Broken Tables, 17 Years of Dust, and Why the 2026 Vibes Are Hitting Different
It is Sunday morning in Duval, January 11, 2026, and the Florida winter is playing by its own humid rules. The air clinging to the St. Johns River is a heavy, intoxicating cocktail of charcoal smoke, sea salt, and suffocating anticipation.
As I stand here on the sidelines, watching the teal wave descend upon EverBank Stadium, I can’t help but feel the ghost of a different era. In my mind, I’m instantly transported back eight years, to January 7, 2018. I was covering the game for ESPN back then, standing on this very patch of turf when the Buffalo Bills rolled into town for a Wild Card weekend that felt more like a cultural collision than a football game.
You have to remember the sheer, crushing weight of that day. The Bills hadn’t sniffed the playoffs in 17 years. An entire generation of kids in Western New York had grown up without ever seeing their team play a postseason snap. When they finally broke the curse, they didn’t just travel to Jacksonville; they invaded it.
I remember walking through the tailgate lots that morning and witnessing a scene that defied physics and public safety ordinances. The streets were a graveyard of white folding tables. I watched grown men in Zubaz pants launch themselves off the roofs of RVs, elbow-dropping through plastic furniture like it was a sacrificial rite. The asphalt was a mosaic of plastic shards and ketchup. It was beautiful. It was terrifying. It was the "Bills Mafia" introducing themselves to the First Coast with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
That afternoon turned into a defensive slugfest—a gritty, ugly 10-3 Jaguars win. It was a statistical anomaly where Blake Bortles somehow ran for more yards (88) than he threw for (87), and Jalen Ramsey sealed the deal with a game-ending interception. It was a win built on mud and survival.
But today? Today feels entirely different.
The 2026 Jaguars aren’t trying to win ugly. They are here to win loud. Coming off a dominant 13-4 season, the vibe has shifted from anxiety to swagger. "The Hair"—Trevor Lawrence—is flowing in the wind, fresh off a campaign where he tossed 25 touchdowns and flirted with 4,000 yards. "The Stache"—Shad Khan—is beaming from the owner's box. After that 24-point explosion of pure "Florida Man" chaos against the Titans last week, this offense isn't looking to drag Buffalo into the mud. They want to turn this game into a track meet.
And they’ll need to. The Bills are back, finishing 12-5 and boasting the league’s second-highest scoring offense, averaging nearly 31 points per game. Josh Allen is still a force of nature, accounting for nearly 40 total touchdowns this year. And let’s not forget James Cook, who quietly secured the rushing title this season. This is a battle of heavyweights—a top-tier scoring machine against a Jaguars defense that allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the league this year.
This matchup is also a fascinating chess match between two coaches at very different stages of their tenure. On one sideline, you have Liam Coen, the offensive mastermind hired in 2025 to unlock Trevor Lawrence. Coen has done exactly that, bringing a modern, motion-heavy scheme that completely revitalized the franchise after the Pederson era ended. He’s the new blood, the aggressive play-caller looking to make his mark. On the other sideline stands Sean McDermott, the defensive architect who has built Buffalo into a perennial powerhouse. McDermott is the veteran in this fight, boasting six straight seasons with 10+ wins, but he is still chasing that elusive Lombardi Trophy. It’s the "Offensive Prodigy" versus the "Process Truster," and that clash of philosophies will dictate the tempo of this game.
The drought is ancient history. The tables in the parking lot are broken, but I’ve got a feeling the only thing getting broken inside the stadium is the Bills' defensive scheme.
The "Memory Lane" 3-Leg Parlay
In honor of the chaos I witnessed in 2018 and the offensive fireworks I expect today, here is the play:
Leg 1: Travis Etienne Over 65.5 Rushing Yards Back in 2018, the Jags grounded and pounded their way to a win out of necessity. Today, they do it out of opportunity. While the Bills' offense is elite, McDermott’s run defense has been porous, ranking 28th in DVOA and allowing 4.8 yards per carry. Etienne, who cracked 1,000 yards again this season, channels that old-school energy with new-school speed. He eats early, and he eats often.
Leg 2: Trevor Lawrence 2+ Passing Touchdowns We aren't winning 10-3 this time. Trevor has been surgical since December, reading coverages like a ten-year vet. With Buffalo putting up points in bunches, the Prince needs to answer. I expect a shootout, and Lawrence finds the end zone at least twice through the air against a secondary missing key pieces.
Leg 3: Jacksonville Jaguars Moneyline (-120) I saw the Bills' heart break in this stadium eight years ago. The atmosphere today is even more electric, and the team is infinitely more talented. I’m betting on history repeating itself. The "Jaggin Wagon" rolls on to the Divisional Round.
LOCK IT IN. DUUUVAL.
