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Top 2 important things learned from Buffalo Bills vs. Colts
The Buffalo Bills had the Indianapolis Colts for their first of three preseason games on Saturday afternoon. Many of Buffalo’s beginners had the day off, so several rookies and younger players headlined the day.
The Bills got down early but were able to win it 27 to 24 with a walk-off 46-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass. The win over the Colts makes it nine preseason wins in a row for Buffalo.
Here are three things to know from Saturday’s win.
1. Bill’s offense finds a way to come out on top
Bills quarterback Case Keenum took the field as the beginner for Buffalo’s first preseason game, as QB Josh Allen and many of the other team’s beginners did not play Saturday.
It was Keenum’s first game as a Bill, which was the same for many others on offense. The team struggled to get things going early and dedicated four turnovers in the first half, but fortunately located a way to turn it around in the second half.
Keenum and the offense did a good job of driving the ball down the field during their first drive but couldn’t capitalize in the red zone and came up short on 4th and 4. Running back Zack Moss picked up 39 properties on the ground and wide receiver Khalil Shakir accounted for 30 receiving courtyards during that drive.
Keenum reported the turnovers, including two interceptions were uncharacteristic, but he’s looking forward to learning from the tape.
“It is preseason so you need to take it with a grain of salt knowing that it’s not quite as game planned of a call sheet that we normally have,” Keenum shared. “I thought we did some good things and there’s a lot of stuff to work on and get better at as well.”
Why Bills safety Jaquan Johnson made the most out of his chance
Bills quarterback Matt Barkley took over for Keenum in the third quarter. During his first campaign, Barkley got into a nice beat with Shakir who picked up 46 yards from two catches. The drive ended in a 48-yard field goal by Tyler Bass, which cut the Colts’ lead to six.
“I’ll give him (Shakir) a lot of support,” Barkley stated. “He did a great job. He’s just a reliable receiver who knows where to be. He’s easy to read and only sees everything.”
Shakir ended the day as the leading receiver by picking up 92 yards from five receptions.
Buffalo curled the ball over five total times, the last one being an interception by Barkley. After the fifth turnover, the Bills had three-straight scoring aims to win the game after trailing 24-10 in the fourth.
Rookie running back Raheem Blackshear played a big position in those three drives by cutting two rushing touchdowns. Blackshear ended the day with four catches for 60 yards and 11 rushing yards.
“He gave us some juice,” McDermott reported of the rookie. “He was distinct when he came on the field.”
The Bill’s offense took the field with 3:24 left to play with the score tied up at 24-24. The group produced a 12-play, 45-yard drive that ended in a walk-off 46-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass. Wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins picked up back-to-back first downs on the industry to help give the Bills a chance to score. Hodgins did not drop a pass on the final drive as he was targeted five times.
The WR had a tough road back to the area as his first couple of seasons were full of working his way back from the wound. McDermott was happy to see him take benefit of the moment.
“That resilient nature that he has, he’s a great human being,” McDermott added. “His teammates love him. Great to see him work himself back in a place to make those plays, and for him to make those plays and come via for us was outstanding.”
While McDermott wasn’t pleased with the offense’s messy beginning, he was excited to see the group work via adversity and turn it around by winning the game as time passed.
“Those guys were as excited as I’ve seen them in a regular season game in the same situation,” McDermott conveyed. “The older guys watching these younger players come through in those situations, or a player like Isaiah Hodgins, that’s why you do this. That’s part of the cause we do this is to have fun and have guys awarded for all their hard work.
“I also think at the end of the day the game is played with your heart, and it’s fun to see that come out in professional sports where guys put it on the line. They want to win even in the exhibition game.”
2. Bill’s defense shows out against Colts starters in the first half
The Bills’ non-starters on defense got a great flavor of the match in their first preseason game by going up against the Colts’ starters in the first half. The guard got off to a hot start in the first two quarters by causing two turnovers and allowing the Colts to convert just 22% of their third downs.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott added calling agents against that type of competition is important for player development.
“You try to do it in practice and you try to simulate things, but to get that experience, that exposure, you can’t replicate it,” McDermott reported. “It was good work for us. I think we had one, maybe two sudden change situations with that group as well, going against that first offense from the Colts. Good situational experience for us.”
“Coach (Leslie) Frazier always says if the ones are down, we don’t want any drop-off,” safety Jaquan Johnson shared. “And I think we showed that today going against the Colts starters, getting all the communication and the checks well, playing aggressive, physical. We hit on all cylinders in the beginning, so it was perfect.”
Rookie cornerbacks Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford each picked up a key breakup in the first quarter. Elam split a pass up on third down, which forced the Colts to punt. On another drive, Benford got in the way of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to pause a pass up on a 4th and 4. It was amazing awareness by both rookies.
“I think early on Kaiir and Christian were out there and looked like, playing on opposite sides, they were holding their own out there and doing some good things,” McDermott stated. “Taking what they practiced to the game, which is good to see.”
In the second part, Colts quarterback Nick Foles returned to beginning quarterback Matt Ryan. During his first drive, Foles was sacked by defensive end Boogie Basham who also caused a fumble. Linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered the fumble and took it 69 yards to cut.
Teammates like Johnson were happy to visit the rookies have so much success in their first game.
“I told him it was an amazing debut from him,” Johnson said. “These are moments you live for, moments you dreamed of your whole life. You work so hard for moments like this, and it happens. So, I told him, ‘Awesome.’ I love celebrating with my teammates the same way they celebrated with me.”
