Colts at Bills: Buffalo Grades, Notes and Quotes

Bills fans got exactly what they were hoping for on Sunday afternoon, as Buffalo's 2015 season began with a 27-14 trouncing of Andrew Luck and the visiting Indianapolis Colts. The touted Buffalo defense lived up to its billing, frustrating Luck all afternoon in a game that was never really close, and several high-profile newcomers had impressive debuts.

Tyrod Taylor, making his first start at quarterback for the Bills, finished 14-of-19 for 195 yards and one touchdown, a 51-yard bomb to fellow offseason pickup Percy Harvin. It was an exhilarating inauguration for Taylor, who remains under intense scrutiny after beating out Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel for the starting gig. The 26-year-old added 41 rushing yards on nine carries.

Taylor was hardly the only Buffalo player to post an impressive first appearance. Running back LeSean McCoy, picked up via trade from Philadelphia, struggled a bit in the running game but appeared healthy and dynamic. McCoy finished with 87 total yards and seemed entirely at home in his new surroundings.

And Harvin, who played for Seattle in 2014, finished with 79 yards and a score on five catches. Finally, rookie cornerback Ronald Darby—subject of much concern after an inconsistent preseason—was dependable, posting six tackles and intercepting Luck near the end of the first quarter.

It was an auspicious beginning for head coach Rex Ryan, who began his first season as Bills head coach by knocking off what was the second-best AFC team last year. Ryan’s long history of defensive excellence continued on Sunday, and Buffalo fans should be thrilled at what their offense put together. It’s only Week 1, but to judge from this performance, a healthy Bills squad is capable of beating anyone.

Positional Grades

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Buffalo's Nigel Bradham tackling Indy QB Luck.

Position	Grade
Quarterback	A-
Running Backs	B+
Wide Receivers	B
Tight Ends	B-
Offensive Line	B
Defensive Line	A
Linebackers	A
Secondary	A
Special Teams	B+
Coaching	A-

There wasn’t much to criticize about Buffalo’s performance in this game. Bills fans should be ecstatic with Taylor’s play, as he appeared calm, mobile and risk-averse. He stuck to quick, short, accurate passes, mixing them with a deep running back corps and the occasional downfield shot.

On several occasions, Taylor either extended plays with his legs or delivered a strike while being pressured in the pocket, both of which are encouraging signs. 

The Buffalo running backs were decent, but not great. McCoy and rookie Karlos Williams both appear healthy, and both showed flashes of explosiveness. But running backs accounted for less than 100 yards on the ground, and McCoy’s 41 required 17 carries, good for an average of just over 2.4 yards per carry. It was a good start, but the Bills will need more out of their backfield. 

Buffalo’s receiving contingent (including tight ends) was somewhat up and down. On one hand, Harvin was terrific, and McCoy combined with tight end Charles Clay for 89 yards on seven catches. On the other hand, Sammy Watkins—a trendy pick to break out this season—was invisible, finishing with zero catches on three targets, and Robert Woods was something of a non-factor.

Buffalo fans should be happy with their passing performance on Sunday, particularly in Taylor’s first game, but as with the running game, more will be needed on certain nights. 

The defense, on the other hand, was simply superb. The entire defensive line—and particularly Nigel Bradham—was terrifying, forcing Luck into awkward throws, sacking him twice, hitting him five times and rendering the Indy running game anemic.

The secondary was tremendous: Darby appeared to be fighting injury at times but was largely reliable, while Mario Butler and Stephon Gilmore were everywhere at once. Luck was picked off twice and barely completed half of his passes.

Lastly, the coaching staff was well-prepared. I wrote earlier this week that Buffalo should focus its secondary on Indy wideout T.Y. Hilton; instead, Ryan and his team took away everyone else, as Hilton finished with 88 receiving yards while nobody else had more than 46. The only major criticism here is that Buffalo struggled mightily with penalties—more on that next slide. 

Note No. 1: Concerning Penalties

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Buffalo's Jerry Hughes and Indianapolis QB Luck.

Buffalo finished with 11 penalties (plus two declined), costing the team a staggering 113 yards. Indianapolis only finished with 304 yards total in the game. Plus, two of those penalties cost more than their penal yardage—a holding call on tight end Matthew Mulligan negated what would have been a McCoy touchdown, and a call against fellow tight end Clay negated a 14-yard gain.

For one thing, Buffalo cannot simply give away 113 yards. That’s troubling and obvious. But on an arguably more worrisome note, the penalties were racked up across the board: Just two players (offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and defensive end Jerry Hughes) were called for more than one violation. The 11 penalties involved nine players, on both sides of the ball. The Bills must clean that up as they move forward in 2015.

Note No. 2: Health in the Secondary

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Buffalo CB Ronald Darby intercepts Indy QB Luck.

Buffalo’s preseason was fraught with injury on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, while several key offensive players—including McCoy and Harvin—appear to have rehabbed successfully, the team saw two defensive cogs go down on Sunday.

First, on the Colts’ first play from scrimmage, Indy running back Frank Gore barreled into safety Corey Graham, kneeing Graham in the head and sending him—tottering and with assistance—to the locker room. He did not return, and Bacarri Rambo replaced him.

Rambo exited the game later in the first quarter with an unclear injury, but he returned later on.

However, rookie CB Darby fought muscle cramps throughout the first half before Mario Butler replaced him in the lineup. It’s unclear for how long—if at all—the Bills will be without Graham or Darby. But Darby was already a question mark in the lineup, and the Bills are already missing starting corner Leodis McKelvin, who is recovering from an ankle injury.

The health of Graham and Darby warrants careful attention. The Bills clearly have the defense to beat anyone, but they can’t take many more hits to their secondary corps.

Quote No. 1: Rex Ryan

Bill Wippert/Associated Press/Associated Press

Bills HC Rex Ryan.

After Buffalo’s victory, Bills coach Rex Ryan was asked when he would start focusing on the New England Patriots, Buffalo’s Week 2 opponent.

“After I have a couple of beers,” Ryan responded, as ESPN’s Mike Rodak reported on Twitter.

Rex may not be “on to New England” for at least a few more hours, but you can be sure Buffalo fans are already strategizing. The Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, and it would send quite the signal if Ryan’s Buffalo tenure began with victories over Indy and New England (the AFC’s top two teams last year).

Of course, beating New England is both familiar and intensely desirable to Ryan, who coached the New York Jets from 2009-14. New England has won 13 of the last 15 AFC East titles, won the Super Bowl last year and beat Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium will be rocking next week.

Quote No. 2: Aaron Williams

Associated Press

Buffalo S Aaron Williams.

After the game, Buffalo safety Aaron Williams talked about the team's aggressiveness.

“Rex wants us to create a bully," Williams said. "So we’re going to want guys out there who want to smack something. That’s our attitude.”

That quote, first reported on Twitter by Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, says everything Buffalo opponents need to know. Ryan has a well-deserved reputation as a defensive whiz; he’s equally well-known for his sometimes-blustery, always-confident sense of toughness. It appears that toughness is spreading in Buffalo’s locker room.

The Bills defense was physical at every level. Buffalo jammed Indy wideouts at the line of scrimmage and hit them quickly and solidly after receptions. The Bills challenged every pass, and they hurried, hit and sacked Luck throughout the afternoon. They were aggressive, in-your-face and energetic. If this becomes a weekly exercise, Buffalo’s 16-year playoff drought is drawing to a close.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.