Colts vs. Bills: Full Indianapolis Game Preview
The Andrew Luck era has been a resounding success thus far in Indianapolis. Picking up exactly where Peyton Manning left off, the Colts have made the playoffs each of the last three years and don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
But as Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks continue to dominate the NFL—Wilson, a draft classmate of Luck's, has led the NFC West squad to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances—the playoffs don’t appear to be enough for the Colts this season. Their aspirations are a little higher.
A 1-3 preseason record isn’t anything to write home about, but with the regular season set to start this week against the Buffalo Bills and a relatively healthy team, the Colts will be hoping to start their 2015 season off with a statement victory.
Viewing Info
Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium; Buffalo, New York
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
News and Notes
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New Faces on Offense
It is hard to talk about the Indianapolis Colts this season without focusing on one of the most impressive offensive units in the NFL. A big part of all the excitement surrounding the Colts' high-powered unit is a pair of veterans who joined up in the offseason.
After spending his entire career in Houston playing with less than stellar quarterbacks—and that’s putting it mildly—future Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson comes in to make an already elite receiving corps that much better. Paired with T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, Johnson makes the Colts an almost uncoverable football team and could be primed for a huge season.
The other addition, former San Francisco 49ers ball-carrier Frank Gore, might be the biggest addition the team has made since drafting Andrew Luck. It has been an eternity since the Colts have had an elite running back, and even if he isn’t Le'Veon Bell or Adrian Peterson, Gore brings enough talent to the table to help balance the offense.
That doesn’t even include first-round draft pick Phillip Dorsett or tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. Indianapolis has more offensive weapons than it knows to do with, and that should make them one of the more entertaining teams in the league to watch.
Same Old Andrew Luck
But as the Colts' Week 1 opponent knows, all the weapons in the world are rendered completely irrelevant if there is substandard quarterback play directing it all. Fortunately for Indianapolis, it has one of the best signal-callers in the game under center.
The story has been told time and time again, but Andrew Luck's almost immediate ascendance from a highly touted draft prospect out of Stanford to one of the two or three best quarterbacks in the NFL deserves revisiting. He has lived up to every bit of his potential and more.
There are games where Luck struggles throughout, but it seems like a foregone conclusion that he is going to put your jaw on the floor by the end, like he did in the playoffs against Kansas City two years ago.
Since the game has become such a pass-heavy affair in the modern age, there has been a predilection of quarterbacks when it comes to the NFL MVP award—only four running backs have won since 2000—and all signs point to this being the season of Luck. If things fall correctly for the Colts and their superstar quarterback, the MVP and more could be waiting at the end of the season.
Can Robert Mathis Help Generate a Substantial Pass Rush?
Linebacker Robert Mathis is good. Really good, or at least he was before an Achilles injury in January 2014 sidelined him for a season and left a hole on the Colts roster. An expected return at some point this season, possibly as early as Week 1 against the Bills, could be just the thing Indianapolis needs to get over the hump.
With starting lineman Arthur Jones out for the year and with a relatively weak front seven, the Colts will need Mathis to not only be healthy, but to return to at least something close to his 2013 form if they want to claim their first title under Luck.
It's far from a guarantee, but when Mathis is healthy he's one of the best in the business. The Colts need him back.
Latest Injury News
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Player | Position | Injury | Stats |
Greg Toler | CB | Neck | Did not practice |
Vick Ballard | RB | Hamstring | Did not practice |
Nate Irving | LB | Knee | Limited |
Robert Mathis | LB | Achilles | Limited |
Sheldon Price | CB | Concussion | Limited |
D’Joun Smith | CB | N/A | Limited |
Injury report via Colts.com.
Although the Colts' Week 1 injury report doesn’t look like the most interesting and important group of players, recent reports from Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star stating that starting running back Frank Gore will be on a “pitch count” to start the season make things a little less comfortable in Indianapolis.
The question marks around both Vick Ballard’s health and Gore in a limited capacity leaves the Colts very thin at running back, with rookie Josh Robinson set to back up the veteran and likely play a decent role against the Bills.
Perhaps the biggest injury news of Week 1 is the possible return of star linebacker Robert Mathis. Although the team isn't saying much, even the possibility of the All-Pro coming back for the opener, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, could be a huge boost to an average defense that could make or break the season.
Greg Toler possibly missing the game could hurt, but with Vontae Davis patrolling one side of the field and the Bills receiving corps leaving something to be desired, Darius Butler should be more than enough to shut down a Tyrod Taylor-led offense.
Key Matchups
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Bills Defensive Line vs. Colts Offensive Line
Unfortunately for the Colts, their biggest weakness offensively has to face off against the Bills' biggest strength. With the best defensive front this side of St. Louis, Buffalo needs to hit Andrew Luck, and hit him often, if they want to have a shot at the upset.
Even without Marcell Dareus, the Bills have an elite unit up front with Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes. It isn’t as star-studded as the Rams group, but it is close enough and should be a beast once again.
On the other side of this battle, the Colts have a few questions on the offensive line, and this isn’t the unit to be figuring things out against. Anthony Castonzo is a good left tackle, but beyond that there isn’t a ton that inspires confidence in the unit.
Next to Castonzo at left guard, Hugh Thornton was effectively benched for Lance Louis, neither of which are great choices, although Louis could play like he has something to prove as a career backup.
The right side of the line is average at best, with Todd Herremans and Jack Mewhort both providing skills at different stages in their careers, but neither are expected to turn into superstars by kickoff. Khaled Holmes is good, but at this point the Colts will just be hoping for consistency from the center position.
The best chance the Bills have at winning this game comes up front. With a less than impressive group on the offensive line, the Colts have to be careful or they'll be watching Luck get up off his back time and time again.
Colts Receivers vs. Bills Secondary
With the injury to Jordy Nelson and the suspension of Martavis Bryant, the Colts have leapfrogged the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers in terms of the league’s best group of pass-catchers, and at this point it isn’t very close.
Last season, T.Y. Hilton established himself as one of the best receivers in the league, while Donte Moncrief showed signs of becoming a star in his own right. The tight end duo of Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener haven’t been stellar yet, but they are as good a one-two punch as any at the position.
To strengthen that already strong group, the Colts spent a first-round pick on Phillip Dorsett, who will battle with Moncrief for the third receiver spot, and brought in a future Hall of Famer in Andre Johnson. Not a bad group for Andrew Luck to throw the ball too.
Matched up against that elite unit is a Bills secondary that, while good, isn’t exactly up to par with the Seattle Seahawks. The safeties, Aaron Williams and Corey Graham, are fine, and Stephon Gilmore is actually pretty good as the top corner. However, it is the second corner that is the big question mark.
The penciled-in starter is Ronald Darby, a rookie second-round pick out of Florida State. Although he has impressed in the preseason thus far, there are few matchups a young cornerback would be less enthused about than this one against the Colts.
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Matchup X-Factors
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Colts X-Factor of the Week: RB Frank Gore
The X-factor of the game—the X-factor of the season, really—Frank Gore provides something the Indianapolis Colts haven’t had since Joseph Addai was at the height of his game in the mid-2000s: an elite option at running back.
Gore might not be the same player he was even a couple of years ago—nobody can escape Father Time—but as he proved last year in San Francisco while recording his fourth straight 1,000 yard season, he still has plenty left in the tank. Even if held back slightly by a so-called pitch count, it is hard to envision Gore not making an immediate impact on the team.
A large focus of the offseason chatter has surrounded the amount of weapons Andrew Luck has at his disposal in the passing game, but Gore will help balance the offense much better than Donald Brown, Vick Ballard or Trent Richardson ever could.
Buffalo has arguably the best run defense in the NFL, but if the Colts can get even a semblance of a rushing attack going Sunday, paired with Luck and his elite crop of receivers, the Bills will have a tough time stopping Indianapolis from starting the season off with a win.
Prediction: Colts 24, Bills 14
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Andrew Luck has done a great job of carrying the team along by its bootstraps to three straight 11-win seasons and playoff appearances, but in his fourth year in the league it is time to take the next step forward.
The Colts look primed to do so, with a host of new, dangerous weapons for Luck and a defense that should be able to do just enough to push the defending AFC South champions over the top once again. There is a long time until the playoffs start, but Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills looks like the perfect setting to make a statement.
Buffalo’s defense will do what it always does and limit Luck and the explosive offense, but when the game comes down to what Tyrod Taylor can do, it is hard to see things going in favor of the Bills.
Luck and company pull away with a late touchdown as Frank Gore and Andre Johnson both find the end zone, securing a Week 1 victory.
Final Prediction: Colts 24, Bills 14
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