5 takeaways from the Bills-Jaguars wild card game, as viewed through a Patriots’ prism

Taking the measure of Sunday’s AFC wild-card game from a New England perspective.

(Note: With Jacksonville’s win over Buffalo, Tennessee will play the Patriots in the divisional round Saturday night.)

1. The Titans will be able to run the ball on the Patriots. But it might not matter. Derrick Henry is good, and was a closer down the stretch on Saturday against the Chiefs. But when you take the entirety of the Tennessee roster into account, there’s very little likelihood that the Titans’ running game will matter when it counts. Tennessee doesn’t have the offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Patriots, and so the expected flow of the game will result in the Patriots willing to trade yardage for clock in the second half. So when Henry has 100-plus yards on the ground Saturday night, let’s look at the totals in some sort of expected context.

2. It’s going to be another big week for Dion Lewis and the rest of the backs in the passing game. Per Football Outsiders, Tennessee is dead last in defensive DVOA against running backs in the passing game. The Patriots are just one of three teams in NFL history to have three different backs finish a season with at least 30 catches and 30 carries (Lewis, James White and Rex Burkhead). Look for New England to exploit those matchups against the Titans.

3. If the Titans play a traditional Dick LeBeau defense, Tom Brady should have a big night. Brady has largely had his way with the defensive legend. Since 2004, Brady has faced a LeBeau defense eight times (seven times against the Steelers and once against the Titans). He’s 6-2 in that time, and has a per-game average of 25-for-37 for 312 yards, with 19 career touchdowns and one interception. One.

4. The Bills are heading into a really important offseason. It was a positive year for Buffalo, which broke its playoff drought while showing real gains on both sides of the ball. There’s a lot of talent on defense (particularly in the secondary), certainly enough to build around going forward. First-year coach Sean McDermott pushed a lot of right buttons for the Bills down the stretch. Now, Buffalo has to figure out a way to go from 9-7 and a wild-card berth to 11-5 and a sustainable threat in the AFC.

5. Tyrod Taylor and Blake Bortles aren’t playoff quarterbacks. Yes, these were two teams who were in the playoffs. Technically. But it certainly didn’t feel like postseason football, especially when it came to quarterback play. Both Bortles and Taylor failed to take advantage of opportunities in key moments. With the exception of one excellent drive in the third quarter, Bortles missed multiple throws throughout the afternoon. Taylor failed to connect on several attempts, including one laughable first-half red-zone sequence where Buffalo had the ball on first down at the 1.5-yard line, but had to settle for a 31-yard field goal. (You’re on the 1-yard line. You’re one of the best rushing teams in the league. Why throw a fade to Kelvin Benjamin?) Some of the struggles was coaching decisions and some of it could be traced back to some good defensive play from time to time. But it’s not enough to win in the postseason.