Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts: Questions will be answered
Mike D: Overdue Bills Senior Writer
Well, that was better. It was refreshing to see the Bills team we’ve all become accustomed to seeing. The Bills stomped the Jets 45-17, behind a big day from the besties; Allen and Diggs. Josh threw for 366 yards and 2 TD, and Diggs caught 8 passes for 162 yards. And I know I haven’t been the only one clamoring for this, but Matt Breida was a sight for sore eyes. He had one receiving TD and a rushing TD that showcased the difference between him and Moss & Singletary; speed. Speed was all over the place with Isaiah McKenzie getting back into the mix with jet sweeps. And as always, the Defense was led by the awesome secondary play with 4 interceptions (White, Poyer, Johnson, and Wallace) and a forced fumble and recovery by Micah Hyde. But that was vs the terrible Jets, and with tough competition coming up, let’s talk about expectations vs the Colts. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but let’s go through position group by position group to determine who will win.
Offense
QB- Well this is an easy one. Josh Allen is the obvious answer, but let’s talk about it. I remember when Josh was coming into the league, a comparison was Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz was tall, athletic with an arm. But it was the fact that Wentz was a big play waiting to happen, that was the biggest similarity. Wentz wasn’t going to shred you with accuracy, but he would have 3 broken plays a game where he would have a big play. That was thought of being Josh’s future. Thank goodness it isn't. But still, Wentz is capable to have 2 big plays in this game that changes things. Luckily our guy can match those big plays with some of his own.
RB- I mentioned previously, Brieda looked good. But he would’ve needed to look like Barry Sanders for me to consider Buffalo’s backfired here. This is where I believe Indy has their best chance to win. Due to the injury to Derek Henry, Jonathan Taylor has now taken the reigns as the best RB this season. He has been destroying teams and keeping me alive in my fantasy football league. But besides him, Nyheim Hines is a great 2nd back to have. Especially if Edmunds and Milano are out, look for Hines to be problematic coming catching out the backfield.
WR/TE- This is where the Bills’ strength is. I expect another big target day for Diggs. This is a must-win for Buffalo, so I expect the ball to be in the Bills’ best player hand (Josh Allen), and I expect him to get it to his BFF/favorite target (Stefon Diggs). But Michael Pittman is having a breakout year and Mo Alie-Cox is a big target around the RedZone.
OL- I’m going with Indianalopis here solely because Spencer Brown is out with Covid. When he is out, bad things happen. Buffalo just sign Bobby Hart, an offensive tackle from the Titans practice squad. I’m not expecting him to play, but he can’t be worse.
Defense- The only question about the defense is what will the nickname be for the secondary? Enter our contest now!
Coaching- You won’t find too many people in Buffalo that will say a bad word about Frank Reich. Me being one of them. It’s not only because he is an ex-Bill, and led one of the best comebacks in Bills/NFL history, it’s also because he was the OC of the Philadephia Eagles team that won the SuperBowl. He embraced analytics then and now, and I believe he is a great coach. But when it comes to head coach, offensive and defensive coordinator, we have one of the best in the league. I trust we will have an advantage in this area as well.
The Bills are Super Bowl favorite, and with that comes expectations. One expectation is that you beat a Carson Wentz-led football team at home. We can’t afford any more losses, especially conference losses. That first seed in the conference is still open, and with the Patriots winning on Thursday, a loss will not only stop conference talk but division talk as well.
Betting Information
Spread: Indianapolis -7
Over/Under: Over 50