Jaguars drop critical Cole Van Lanen update in final injury report vs. Bills

After finishing 13-3 in the regular season, the true challenge begins for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, they'll welcome the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Stadium.

Currently, the Jags are an underdog for the game, but they have a handful of things going in their favor. One of them is that they may get Cole Van Lanen back against the Bills.

The Jaguars list Cole Van Lanen as limited vs. the Bills

After missing the sitting out the first two practices of the week, Cole Van Lanen got limited work Friday and is listed as questionable for the Bills game. He was the only player to get a designation.

As Ryan O'Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union points out, only once in the season did a Jaguars player suit up on Game Day after practicing just once: Ezra Cleveland in Week 3. It will be interesting to see if Van Lanen makes it two.

Aside from Van Lanen, cornerback Jarrian Jones also missed time with illness but is a full go. Similarly, right guard Patrick Mekari is back in the fold after dealing with a back injury the past two weeks.

If Van Lanen isn't ultimately good to go, Walker Little will most likely replace him at left tackle. A second-round pick in 2021, Little was the Week 1 starter but was benched in favor of Van Lanen in the second half of the season.

Van Lanen has been an upgrade at left tackle, so Jacksonville would surely want to have him against Buffalo. That said, taking a backseat might have helped Little put it all together. Starting in the Bills game would allow him to prove just that.

On the Buffalo sideline, wide receiver Joshua Palmer is listed as questionable, while cornerback Maxwell Hairston (ankle), linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf), and safety Damar Hamlin (pectoral) will not suit up against the Jags.

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The Jaguars will have a chance to beat the Bills even without Cole Van Lanen

The Jaguars will be tasked with containing Joey Bosa, AJ Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, and Deone Walker. Having Patrick Mekari back in the fold will certainly help and could lessen the impact of Cole Van Lanen's potential absence.

But even if Van Lanen sits out the Buffalo game, the Jaguars have the firepower to challenge a Bills defense that struggles to defend the run. In fact, Jacksonville wills surely pound the rock early and often to force Buffalo to bring more players into the box. This will, in turn, present more favorable opportunities for Trevor Lawrence and the passing game.

On the other hand, the Jaguars defense will have the tough task of containing Josh Allen. Working in the unit's favor is that the Bills don't truly have a game-changer at receiver, and if Anthony Campanile's squad finds a way to stymie tight end Dalton Kincaid, it will put lots of pressure on Allen's shoulders.

The bottom line is that with or without Cole Van Lanen, the Jaguars have a chance to repel the Bills, as they have enough talent on both sides of the ball to overcome his potential absence. That said, their odds of winning will increase a bit if he's ultimately available for the playoff bout.