Bills @ Colts
Final Score: Bills 30, Colts 20
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
The resurgent Buffalo Bills comfortably handled the nose-diving Indianapolis Colts in a scrappy encounter that saw both quarterbacks combine for five interceptions. Veteran Joe Flacco threw back-to-back interceptions on the first two drives, one of which was returned for a touchdown, as the Bills hurtled out to a deserved 20-13 lead at the half. However, the game got bogged down in poor quarterback play and stagnated offensive game plans in the second half as both defenses enjoyed success. However, another Flacco interception midway through the fourth quarter handed the Bills the chance to sow the game up and that is exactly what they did with a time-sapping 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that ended with James Cook taking the ball to the outside and somersaulting into the end zone from two yards out. A consolation score with two seconds remaining made the score look more respectable than it was for a derisory Colts team devoid of purpose.
Three Up
- James Cook – dominated touches and was the clear focal point of the offense once again with key wideouts missing through injury – Cook scored on the ground, his ninth score of the season, and had 19 carries, his second-most of the campaign in a single game.
- Jonathan Taylor – the good news about the Colts’ offense struggles is that Jonathan Taylor seems to be immune from any fantasy fall off – the workhorse back amassed over 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in his last six games
- Adonai Mitchell – with Michael Pittman Jr. missing, the second-round pick out of Texas put in his best showing as a professional and caught all six of his targets, showing elite separation and safe hands – the Colts have a sure-fire WR2 to feed for the rest of the season
Three Down
- Joe Flacco – an absolute disaster for the veteran quarterback in the first quarter as he threw interceptions on the first two series for Indianapolis. You have to think that sophomore Anthony Richardson will start for the rest of the season, however, the veteran quarterback saved his fantasy day with a late touchdown pass to Alec Pierce.
- Dalton Kincaid – the promising sophomore tight end looked to be in for a big night after a couple of impactful early catches but he injured his knee and was seen limping off at halftime. He tried to return and ran a few routes but soon exited in the third quarter, it didn’t look great
- Khalil Shakir – held without a touchdown again for the sixth straight game after two in his first three games – the wideout dominated targets and catches but his fantasy value has stagnated due to his inability to find the end zone
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 22/37, 280 Yards, 2 INT, 2 Sacks | 8 Carries, 50 Yards, TD
The Bills quarterback shrugged off two uncharacteristic interceptions to lead his team to victory thanks to his work on the ground – Josh Allen ran in from 13 yards out just before the two-minute warning to give his team their second lead of a messy first half on offense. Allen was plagued by poor decision-making and an inspired Colts defense as he was held without a passing score for only the second time in 10 games this season. Allen fared no better after the half – after failing to move the sticks on third down on their opening possession, Allen then threw a ball behind Curtis Samuel on the next drive only to see Kenny Moore jump in front of his receiver to pick the ball off. It was a crucial time in the game as the Colts were still in with a shout of making a game of it. Luckily for Allen, Flacco could not provide his offense with a spark and they turned the ball over on downs and couldn’t cash in. Allen was seen in conversation with Head Coach Sean McDermott on the sideline before the next possession and it was clear that he was trying to settle down his signal-caller going into a crucial fourth quarter. It worked as Allen was both cautious and methodological in two scoring drives that saw the Bills through. The great thing from a fantasy perspective is that Allen saved his day with a rushing score, something he has always been able to pull out of the bag.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1855690411177840643
Notes
- Allen struggled under pressure from an effective Colts defensive interior in the first half, which forced him to throw off-balance or release the ball quicker than expected. Allen saw sharp throws into tight windows fall incomplete on back-to-back plays as McDermott went for it on fourth down at the Indianapolis 28-yard line in an aggressive move up by seven points. That backfired as the Colts went up the field after the turnover and went 72 yards to tie the game.
- Another uncharacteristic indiscretion put the pressure further on Allen and the stuttering Bills offense directly after Indianapolis tied the game – the Bills quarterback enjoyed plenty of time to survey the field and pick his man but he failed to see outside linebacker E.J. Speed drop into coverage in front of his intended wideout, Khalil Shakir. The interception was only the fourth turnover the Bills offense has given up this season but it was a costly one.
Running Back
James Cook: 19 Carries, 80 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Benefitting from the Bills going up by two scores in the first quarter, Cook had a strong day on the ground thanks to some tough running and second effort after contact. Cook broke off a bouncing 20-yard run on third down on the Bills’ second drive of the game to move the team deep into Colts territory. He didn’t see the workload you would expect with a big lead and Allen’s indiscretions through the air cost his team the chance to make this win much easier than it was. Cook failed to see a touch on the last drive of the half with Ty Johnson subbing in and Allen taking the ball into the endzone on the ground. He was to have his impact in the fourth quarter to settle the game as a prolonged drive in which he amassed seven of the drive’s 13 touches ended with the back marching into the end zone thanks to a wide-open lane on an outside zone run. Much like his quarterback, Cook survived a poor offensive day with a key score at the right time.
https://www.twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1855715177821258153
Ray Davis: 3 Carries, 6 Yards
Ty Johnson: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mack Hollins: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 86 Yards
Over half of Mack Hollins‘ 86 yards came on a 44-yard grab with less than 18 seconds left in the first half to set up the Bills with a field goal for important points going into the break. Hollins acted as the deep threat all contest and brought in chunk gains of 19 yards and 16 yards on two separate touchdown drives to move the sticks. The journeyman receiver served a functional role and caught all four targets to play a vital role in the win. He led the team in yards with 86 which also was a season-high for the depth receiver. He would be a flex option going forward if both Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman were to miss extended time, which is not on the cards as it stands.
https://www.twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1855695128402313381
Khalil Shakir: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 58 Yards
It was a disappointing night for the Bills’ primary receiving option without the injured veteran Cooper and banged-up rookie Coleman. Shakir was averaging just over five yards per catch on his five grabs for 28 yards late in the fourth quarter, however a 30-yard connection on third down with Allen broke open a laborious drive to put the Bills into Colts territory with a chance to close out the game. It was Shakir’s major contribution to the game and it came at the right time. It was enough to make his coaches overjoyed but his fantasy managers expected more from this opportunity. Shakir has been well used by the Bills this season but he is without a touchdown since Week 3 and only has two on the season through 10 games.
Dawson Knox: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 40 Yards
Curtis Samuel: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 35 Yards
Peppered on short routes with the Bills struggling to get going on offense, Curtis Samuel dropped an easy grab on third down to move the sticks and then was clearly on the wrong page with his quarterback for the interception in the second half that left the door open for the Colts to come back into the game. It just hasn’t worked out for Samuel in Buffalo and he cut a frustrated figure in the second half when failing to haul in a simple crossing route over the middle.
Dalton Kincaid: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards
Both of Dalton Kincaid’s 12-yard grabs came in the first quarter as he looked to be involved heavily with key wideouts missing through injury. However, he got up awkwardly after the last catch and was seen receiving treatment on the sideline before re-entering the game in the first half to test out his knee. It wasn’t right, however, and he was uninvolved for much of the second half. He will likely get his knee tested going into next week but it was tough for Allen to operate without his top two receivers and his star young tight end for most of this game.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Joe Flacco: 26/35, 272 Yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 4 Sacks
This is not the winning formula for Indianapolis, both for now and long term. So, you have to wonder what is to gain by keeping a poor-performing Flacco in when you have a young quarterback with only 10 starts in the league waiting in the wings to learn and grow. It looked like we would see Richardson in this game after Flacco turned the ball over twice in the first two drives but head coach Shane Steichen committed to Flacco for the entire contest. Even with a fumble and another interception in the second half, Flacco was given the responsibility to go out and lead the team trailing by 17 points with just three minutes remaining in the game. If that tells you that Steichen doesn’t like what he is seeing from Richardson right now in practice, I don’t know what does. This is a bad sign for a Colts fan base that might just have had enough of bad quarterback play from a veteran who will likely not be with the team in 2025. Flacco salvaged his fantasy performance with two touchdown passes, the first a check down to backup running back Ty Goodson from two yards out, and the second a touch pass to Pierce in the back of the end zone on the penultimate play of the game. Nothing to write home about!
https://www.twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1855710376471449981
Notes
- Endured a tumultuous first quarter in which he turned the ball over in the air on the Colts’ first two drives of the game – the first was a terrible throw from his own endzone on first down on Indy’s first possession, which Taron Johnson picked off easily and took back for a pick six; the second, a dump off under pressure that ended in the arms of unheralded defensive lineman Austin Johnson. Yikes!
- Flacco was lucky not to be picked off for a third time on the third Indy drive of the game as he forced a ball over the middle towards Josh Downs on a third-and-nine in the red zone, the ball ricocheting up in the air and just off the fingertips of Terrel Bernard. He eventually did record his third turnover through the air as a deep ball to Pierce was overthrown enough for the wideout to get his hands on it but achieved in only tipping it up in the air for Taylor Rapp to take it away deep in Buffalo territory. For the second week in a row, Flacco has directly been responsible for multiple turnovers that have taken the game out of his team’s hands. “Not great, Bob!”
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor: 21 Carries, 114 Yards | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
After two turnovers through the air in the first quarter, Taylor was handed the rock to try and drum up some momentum on the third drive of the game. His answer was a signature outside-zone run for 59 yards, his longest run of the season, in which he shifted quickly to the space as the Bills looked to plug the lanes between the numbers. Taylor backed that run up with another 13 yards straight up the middle and into the red zone on the next possession after the Bills turned the ball over on downs after a failed fourth-down attempt. That was as good as it got for Taylor as the Colts slipped behind and he mustered just 40 yards on another 19 carries the rest of the way. Still, fantasy managers will be happy with his production given the manner of this loss for Indianapolis. The worrying trend of Taylor not being on the field on third downs continued, however, as Goodson handled that work and nabbed a score near the end of the first half after Taylor was stuffed inside the three-yard line on second down. His two catches came on the final drive of the game on a couple of checkdowns for easy yardage as the Bills backed off and protected the deep ball. Nothing irks a fantasy manager more than seeing that touchdown go to the casual back in a game like this.
Ty Goodsen: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards, TD
Trey Sermon: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Alec Pierce: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 81 Yards, TD
A late touchdown grab from 10 yards out catapulted Pierce into the Colts’ best fantasy performance on the day as the Indy offense struggled both on the ground and through the air against a stout Bills defense at all three levels. Pierce went into that last drive with just two grabs for 48 yards but a 23-yard gain on a deep ball from Flacco to kickstart the drive was bookended by the pass for the score with just two seconds remaining. Pierce broke a four-game touchdown drought with the score after hauling in just six balls for 67 yards in the past four games. Trending up!
Josh Downs: 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 72 Yards
It was a rough first quarter for Flacco’s favorite wideout, who could do nothing on the target for the interception but could have made up for it when his quarterback found him in the flat for a walk-in score on the Colts’ third drive of the game. However, the nifty receiver took his eyes off the ball at the last minute and he dropped the ball incomplete. His frustration was visible as he slammed the ball to the ground as it bounced back up to him. A clear touchdown was negated by the drop. He continued to serve as his quarterback’s top option, however, and racked up a team-leading 10 targets, also leading the team in catches with seven. Downs converted a fourth-and-long late in the game with a 15-yard grab that took the ball deep into Bills territory and set up the touchdown to Pierce a couple of plays later.
Adonai Mitchell: 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 71 Yards
After hauling in a sensational sideline catch last week, rookie Adonai Mitchell looked to build on his slow start to his NFL career with Pittman out injured. It started pretty well with a perfectly run route over the middle that saw him use his ability to create separation and burn his marker for an 18-yard catch on a third-and-long that saw the Colts go down and tie the game with a score early in the second quarter. Mitchell hauled in passes across the formation and looks to have built the same rapport with Flacco that Downs has. It was a good sign for the rookie but a Richardson return to the lineup would put his rise at risk.
Kylen Granson: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Will Mallory: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Drew Ogletree: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards