HBO 'Hard Knocks' 2021: Best Colts' Storylines, Moments, Reaction for Episode 2

The Indianapolis Colts' 41-15 road victory over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, which featured running back Jonathan Taylor amassing five touchdowns and 204 scrimmage yards, served as the backdrop for the Week 2 edition of the first-ever midseason Hard Knocks.

Many storylines existed leading into the game.

The Colts wanted to jump over .500 and firmly supplant themselves as a playoff contender. The Bills hoped to continue the momentum of their 45-17 win over the New York Jets after an ugly 9-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars the week prior.

On an individual level, Taylor looked to continue his crusade as the NFL's likely rushing king this year as he kept the Colts' offense chugging.

However, this game was particularly personal for Colts head coach Frank Reich, who was a backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills from 1985-1994 and notably authored the greatest comeback in NFL history.

Reich's Bills career and his playing memories were a focus in this episode, and the cameras were rolling as the Colts coach went out to dinner with a pair of old Bills teammates in special teams ace Steve Tasker and NFL all-time sack leader Bruce Smith.

Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner swung by and even got to meet Smith, and the two exchanged compliments.

Reich comes off as a caring human being and leader who strongly cares about the well-being of his players, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports praised the ex-Bills signal-caller.

His confidence in his players is also clearly evident, and Taylor said as much on the Pat McAfee Show:

The episode ended with the focus on Taylor, who now has an NFL-high 15 touchdowns on the year. Taylor even thanked each of his offensive linemen personally:

He also got a chance to meet up with the legendary Marshawn Lynch:

Reich gave Taylor the game ball and led the team in a cheer along the way:

However, Colts veteran wideout T.Y. Hilton then took the proverbial microphone and gave a game ball to Reich, noting how personal the Bills game was for him and how he got the team prepared.

This is clearly a tight-knit group, and Reich mentioned how "special" this team was. A bunch of players also got together off the field on the Thursday before the game to eat chicken at defensive lineman Grover Stewart's place.

ESPN's Mike Wells provided commentary on his cooking tactics:

The road doesn't get any easier for the Colts, who will host the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Next week's edition of Hard Knocks, which will air Wednesday at 10 p.m. on HBO, should offer a focus on the events surrounding that game.