In one of the wildest games you will see this season, the Colts lost to the Bills, 13-7 in OT. This game was played in a blizzard, with temperatures plummeting as low as 28 degrees. This game was full of mishaps, failed plays, Chester Rogers disappearing after a touchdown catch, and sloppiness, as you would expect from a game played in multiple feet of snow. After falling to 3-10 with this loss, the Colts are officially mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The Bills, at 7-6, stay alive in the AFC playoff race.
LeSean McCoy sealed the game in overtime with a 21 yard end zone scamper. Chuck Pagano wanted the Colts to focus on stopping the run, to little avail. McCoy had himself a day, totaling 156 yards and a touchdown, ensuring his sixth 1,000 yard rushing season. In his second start, rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman showed marked improvement. Peterman rebounded from his five interception game, throwing only 10 passes, five complete, for 57 yards and a touchdown to end the second half. Joe Webb replaced Peterman after an injury. Throwing the ball excessively in a blizzard is probably not the best idea. The run game was on display today on both ends. Frank Gore ran for 130 yards.
Adam Vinatieri missed the game winning field goal to go along with a rough day overall, but it can be excused given the circumstances. Vinatieri missed both of his field goals today. After Jacoby Brissett threw a touchdown late in the fourth to Jack Doyle, a Kamar Aiken penalty on a two point conversion forced a 43 yard penalty. In seemingly impossible conditions, the kick wobbled in after the Colts took a timeout to clear the way. This game also featured two Buffalo fumbles, one from Peterman and one from Mike Tolbert.
The snow fell so hard pregame that the Bills had to hire fans to shovel snow off of the field. The Colts’ kicking team had to clear the snow before Vinatieri could even attempt a kick. The Colts and Bills played in a snow globe today. A natural phenomenon called “thunder snow” struck the stadium in the third quarter, where lightning strikes in a blizzard. This was the cherry on top of an unreal afternoon. Fans built snowmen in the stands.
Colts Game Ball: Matthias Farley
Matthias Farley continued his excellent play this season with a very solid performance in the snow. Farley racked up nine tackles, a pass deflection, and a clutch interception to set up a Colts game winning drive in regulation. Along with Farley, Quincy Wilson had a fantastic game, only allowing two catches for 18 yards on 15 targets. Farley is going to be a key piece for this secondary going forward, which is going to be not only talented, but incredibly deep.
The Colts head back to Indiana next week to take on the Broncos in a matchup of two bottom of the barrel AFC teams.
