1997

Jacksonville 20
Bills 14

Attendance: 41,231

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the playoffs, and in the long run, that's the important part. Years from now, nobody will ask how difficult it was to get there. Mark Brunell threw for 317 yards and ran for a 13-yard touchdown as Jacksonville clinched a postseason spot with a 20-14 victory over the Buffalo Bills. "The season hasn't been pretty," said Brunell, who finished 24-of-32 and matched his season-best in yardage. "Anything can happen in the playoffs. It's a brand new season. We'll be ready."

The Jaguars appeared to be in playoff form for the first three quarters before a near collapse in the fourth almost cost them the game. Jacksonville had a 17-3 lead before Buffalo closed to 17-14 in the final quarter when Alex Van Pelt led the Bills on an 80-yard touchdown drive. Antowain Smith ran in from the 1 with 8:03 remaining, and Van Pelt hit Eric Moulds with a conversion pass to make it interesting. "We can't do anything easy," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said. "There are so many instances I can talk about. We're happy to be 10-5. Let's just put it that way."

After Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis answered with a 47-yard field goal, Buffalo drove to the Jaguars 21 on its final possession before Deon Figures intercepted for Jacksonville with 53 seconds left. Natrone Means gained 74 yards rushing and scored another touchdown, and Hollis also had a 19-yard field goal for the Jaguars, who reached the postseason for the second time in their three-year history. They lost to New England in the AFC Championship game last season after finishing the season with five victories to make the playoffs. "It's a chance to stay alive now," Jacksonville center Dave Widell said. "We may have missed an opportunity to have some home games in the playoffs, but you know this team. Once we're in, you never know what's going to happen."

Steve Christie kicked field goals of 38 and 31 yards for Buffalo which finishes its season next week at Green Bay after missing the playoffs for the second time in four years. "Everybody played until the end," Smith said. "It's just been the same thing all year long. It's frustrating because we know we have capable playmakers on this team." A series of Buffalo miscues gave Jacksonville a 7-0 lead 4:50 into the game, and the Jaguars never lost the lead in beating the Bills for the second straight time at Rich Stadium. On Jacksonville's first play from scrimmage, Brunell found receiver Keenan McCardell wide open for a 60-yard gain. Two plays later, Brunell scrambled around left end for a 13-yard TD. "Mark threw a great ball, Keenan burned his guy (Thomas Smith) and there was great protection up front," Widell said. "That's the way to open up a game like this. We tried to stick the knife in their hearts early, but give them credit. They played the whole game."

Brunell, who had 123 yards passing in a loss to New England last week, had 135 yards passing in the first quarter against Buffalo on eight completions to six different receivers. Jacksonville went 90 yards on its third possession, capped off by Means' 2-yard run with 12:50 left in the half. Christie connected from 38 yards to make it 14-3 two seconds before halftime, and he kicked the 31-yarder early in the fourth quarter to cut the Jacksonville lead to 14-6.

Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli held Bills defensive end Bruce Smith without a sack in a matchup between two of the best players at their respective positions. They had a brief shoving match in the second quarter. "It was a good battle, a good fight," Boselli siad. "He didn't make any big plays, and that's what I wanted to stop. We exchanged a few holiday pleasantries."

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