INDIANAPOLIS — The Buffalo Bills are back on the road this weekend to face the Indianapolis Colts.
The WGRZ sports team gives their thoughts head of Sunday's matchup.
Jon Scott: Next Man Up
As much as injuries have been a big story so far this season for the Bills, so too has this team's ability to plug-and-play guys who seemingly pick up the slack in relief without a hitch.
That is going to need to continue against Indy.
We already know Keon Coleman's out. Amari Cooper's questionable. Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins were seen wearing red, non-contact jerseys this week in practice, though they don't have injury designations.
That means the trio of Jalen Virgil, Tyrell Shavers, and K.J. Hamler might be thrust into action in some capacity.
Virgil was just signed to the active roster off the practice squad while Shavers and Hamler are being elevated from the PS for this game.
Head coach Sean McDermott said Friday that he has great confidence in that group whose lived most of the season on the PS.
The next-man-up need isn't exclusive to WR.
With DeWayne Carter and Dawuane Smoot on injured reserve, the Bills signing familiar faces Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson this week to help an undermanned defensive line.
Can their history in this defense allow them to instantly provide aid?
We might even get a bigger look at Joe Andreessen should the Bills flirt with a 4-3 base lineup after Baylon Spector was placed on IR Saturday.
You could also make the next-man-up case for those already in the line-up, from Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox to Von Miller.
Someone more of a secondary character will need to rise up and help Josh Allen and the other main guys to get victory in Indy.
Lindsey Moppert: When James is cooking, everybody eats
Ahead of the Bills’ Week 10 matchup against the Colts, injuries have taken a major toll on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. This week specifically, the receiver room is looking rather thin.
Head coach Sean McDermott ruled out the team’s rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman on Friday and also listed the group’s newest addition Amari Cooper as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Therefore, this Bills team will have to heavily rely on and trust the success of their offensive mantra, ‘everybody eats.’
The Colts’ ground defense has given up 149.8 yards per game which ranks as the 2nd most in the NFL.
James Cook along with Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will all have the opportunity to have a day on the ground and through the air in a week where some of Josh Allen’s top targets may not be available due to injury.
Cook alone has recorded 170 yards on 19 receptions through the air in nine weeks of play and currently leads his team in rushing yards with 496 on 109 carries.
When the Bills run the ball well, they are hard to slow down. The Bills will look for their first win against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday since 1998.
Jonathan Acosta: Stop (or at lest slow down) Jonathan Taylor
Sunday could very well be a game that heavily features both team’s top running backs.
Lindsey highlighted James Cook’s importance to Buffalo, and Jonathan Taylor’s importance to Indianapolis can’t be overstated either.
Taylor, an All-Pro in 2021, has battled injuries in recent seasons, but still has 45 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2020, and this year, has surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark on three separate occasions.
Bills fans have seen what kind of havoc Taylor can wreck when he scored five touchdowns in a 41-15 Colts win in Orchard Park in Nov. 2021.
The Colts offense is at its best when Taylor is heavily involved, with Indy winning both times this season Taylor has had at least 24 touches.
Anthony Richardson’s presence earlier in the season provided a dual-running threat in the backfield, but now with the switch to Joe Flacco last week, much more of the Colts’ rushing game falls on the shoulders of No. 28.
Flacco, Taylor, and the entire Colts offense struggled last week in a 21-13 loss at the Vikings. The Colts passing game isn’t getting any help either, losing top wide receiver Michael Pittman for Sunday’s game due to injury.
That means the Colts could look to rely that much more on Taylor not just to keep the offense on schedule, but to hit home run plays that he’s shown he’s capable of in the past.
The Bills run defense has come back to the pack after early season struggles, ranking 15th now in the NFL. Last week though, the unit struggled, allowing 149 rush yards for Miami.
This week will be a tough challenge for Buffalo to bounce back, but doing so against Taylor could be pivotal in pulling out the team’s first win in Indy since Peyton Manning’s rookie season.