The Buffalo Bills (8-2) won their fifth-straight game with a 30-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The game began with a bang for the Bills, as cornerback Taron Johnson opened the scoring with a pick-six interception on Colts quarterback Joe Flacco.
On the subsequent drive, Bills defensive tackle Austin Johnson intercepted Flacco on a screen pass. Buffalo responded with a Tyler Bass field goal to put Buffalo up 10-0 early in the game.
Indianapolis clawed back, scoring 13 unanswered points. Tyler Goodson's two-yard touchdown reception was sandwiched between two Colts drives that culminated with field goals.
Buffalo responded with an eight-play drive ending with a Josh Allen 13-yard touchdown run from the QB. Bass added a field goal as the first half expired, giving the Bills a 20-13 lead into halftime.
The second half featured strong defensive play from both, as neither offense could find the end zone for most of the frame. The Colts saw drives end in multiple ways. Buffalo's defense completed a defensive hat trick of sorts, forcing a fumble, stopping the Indianapolis offense on fourth down, and intercepting a pass.
Running back James Cook scored a late rushing touchdown to put the game out of reach in favor of the Bills.
Alec Pierce scored a garbage-time touchdown to bring the score a little closer to a respectable loss for Indianapolis.
BUF 10, IND 10: Tyler Goodson 2-yard reception from Joe Flacco. Tyler Gay PAT. (9:22)
BUF 30, IND 13: James Cook 2-yard rushing touchdown. Tyler Bass PAT. (3:04)
BUF 30, IND 20: Alec Pierce 10-yard touchdown reception. Matt Gay PAT. (0:02)
*Buffalo's defense forced four turnovers. The unit had three interceptions and recovered a Colts fumble.
*Buffalo's offense went 7-of-14 on third-down conversions.
*Mack Hollins led the Bills with 68 yards receiving. Khalil Shakir reeled in a team-high six passes.
*Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard each recorded nine total tackles.
*Jonathan Taylor led all rushers with 114 yards on 21 carries.
Buffalo's defense showed off today, forcing several problems to the Indianapolis offense. The Bills intercepted Colts quarterback Joe Flacco three times. Taron Johnson, Austin Johnson, and Taylor Rapp all picked off Flacco passes.
Buffalo also succeeded in a fourth-down stop against the Colts in the third quarter. At the time of the stop, Buffalo was up a touchdown with Indianapolis driving deep in Bills territory.
The Bills defense also forced two fumbles. While only one of the two resulted in a turnover, watching the Buffalo defense fly around the field was still impressive.
Josh Allen's rushing touchdown technically put the Bills out of reach in this game. The Colts were shut out in the second half, which allowed the Bills to create a greater distance on the scoreboard in the second half.
The real moment when the game felt like it was over was when James Cook scored with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. The drive sucked the life out of Indianapolis.
The Bills put together a 13-play, 84-yard drive. Early in the drive, it looked like the Colts would force a punt. Josh Allen rushed for 21 yards on a third-and-long play, extending the series for the Bills. From that point, Buffalo moved the ball down the field methodically.
It ended with Cook somersaulting into the end zone.
Buffalo hosts the Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) next Sunday for a late afternoon kickoff. Kansas City defeated Denver to remain undefeated on the season.
The Chiefs defeated the Bills during the 2023 playoffs, knocking out Buffalo 27-24 in the AFC Division Round.