It wasn’t a good day in Western New York as the Bills got absolutely ran through (literally) by the Colts in a 41-15 loss at home. Right at the front of the last two months of the season, this isn’t what you want to see and it’s the kind of game that leaves a lot more questions than it provides answers. So much went wrong on Sunday, it’s tough to know where to start.
At a glance, the most eye-popping thing is the domination by Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor who tallied 5-TDs on the day. Four of those scores came courtesy of his 32-carries for 185-yards, but he also added 3-catches for 19-yards and a score to break the 200-yard mark for the game. In the process, he became the first Colt to score 5-TDs in a game and tied the NFL record for consecutive games with at least 100-yards from scrimmage. Taylor is obviously a very talented back and he showed every bit of that on some incredibly impressive plays, but he shouldn’t be able to do that what was the league’s best defense heading into the game. However, it didn’t begin and end with Taylor’s individual greatness.
The Colts’ offensive line absolutely mauled the Bills’ defense at the point of attack. Even if you take Taylor off the stat line, Indy still was averaging 5.6-yards-per-carry and put up 79-yards. That’s dominance. If there was one thing on the scouting report the Bills needed to be ready for, it was exactly what we saw happen and that’s the most frustrating part.
It’s not an excuse, but Buffalo desperately missed their best defensive tackle in Star Lotulelei, who was out on the Covid list, DT Justin Zimmer, who’s been out on injured reserve for some time now, and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who sat out with a hamstring injury. Those guys make a big difference for this defense, for sure, but their absence wasn’t an unknown heading into the game, and working around that is part of being a good football team. Head Coach Sean McDermott and Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frasier didn’t have their guys prepared for the game and it showed, outmanned or not. Effort goes a long, long way on the field and the guys on the Colts’ sideline wanted it more.
Football is a crazy game that swings heavily on momentum and you know I believe in bad omens, and this game started off on the wrong foot. The Colts carved the Bills up in the opening drive to score the first 1st-quarter TD against Buffalo all season. Then, Josh Allen gets intercepted trying to force a throw on an otherwise solid drive. Five plays later Jonathan Taylor is celebrating TD number two. Okay. Shake it off. The Bills answered with a nice drive and TD to Stefon Diggs. They held the Colts to a field goal on the next drive and, despite a catastrophic start, they were getting the ball just before the two-minute warning with a chance to go into halftime 17-14. Instead, on the ensuing kickoff return, Isaiah McKenzie slipped, fell, and fumbled. It was recovered by Indy at the Bills’ 2-yard line and Taylor did the rest. That was one of several huge momentum swings in the game, but it still wasn’t technically out of reach.
Buffalo took their next drive into Colts’ territory and were down to their 36-yard line when Allen took a calamitous sack and fumbled, losing 12-yards on the play and barely retaining possession. Facing a 3rd & 22, Allen connected with Emmanuel Sanders for 10-yards. It was a very conservative decision considering the game flow and the fact that the conditions were cold, rainy, and windy and Tyler Bass was left to attempt a 57-yard FG. He’s had a great year and has plenty of leg but he hit the upright and missed. I don’t put that on him, that’s on the coaching staff and their inconsistent philosophy. Had they attacked deeper, 15 or 20-yards, and threatened the sticks maybe they even end up in a 4th & short or some more manageable situation.
Anyway, the Bills trailed 24-7 at the half but it wasn’t until their opening drive of the 3rd quarter that I felt it was really over. The capital-N needed to score to start the second half and they went 3 & out in 30-seconds. I was plating some food in the kitchen when the second half kicked off and by the time I made it to the couch, the Colts were already on offense again. The Bills actually got the punt they finally needed, but they didn’t value their possession beforehand. They drove it into FG range again but, facing a 4th & 5 halfway through the 3rd quarter, they opted for another long FG try in bad weather and missed again. It was Murphy’s law out there, where everything that could go wrong for the Bills did go wrong.
It was clearly a lost cause at that point in the game, but JT tacked on a couple of extra TDs for historical purposes while the Bills added another pair of interceptions to complete the blowout.
Despite the 26-point beating, this wasn’t an unwinnable game for the Bills until after Bass’ second missed FG and the subsequent TD. There were so many moments throughout the game where it could have been tightened up and I hope they see all that on the tape, even though it’s a short week. Along with the things I already detailed, there were some procedural penalties early that led to the first pick, and a pair of penalties bailed the Colts out on 3rd & long early when it was still a one-score game. This game could have and should have been a lot closer than it was, but the effort and the desire have to be there to make it happen. Look no further than the Steelers on Sunday night.
Pittsburgh was down 27-10 with 3:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter and rallied to take the lead and ultimately lose 41-37. I really hope that the Bills sat down and watched that game as a team because Pittsburgh was shorthanded on defense and had every reason to bow out of that game down 17-points. Instead, they never quit and gave themselves a chance to win it through sheer effort and willpower. Buffalo’s veteran players have to lead the way with accountability and I would expect some players-only meeting after that loss.
Performance Grade: D-
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the Bills have no time to wallow in defeat as they head to New Orleans to take on the Saints in the holiday primetime game. Rest assured, Sean Payton saw what the Colts just did and will plan to exploit the Bills’ run defense. Alvin Kamara still isn’t practicing after sitting out in Week 11 and Mark Ingram is limited with a knee injury as well, but Taysom Hill just signed a contract extension and it may be time for him to take over at QB. Even though New Orleans has been struggling a bit lately, this isn’t an easy game at all for Buffalo and they have very little time to correct it all. If nothing else, the one thing I want to see from the Bills on Thanksgiving is effort and attitude. That will give Bills Mafia something to be thankful for.