Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
Final score: Bills 30, Colts 20
Records: Bills (8-2), Colts (4-6)
Next opponent: Bills vs Chiefs on Sunday, November 17 at 4:25 pm ET
For the first time since 1998, the Buffalo Bills won on the road in Indianapolis, defeating the Colts 30-20.
The defense dominated the day, intercepting QB Joe Flacco three times and sacking him 4.0 times. CB Taron Johnson returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown and added 1.0 sacks along with 3 tackles. LB Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard led the defense with nine total tackles each. S Taylor Rapp and DT Austin Johnson also caught interceptions while DE Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and DT Quinton Jefferson each had 1.0 sacks.
On offense, QB Josh Allen threw for 280 yards and did damage on the ground, rushing for 50 yards and 1 touchdown. RB James Cook ran for 80 yards and 1 touchdown while WR Mack Hollins led the receivers with 86 yards.
With today's win, the Bills accomplished the following milestones:
- Bills are 8-2 for the first time since 1993
- Bills remain in first place in the AFC East
- Bills won their fifth consecutive game
- Bills won their first game in Indianapolis since Oct. 11, 1998 (31-24)
- Bills broke a two-game losing streak to Indianapolis
- Produced 30 points and a win in four consecutive games – second-longest streak in team history (six games in 2004)
🔥1. A hot start
The Bills spoke all week about how they wanted to have a hot start, and the defense did just that. After the offense went three-and-out on their first drive, the Bills defense came out on the field.
On the Colts' first play from scrimmage, CB Taron Johnson intercepted a pass from QB Joe Flacco who was looking for WR Josh Downs and took it back for a touchdown to give the Bills the early 7-0 lead.
On the Colts next drive after the interception, Flacco and the offense converted on a fourth-down-and-one in Buffalo territory, but on the next play he threw another interception, this time to DT Austin Johnson who caught the second interception of his career.
😞2. First fourth down miss
The Colts scored a field goal on their third drive of the game, after RB Jonathan Taylor ran through the defense for 59 yards.
The Bills were driving into Colts territory when they were faced with a fourth down-and-three. QB Josh Allen threw the ball to WR Curtis Samuel but the ball fell incomplete and gave the Colts the turnover-on-downs.
🐎3. The Colts' response
The Colts responded from the turnover-on-downs with a touchdown drive tied the game at 10-10. Flacco, found RB Tyler Goodson on a short pass the took him into the endzone.
On the Bills' next drive, Allen threw a pass deep in the direction of WR Khalil Shakir, but before the pass got to Shakir, it was intercepted by LB E.J. Speed in Bills territory. The Colts scored a field goal following the interception and took the 13-10 lead.
👍4. Josh Allen makes history
The Bills took the lead back from the Colts after a touchdown drive of their own. Allen threw the ball down the field to TE Dawson Knox for 34 yards that set the offense up to score on the next play. Allen took the run to the left and ran into the endzone for 13 yards to go back up by 4 points.
The rushing touchdown was Allen's 57th of his career which tied OJ Simpson for second most all-time in Bills history.
🤨5. 3 before half
The Colts were forced to punt on the drive following the Bills touchdown. With only 1:10 left before halftime, the Bills offense moved the ball with short passes, using 52 seconds of the clock.
Facing a third-down-and-10, Allen scrambled to his right, breaking two shoe-string tackles in the process, and threw a deep pass to WR Mack Hollins who slid to make the catch, got up and ran out of bounds. Two plays later K Tyler Bass booted in a 47-yard field goal to give the Bills the touchdown lead.
💪6. Groot strip sack
After their first drive of the second half stalled, P Sam Martin pinned the Colts deep at their own 4-yard line. Flacco and the Colts had several chunk plays that brought them out of dangerous territory and into Bills territory. On second-and-10, DE Greg Rousseau stripped Flacco and S Damar Hamlin recovered giving the Bills possession again.
😤7. Welcome back Quinton Jefferson
On the next play, Allen threw a pass in the direction of Samuel, but CB Kenny Moore cut off the route and intercepted the pass.
The Colts found themselves on Buffalo's side of the field again with an opportunity to score. On fourth-and-two, the Colts decided to keep their offense on the field and Flacco dropped back to pass. With no one open, Flacco held onto the football and DT Quinton Jefferson sacked him for a loss of 10 yards and the turnover-on-downs.
🏈8. Expanding the lead
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Bills put together a 13-play drive that expanded from the third to the fourth quarter, used 10:58 of the clock and brought them down to the Colts' 10-yard line. The drive resulted in a 27-yard field goal that brought the Bills' lead to 10 over the Colts.
😄9. "Another one"
The Bills defense continued their dominant day, intercepting Flacco for the third time of the day. Flacco threw a pass high in the direction of WR Alec Pierce that came off of Pierce's fingertips and ended up in the hands of S Taylor Rapp for his first interception of the season.
Starting at their own 16-yard line, Allen and the offense put together another 13-play drive. Following several negative plays, Allen worked his magic, running the ball for 21 yards and sliding at the 28-yardline for a first down. Then, four plays later, Allen threw a screen pass to Shakir that he took 30 yards, avoiding defenders in the process.
Several plays later at the Colts' two-yard line, RB James Cook ran untouched for two yards and front flipped into the end zone to put the Bills up 30-13.
The Colts scored one final touchdown at the end of the game as Flacco found WR Alec Pierce, ending the game at 30-20.
Key Stats and Facts:
- Taron Johnson recorded his third career pick six (including playoffs)
- The last time the Bills had a pick six on their opponent's opening drive was October 20, 2013 against the Dolphins (Nickell Robey-Coleman picked off Ryan Tannehill and returned it for a TD)
- It's the first time that the Bills had a pick six on their opponent's first offensive play of the game.
- This is the first time the Bills forced a turnover on each of their opponent's first 2 drives since 12/30/2018 vs. Miami
- Since 2022, the Bills are second in the NFL for most games with two or more takeaways (25) behind only the San Francisco 49ers.
- Josh Allen now has 57 rushing touchdowns ties OJ Simpson for second in Bills franchise history.
- Austin Johnson joins A.J. Epenesa (2023), Sean Moran (1997) and Ron McDole (1968) as Bills defensive linemen with the most interceptions in a single season (2).
- Taron Johnson is the fifth Bill all-time and first Bills DB to record a sack & an INT TD in a game. AJ Epenesa (9/24/23 at WAS) was the last Bill to do so.
- This is Buffalo's fourth game with 4+ takeaways since the start of last season, most in the NFL.
- Josh Allen has 1 rushing touchdown and 280 passing yards. He now has 21 games with one touchdown and 250 passing yards is now tied with Tom Brady for the most in the NFL since 1950.
- James Cook is now above 3,000 scrimmage yards for his career. He's the 29th Bills player to reach that mark and the 9th youngest of them.
Scoring Plays:
12:24 1Q | BUF 7 IND 0 | Joe Flacco pass short left intended for Josh Downs INTERCEPTED by Taron Johnson at IND 23. Taron Johnson for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5:36 1Q | BUF 10 IND 0 | Tyler Bass 29-yard field goal is GOOD.
3:34 1Q | BUF 10 IND 3 | Matt Gay 27-yard field goal is GOOD.
9:26 2Q | BUF 10 IND 10 | Joe Flacco pass short left to Tyler Goodson for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6:35 2Q | BUF 10 IND 13 | Matt Gay 23-yard field goal is GOOD.
2:21 2Q | BUF 17 IND 13 | Josh Allen left guard for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
0:02 2Q | BUF 20 IND 13 | Tyler Bass 47-yard field goal is GOOD.
11:01 4Q | BUF 23 IND 13 | Tyler Bass 28-yard field goal is GOOD.
3:09 4Q | BUF 30 IND 13 | James Cook left end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
0:08 4Q | BUF 30 IND 20 | Joe Flacco pass short right to Alec Pierce for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
