Josh Allen and the Bills begin their Super Bowl quest at the overlooked Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills don’t have to beat Kansas City, Cincinnati or Baltimore to reach the Super Bowl.

The team with the reigning MVP and the AFC’s most playoff experience faces a new path, beginning with a wild-card game in Jacksonville. Although this journey doesn’t seem as daunting as those in recent years that included Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, it might be equally treacherous.

Especially with the Bills being on the road — and the streaking and surprising Jaguars already feeling overlooked.

Allen opens his latest quest to get Buffalo back to the NFL’s ultimate stage on Sunday. That’s the way most outsiders will look at the matchup featuring the third-seeded Jaguars (13-4) and the sixth-seeded Bills (12-5).

Here’s another:

“The whole football industry is going to be watching us,” Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said. “People who haven’t been seeing us, we get to show them who we are.”

The Jaguars have won eight in a row while averaging 33.6 points a game and have derived extra motivation from being underappreciated all season, whether it’s perceived slights from national pundits or actual snubs like Pro Bowl votes cast by players, coaches and fans.

For this game, the Jaguars merely need to peek at the betting line to find fuel: BetMGM installed Buffalo as a one-point favorite at EverBank Stadium, where the Bills last won in 2013.

Buffalo also is 0-5 on the road in the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott, starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round. The Bills have dropped eight consecutive postseason games on the road since winning at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. It’s the NFL’s second-longest active playoff road skid.

“Just got to go out there and play,” Bills running back James Cook said. “You only got one game left, so every game, you just got to play like it’s your last.”

Buffalo has been at its best when Cook is, well, cooking. The Bills are 8-1 when the NFL rushing leader tops 100 yards on the ground. He’s facing a tough task against the Jaguars, who haven’t allowed anyone to reach 75 yards rushing while becoming the league’s top run defense in 2025.

“What a great opportunity for us to be the only team playing,” Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said. “Great opportunity for us to maximize what we can do and be on a platform to where people can watch our games everywhere and see what type of team we are.”

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks, and for good reason.

Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence is playing as well as anyone. Lawrence has accounted for 24 touchdowns during the team’s winning streak.

Allen, meanwhile, carried the Bills as usual — he has four fourth-quarter comebacks this season — and made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. Could this finally be his Super Bowl year?

“Josh just wants to win,” Bills receiver Gabe Davis said. “He’s a huge competitor. And I feel like when it comes to these moments, it’s when he really shines.”

Bills kicker Matt Prater, 41, will try to play after aggravating a quadriceps injury last week.

“I just want to feel confident and feel good,” said Prater, who took over the kicking duties after Tyler Bass was sidelined by hip and groin issues before the season opener. “I’m going to do everything I can to get back and play. But we’ll see what happens.”

If Prater can’t go, the Bills have Matthew Wright on the practice squad. Wright has six seasons of NFL experience, including 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021.

There’s a common theme in Buffalo’s five losses: Allen was under intense pressure in each game, leading to sacks and turnovers. Eight sacks and two interceptions against Houston. Five sacks and two fumbles against Philadelphia. Four sacks, two interceptions and two fumbles against Atlanta. Three sacks, an interception and a fumble against Miami. One sack, an interception and a fumble against New England.

Jacksonville’s goal: Pressure Allen with a four-man rush and don’t let him scramble for big plays.

“Huge test for those guys,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “I believe they’ll be up for the challenge.”

With Kansas City, Cincinnati and Baltimore missing the playoffs, Buffalo has been a trendy pick to win the AFC. Does that put more pressure on the Bills?

“Aren’t we the sixth seed?” left tackle Dion Dawkins quipped. “The whole world’s not saying the Bills. Nobody’s talking about the Buffalo Bills. So I feel like all the stress is not on our shoulders.

“We play to be in the dance. We’re dancing. Now we just need to be prom king and queen at the end.”

AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

A fan cheers during the first half of an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (17) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles' Jalyx Hunt (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of homes and businesses across northern France and southern England were without power Friday morning and residents faced widespread travel delays after a storm swept in off the Atlantic, bringing high winds, rain and snow to the region.

The low-pressure system, named Storm Goretti, pummeled the Isles of Scilly overnight with wind gusts up to 99 mph (159 kph) recorded in the archipelago off the southwestern tip of England. Local government officials reported blocked roads, unstable buildings and power outages that left some people without water.

More than 57,000 were without power across southwestern England, the Midlands and Wales, according to National Grid, which runs the country’s electricity transmission network.

As the storm moved across the United Kingdom it collided with an existing mass of Arctic air, bringing snow to northern areas and heavy rain to the south.

That extended the misery in northern Scotland, where snowplows have been working overtime to keep roads open after more than half a meter (20 inches) of snow fell earlier in the week. More than 250 schools across Scotland were closed on Friday, with some remaining shut for a fifth straight day.

National Rail warned people across the U.K. to check before traveling because the storm had disrupted services across England, Scotland and Wales. Birmingham Airport, which closed briefly due to snow, said had reopened with “reduced runway operations.”

The disruptions came after the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, issued a rare red weather warning — its highest — in southwestern England for Thursday evening.

Red warnings are issued when the forecaster considers it “very likely” there will be life-threatening conditions.

Strong winds from Storm Goretti also battered northwestern France on Friday.

No major damage was reported, but some 320,000 homes were still without power at midday, down from 380,000 earlier, national power grid operator Enedis said. Most of the outages were concentrated in the Normandy region.

France’s national weather service, Météo-France, had issued weather warnings ahead of the storm, urging residents to remain home. An overnight wind gust of up to 213 kph (132 mph) was recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare in Normandy.

Regional train services were suspended across northwestern France, with disruptions expected to last at least until Friday afternoon. High-speed rail services were operating, and authorities said they anticipated minimal impact on flights at Paris airports.

People cross the medieval Charles Bridge during a heavy snowfall in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A man clears snow from a walking path during a heavy snowfall in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Vehicles covered in snow are parked in Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, as Storm Goretti continues in the UK. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)