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In the game against the young Colts, the Bills sit two games back in the hunt for something that has evaded them for a dozen years.
A win, and Buffalo is right in the thick of things. A loss? Well, it may signal the start of draft analysis season across western New York.
How might the Bills match up? Let's take a gander at five things to watch for:
1) C.J. Spiller takes the reigns in the backfield
- It's been a long time coming. With all due respect to Fred Jackson and the important role he's played with the Bills throughout the year, it's time for C.J. Spiller to make this team his. Jackson will still serve an important role for the team, being able to spell Spiller and give a different look to the defense. The majority of the time, however, it will be Spiller's backfield. His ability to make moves to get out of trouble, as well as an innate sense to find the open field has made him one of the most efficient running backs in the NFL this season. The training wheels appear to be coming off, and it all starts on Sunday.
2) Luck not your average rookie
- The Indianapolis Colts may be the luckiest franchise in all the NFL in terms of finding a face of the franchise. The two years that the Colts have bottomed out and have been in need of a quarterback of the future, they were fortunate enough to be during years that boasted a prospect that many touted as a potential superstar in the professional ranks. We know how Peyton Manning turned out, and Andrew Luck has all the makings of becoming a superstar in the NFL. He makes throws normal rookies are afraid to make and has both the accuracy and confidence to hit them with precision. While yes, he has made some mistakes as a rookie in turning the ball over, Luck still has the ability to take over a game. He may be a rookie by title, but he is far ahead of Miami's Ryan Tannehill. The Bills will certainly have their hands full.
3) Defense: Two Steps Forward, Any Steps Back?
- Despite the upcoming matchup, the Bills made definitive strides forward in their game against the Miami Dolphins last week. The defensive line, linebackers and secondary all played a significant role in disallowing the Dolphins to do near anything on offense. In fact, the Dolphins had only 75 total yards through the first three quarters. Now against a much more daunting quarterback with a top-flight receiving threat, the progress made against the Dolphins will be essential in keeping the Bills in this game. The defensive line has set the tone for the Bills all season long. That trend will not change, and as that group goes, the defense will go. They'll surely need Mario Williams and Kyle Moore to continue their pass-rushing prowess to make the rookie quarterback sweat a bit.
4) Red Zone efficiency: Killer Instinct
- In two of the past three contests -- the Houston and Miami games-- the Buffalo Bills have had eight scoring opportunities, only to let them slip through their grasp and come away with a mere 24 points. After the Dolphins game, Stevie Johnson talked about the Bills needing to develop a killer instinct on offense. Through the week they said they need to pretend as though Rian Lindell is injured so they know they can't depend on him all the time. There have been multiple times where the play-calling has been suspect down in scoring areas, and the plays that needed to be made weren't. Against a weaker Indianapolis linebacking unit and defensive secondary, the Bills have opportunities to fix their red zone woes.
5) Old School vs. New School
- Since Aaron Williams has gone down with a knee injury, rookie cornerback Stephon Gilmore has stepped up and helped the Bills do away with the silly left/right cornerback philosophy. Instead, Gilmore matches up with the opponent's top receiver and hopes to lock that player down. When Williams went down, he stuck with Andre Johnson. Against Miami, he drew Brian Hartline. On Sunday, Gilmore gets the rejuvenated Reggie Wayne to deal with. One of the top receivers this season, Wayne still has the size and speed to win his matchups throughout the season. Andrew Luck has depended heavily on the veteran wideout, too. In a case of new school vs. old school, we'll see just how far Gilmore has come along against one of the NFL's best.
Injuries
Buffalo
OUT: DE Mark Anderson, CB Aaron Williams
QUESTIONABLE: FB Corey McIntyre, WR Brad Smith, DT Spencer Johnson
PROBABLE: HB Fred Jackson, HB C.J. Spiller, C Eric Wood, DT Marcell Dareus, LB Kelvin Sheppard, DE Shawne Merriman, DE Mario Williams, CB Justin Rogers, CB Ron Brooks, DT Kyle Williams, S Jairus Byrd, S Da'Norris Searcy, DE Chris Kelsay, T Chris Hairston, G Andy Levitre, CB Leodis McKelvin.
Indianapolis
DOUBTFUL: CB Vontae Davis
QUESTIONABLE: DE Cory Redding, TE Coby Fleener
PROBABLE: NT Josh Chapman, LB Robert Mathis, QB Andrew Luck, WR Donnie Avery, S Antoine Bethea, HB Donald Brown, CB Teddy Williams, LB Dwight Freeney
Prediction: Bills over Colts
- This game will be a tight one all the way through. The defense for each team may win a series at times, but the offense of both squads should be the key to victory. At that point, to me, it comes down to who has the more effective playmaker on offense. Will it be Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne for the Colts, or C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson for the Bills? I've gone back and forth on who will win this game more times than you'll know. In the end, however, the determining factor is C.J. Spiller getting the ball the majority of times and the amount of room he'll be able to roam around in against a very beatable Colts defense.
Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia
- It's been a long time coming. With all due respect to Fred Jackson and the important role he's played with the Bills throughout the year, it's time for C.J. Spiller to make this team his. Jackson will still serve an important role for the team, being able to spell Spiller and give a different look to the defense. The majority of the time, however, it will be Spiller's backfield. His ability to make moves to get out of trouble, as well as an innate sense to find the open field has made him one of the most efficient running backs in the NFL this season. The training wheels appear to be coming off, and it all starts on Sunday.
2) Luck not your average rookie
- The Indianapolis Colts may be the luckiest franchise in all the NFL in terms of finding a face of the franchise. The two years that the Colts have bottomed out and have been in need of a quarterback of the future, they were fortunate enough to be during years that boasted a prospect that many touted as a potential superstar in the professional ranks. We know how Peyton Manning turned out, and Andrew Luck has all the makings of becoming a superstar in the NFL. He makes throws normal rookies are afraid to make and has both the accuracy and confidence to hit them with precision. While yes, he has made some mistakes as a rookie in turning the ball over, Luck still has the ability to take over a game. He may be a rookie by title, but he is far ahead of Miami's Ryan Tannehill. The Bills will certainly have their hands full.
3) Defense: Two Steps Forward, Any Steps Back?
- Despite the upcoming matchup, the Bills made definitive strides forward in their game against the Miami Dolphins last week. The defensive line, linebackers and secondary all played a significant role in disallowing the Dolphins to do near anything on offense. In fact, the Dolphins had only 75 total yards through the first three quarters. Now against a much more daunting quarterback with a top-flight receiving threat, the progress made against the Dolphins will be essential in keeping the Bills in this game. The defensive line has set the tone for the Bills all season long. That trend will not change, and as that group goes, the defense will go. They'll surely need Mario Williams and Kyle Moore to continue their pass-rushing prowess to make the rookie quarterback sweat a bit.
4) Red Zone efficiency: Killer Instinct
- In two of the past three contests -- the Houston and Miami games-- the Buffalo Bills have had eight scoring opportunities, only to let them slip through their grasp and come away with a mere 24 points. After the Dolphins game, Stevie Johnson talked about the Bills needing to develop a killer instinct on offense. Through the week they said they need to pretend as though Rian Lindell is injured so they know they can't depend on him all the time. There have been multiple times where the play-calling has been suspect down in scoring areas, and the plays that needed to be made weren't. Against a weaker Indianapolis linebacking unit and defensive secondary, the Bills have opportunities to fix their red zone woes.
5) Old School vs. New School
- Since Aaron Williams has gone down with a knee injury, rookie cornerback Stephon Gilmore has stepped up and helped the Bills do away with the silly left/right cornerback philosophy. Instead, Gilmore matches up with the opponent's top receiver and hopes to lock that player down. When Williams went down, he stuck with Andre Johnson. Against Miami, he drew Brian Hartline. On Sunday, Gilmore gets the rejuvenated Reggie Wayne to deal with. One of the top receivers this season, Wayne still has the size and speed to win his matchups throughout the season. Andrew Luck has depended heavily on the veteran wideout, too. In a case of new school vs. old school, we'll see just how far Gilmore has come along against one of the NFL's best.
Injuries
Buffalo
OUT: DE Mark Anderson, CB Aaron Williams
QUESTIONABLE: FB Corey McIntyre, WR Brad Smith, DT Spencer Johnson
PROBABLE: HB Fred Jackson, HB C.J. Spiller, C Eric Wood, DT Marcell Dareus, LB Kelvin Sheppard, DE Shawne Merriman, DE Mario Williams, CB Justin Rogers, CB Ron Brooks, DT Kyle Williams, S Jairus Byrd, S Da'Norris Searcy, DE Chris Kelsay, T Chris Hairston, G Andy Levitre, CB Leodis McKelvin.
Indianapolis
DOUBTFUL: CB Vontae Davis
QUESTIONABLE: DE Cory Redding, TE Coby Fleener
PROBABLE: NT Josh Chapman, LB Robert Mathis, QB Andrew Luck, WR Donnie Avery, S Antoine Bethea, HB Donald Brown, CB Teddy Williams, LB Dwight Freeney
Prediction: Bills over Colts
- This game will be a tight one all the way through. The defense for each team may win a series at times, but the offense of both squads should be the key to victory. At that point, to me, it comes down to who has the more effective playmaker on offense. Will it be Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne for the Colts, or C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson for the Bills? I've gone back and forth on who will win this game more times than you'll know. In the end, however, the determining factor is C.J. Spiller getting the ball the majority of times and the amount of room he'll be able to roam around in against a very beatable Colts defense.
Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia