Defense Makes Up For Injured Offense In Indy

The Bills were missing two of their starting wide receivers on Sunday, with Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman both inactive due to wrist injuries. The defense took advantage of veteran Joe Flacco not having his best game, making the move away from Anthony Richardson as the starting QB even more puzzling.

Defense starts HOT

Buffalo started with the ball, and a 14 yard completion to Curtis Samuel appeared to set the tone positively. However, Allen was sacked for no gain on 3rd and 3 at Buffalo’s 43 yard line, and Head Coach Sean McDermott opted to punt. On Indy’s first play, Flacco’s pass was intercepted by Taron Johnson. The slot corner followed his blocks to the other side of the field, until he reached the endzone for a 23 yard pick-six.

The defense wasn’t satisfied with one turnover. A 21 yard completion from Flacco to Josh Downs moved Indy to midfield. Two plays later, Christian Benford forced a fumble on rookie Adonai Mitchell, but the ball bounced right through the hands of AJ Epenesa, leaving Downs to recover the football. On 1st and 10 from Buffalo’s 37, a running back screen was intercepted by Austin Johnson, his second pick in three weeks.

The Bills offense could only score three points off the turnover, a 29-yarder from Tyler Bass. A strong 20-yard run from James Cook, where he broke several tackles, helped move the team into field goal range.

Second Quarter Collapse

Indy responded with three points, but it could’ve easily been seven. A 58 yard run from Jonathan Taylor quickly moved the Colts to the other side of the field. A bad angle from Damar Hamlin, and some great blocks by Indy’s offensive line, opened up a huge gap for Taylor down the far sideline. Taylor Rapp was able to take him down at the nine yard line. On 2nd and Goal, Flacco had Downs underneath for a walk-in touchdown, but the receiver dropped the pass. Catching a break, the Bills surrendered just a 27-yard field goal.

Allen threw a strike downfield to Samuel, this time a 17 yard completion. A false start led to 2nd and 15, but Buffalo was able to get 12 back on a completion to Dalton Kincaid. Back-to-back incompletions on third and fourth down led to a turnover on downs at Indy’s 28 yard line.

The Colts capitalized on the defensive stop with the game-tying touchdown. Flacco completed passes for gains of 18 and 16 yards, and a 13 yard run from Taylor moved Indy inside the 15 yard line. An illegal contact penalty against Rasul Douglas (which was never replayed on the broadcast) extended the drive after an initial stop on 3rd down. A play-action pass to the running back Tyler Goodson resulted in Indy’s first touchdown of the game.

On Buffalo’s first play back on offense, Allen threw an interception downfield to linebacker EJ Speed. Either Allen severely underthrew Khalil Shakir, or his left arm getting hit by a defensive lineman impacted the throw. Taylor’s 22 yard run up the middle moved Indy to the 11 yard line in one play. Buffalo’s defense was able to force a field goal, but the Colts suddenly had a 13–10 lead.

Brandon Codrington fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but thankfully, Alec Anderson was able to recover the fumble in the bottom of the pile. A false start from the Bills was quickly wiped out by a 16 yard completion to Mack Hollins the next play. Allen hit Dawson Knox on a beautiful 34 yard throw to set up the Bills inside the 15. Allen kept it himself for a 13 yard rushing touchdown, retaking the lead.

Buffalo’s defense forced a punt, thanks to Von Miller and Greg Rousseau stuffing Taylor on 3rd and 1. On 3rd and 10 from his own 27, Allen rolled right, broke a sack attempt, and threw a perfect ball 44 yards downfield to Hollins. Hollins was able to get up and run out of bounds, stopping the clock with eight seconds remaining. Bass drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, extending Buffalo’s lead to seven points.

Scoreless Third Quarter

Indy opened the second half by going three-and-out, thanks to a sack from Taron Johnson off of a blitz. The Bills converted a 4th and 1 on an Allen QB-sneak, but punted four plays later. A 32 yard completion to Alec Pierce moved the Colts into Buffalo territory. Two plays later, Rousseau knocked the ball out of Flacco’s hands for a fumble, recovered by Hamlin for a turnover. Again on the first play of the drive, Allen’s pass to the flat was jumped by Kenny Moore for the QB’s second pick of the game. Down by seven, Indy opted to go for it on 4th and 2 from the 20 yard line. Flacco danced around in the pocket before being taken down by newly acquired Quinton Jefferson for a 10 yard sack. The Bills ended the third quarter with a 19 yard completion to Hollins, moving them into Colts territory.

Closing Out the Colts

The QB sneak with Allen was successful on 4th and 1 once again, and Bass kicked a 28-yard field goal four plays later. After completing passes for 11 and 14 yards, Flacco’s deep shot bounced off the hands of Pierce and was intercepted by Taylor Rapp.

The Bills responded with a 13-play drive that took 6:35 off the clock. Despite multiple flags and third downs, Allen kept the drive alive with a 21 yard run, 30 yard tunnel-screen to Shakir, and a 17 yard pass to Ty Johnson. Cook capped off the impressive drive with a two yard rushing touchdown.

The Colts scored a touchdown in ‘garbage time’, with most of the backups in the game for the defense. Case in point – Indy’s touchdown was a 10 yard completion to Alec Pierce, who mossed return specialist Brandon Codrington on the play. Mitch Trubisky took the final knee, and the Bills would take the game 30–20.

Afterthoughts

It wasn’t Allen’s best day, throwing two interceptions that were definitely his fault. However, we saw him utilize his legs more, rushing eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown. Kincaid left the game with a knee injury, something to monitor with an already diminished receiving core. Curtis Samuel was actually used as a wide receiver this week, but he only caught four of his eight targets. Ray Davis touched the ball just three times, a number I’d like to see be much higher going forward.

Penalties, especially pre-snap false starts, almost killed the offense entirely. Buffalo was flagged eight times for 54 yards, and those flags almost single-handedly derailed scoring drives. The offensive line will need to clean that up going forward.

Concerns about the run defense were spot on for the first half. Taylor recorded 107 yards on 16 carries in the first half. However, whatever adjustments Bobby Babich made at halftime were exactly what the defense needed. The second half saw Taylor rush for just seven yards on five carries. Ultimately, I believe this shows that the best run defense is a two–possession lead, but Taylor was unable to capitalize on the minimal opportunities he did see. Von Miller needs to be more impactful for the pass rush, since it feels like every week I’m saying that Rousseau can’t do it by himself.

Game Awards

Offensive Player of the Game: Mack Hollins

Injuries to the receiving core boosted Hollins into a pivotal role on Sunday. He caught all four targets for a team-high 86 yards, and drew a defensive pass interference penalty as well. His 44 yard catch at the end of the first half capped off a great play from Allen, and he proved to be reliable down the field.

Defensive Player of the Game: Greg Rousseau

Groot finished with four total tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a strip sack that resulted in one of Buffalo’s four turnovers. His pressure rates continue to put him near some of the premiere pass rushers in the NFL, but the lack of help from the rest of the pass rush leaves his sack numbers far below other players of his caliber around the league.

MVP: Taron Johnson

The best slot corner in the league, Johnson had a stellar game against the Colts. The pick-six started things off on the right note for Buffalo’s defense, but he also recorded three tackles, including a tackle for loss, one sack, and two pass deflections. He is on his way to another All Pro season.

What’s Next: Bills vs Chiefs 11/17

The 9–0 Chiefs come back to Orchard Park, with the top seed in the AFC potentially on the line. Allen and the Bills have won their last three regular season matchups against Kansas City, but the theme for KC this year has been finding different ways to win.

Editor’s babble: Ugly dub, but a dub none the less. Many thanks to Colin Richey for his contributions to our blog. You can also find Colin on Xwitter @whatthef00tball.