Jaguars take heat for crucial 4th down decision

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The Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to go up seven points in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills in their AFC wild-card round matchup on Sunday.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence took a snap on 4th-and-2 and ran to his left. He tried to reach for the marker and officials initially ruled that he got enough for a first down. But the Bills challenged the spot of the ball and a replay showed that Lawrence was down well short.

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Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is stopped by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Daquan Jones during the wild-card playoff game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Jacksonville ended the drive with zero points. The Bills scored on their following drive to take a 10-7 lead.

Super Bowl champion T.J. Ward took issue with the play-call on fourth down instead of trying to take the points.

“I’m so sick of these coaches going for it on 4th down,” Ward wrote on X. “Take the points. The points are more than just points.

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Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence stands next to head coach Liam Coen during the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“They keep your momentum going! And when you fail the attempt on 4th down, you give the other team a tremendous momentum boost. Football is not rocket science.”

Jacksonville rushed down the field from its own 1-yard line and was able to get a field-goal attempt from 54 yards out before halftime. Cam Little missed the kick just a bit to his left.

Lawrence was 9-of-15 for 88 yards and a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. He had 29 rushing yards on three carries.