Bills vs Colts: The Good and The Bad

The Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-19 in their first preseason game of the year. There was a mix of good and a bit of bad in their first preseason action yet came out victorious against the Colts. 

Many position battles were looked upon today and the Bills got one step closer to seeing who will make the starting 53-man roster. From the QB2 position, MLB position and the CB2 position the Bills will be making changes throughout the preseason.  

The Good

Quarterbacks 

Bills quarterback Kyle Allen started off the game for the Bills and had a solid showing getting them downfield and helping the Bills score 10 before half. Kyle Allen finished the game with 15 pass attempts and completed 8 of them for a total of 122 yards, yet had an unlucky interception off the hands of WR Tyrell Shavers that was picked off by rookie CB Darius Rush and returned for six. 

Matt Barkley had a great showing today throwing for 2 touchdowns and hitting on 14 out of 15 pass attempts. Barkley looked smooth with the players he had at his disposal and fit balls into tight coverage all day. Barkley threw a touchdown pass to both Tyrell Shavers and former Colts WR Dezmon Patmon in the endzone. Barkley helped the Bills seal off the game, solidifying a victory over the Colts. 

Receivers 

The young Bills receivers held their own today racking up a total of 294 yards all together. Newly acquired WR Andy Isabella had a solid day in both the return and receiving game, he finished with 3 receptions for 42 yards and in the return game he had 48 yards on 3 kick returns. 

KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella lead the team in yards, the Bills did a good job of rotating guys in and out and getting everyone playing time, nine players had over 15 yards receiving. 

Defense

The Bills had a total of 78 tackles on the day and finished with 3 sacks. Boogie Basham had a sack, Tim Settle had a sack and Kameron Cline along with D.J. Dale had a half sack. 

The Bills got to take a look at the CB2 competition today along with the MLB competition. Cornerback Dane Jackson had an interception off of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson along with a tackle and a pass defended. Siran Neal also had a good day racking up a total of 4 tackles and 2 solo tackles, including a pass defended. Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam both finished the day with 3 total tackles. 

At the linebacker position rookie Dorian Williams had a great day for himself finishing with 7 total tackles and 6 solo tackles. Williams will be playing outside linebacker behind Matt Milano according to the Bills coaching staff. 

Playcalling 

Ken Dorsey did a good job calling plays for the Bills offense today, keeping things light yet finding ways to move the ball downfield and into the endzone. Dorsey is in his second year as the Bills offensive coordinator and has looked solid so far in his first preseason game this year.

Sean McDermott seemed to have a good day calling plays for the Bills for the first time against an actual defense in a game. McDermott filled in for Leslie Frazier as the defensive coordinator. 

The Bad 

Run Game 

The Bills run game never really got started today against the Colts but were switching a lot of guys in and out. No one could get going for more than 25+ yards on the ground but all together had a total of 82 rushing yards. Like many preseason games in the past the Bills always find a rookie running back that breaks away for a big gain and has BillsMafia intrigued but today there was none of that. 

Turnovers 

The Bills had two total turnovers on the day, one of them through the air and one of them a fumble by TE Jace Sternburger. The Bills have struggled with turnovers in the past and want to clean up any mistakes before the regular season begins against a division rival, the New York Jets. 

The Bills had a great day today all things considered and will look to clean things up and get better ahead of their next match up where they go on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.