Then the Bills found themselves with a fourth-and-inch play, played at the line from Jacksonville’s 11-yard line. It wasn’t hard to tell that Buffalo was going to run their version of the tush push with Allen, but no one expected what happened next.

Not only did Allen get the push he needed for the first down, but his teammates continued to push him forward for 10 yards, nearly finding the end zone.

On the very next play, after the officials reversed their initial ruling on a touchdown, the Bills went back to the well when Allen was pushed into the end zone without much of a Jaguar threat. Jacksonville seemed to want them to score with just over a minute to play and down three points.

Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at EverBank Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Given kicker Cam Little’s legs — he reset the NFL’s longest field goal record earlier this season — Lawrence didn’t have to go too far to have a chance to send the game into overtime.

But on the very first play of the drive, a pass intended for Jakobi Meyers was tipped by Tre’Davious White, who had a great game, and intercepted by safety Cole Bishop. Bishop fell smartly to the turf and the game was over and the Jaguars had no timeouts.

The Bills will now wait to see who their next opponent will be in the divisional round.

In the box, Allen was 28-of-35 for 273 yards with a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid in the fourth quarter. He also had 33 rushing yards on 11 carries, while James Cook struggled all day against the league’s best rushing defense, with just 46 yards on 15 touches in the backfield.

Khalil Shakir also stepped up for Buffalo, hauling in all 12 of his targets for 82 yards.

For Jacksonville, Lawrence had three touchdown passes on his 30 attempts, but also two interceptions, the second by Shaq Thompson in the first half. He threw for 207 yards with 31 rushing yards on six attempts to close out his season.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks to pass the ball in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

The rush attack was good for the Jaguars who saw Etienne pick up 67 and Bhayshul Tuten add 51 in just four carries.

In the passing game, Parker Washington capped off his season with another solid performance, hauling in seven catches for 107 yards to lead the game.