The Bills look to keep rolling on the road: What to know about their Week 10 matchup
ORCHARD PARK - Joe Flacco figured his NFL playing career was over when, in the offseason between 2022 and 2023, not one team bothered to sign him as an unrestricted free agent.
Flacco was hanging out at home, waiting and wondering if his career was truly over at age 38, when the Cleveland Browns called in November because their QB situation was in a state of disarray.
The former Super Bowl MVP spent two weeks on the practice squad learning the Browns’ offense and when he had a handle on that, coach Kevin Stefanski made him the starter to begin December. After losing his first game, Flacco led the Browns to four straight victories, topping 300 yards in each which resulted in a somewhat improbable AFC wild-card berth.
Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletter Delivered straight to your inbox, additional Bills analysis, insight, stats, quotes and team history from Sal Maiorana
The Browns went on to get pounded 45-14 by the Texans with Flacco throwing for 307 yards, and that late season surge led to Flacco being named the NFL’s comeback player of the year rather than Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin - a vote even Flacco thought was ridiculous given what Hamlin overcame to continue his NFL career.
Still, with DeShaun Watson returning in 2024, the Browns said “thanks” to Flacco and did not re-sign him, and that’s why he wound up in Indianapolis, signed originally to be a mentor to the Colts’ 2023 No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson, but now installed as the starter because of Richardson’s massive struggles.
“I think last year's situation is always going to be a little bit unique,” Flacco said. “I mean, this year at least – I’ve been a part of this football team since the spring, and I've been able to go out there and practice and be a part of it and do all those things. So I think there's a little bit of a different dynamic.”
While his first start wasn’t very good as he threw for just 179 yards and Indianapolis did not score an offensive TD in its 21-13 loss to Minnesota on Sunday Night Football, there is no doubt that while developing Richardson is probably what the Colts should be doing, until they do not have a realistic chance to make the playoffs Flacco gives them a better chance to get there, not to mention upset Buffalo when the teams meet Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
After the loss in Minnesota, during which the Colts had a season-low 227 yards, coach Shane Steichen reiterated that Flacco will remain the starter. “I just feel that where our team is at, I feel that Joe gives us the best chance to win right now and we're trying to put a winning product on the field,” he said. “There might have been a few completions here and there that we could have had, but again, he's a calm guy that has been playing at a high level for a long time. So I have a lot of faith in him.”
Buffalo Bills key to victory
Indianapolis’ pass defense has been spotty as it ranks 26th in yards allowed per game at 233.8 and it just got shredded by the Vikings’ Sam Darnold (28 of 34 for 290 yards and three TDs). Josh Allen should be able to take advantage of a unit that has struggled to get pressure (22nd in sack percentage at 6.1%, 21st in pressure rate at 32.1%), but to do so, he needs a full compliment of WRs, which he may not have. Amari Cooper missed the win over Miami with a wrist injury, and Keon Coleman left that game late with a wrist injury. Their availability is something to watch this week.
Indianapolis Colts key to victory
Flacco was in a very difficult spot playing in a tough environment in Minnesota against one of the NFC’s best teams, plus a defense that blitzes at a league-high rate of 41%. At his age, trying to stay upright against relentless pressure was a chore and he was sacked three times and hit on seven attempts. Next up are the Bills who blitz at the second-lowest rate in the NFL (17.3%) and outside of Greg Rousseau have not rushed the passer well at all in recent weeks. If the Colts can protect Flacco, he’ll have a chance to make throws downfield to Josh Downs, Alex Pierce and Michael Pittman.
Matchup to watch
Still, for the Colts’ offense to hum, it needs to be effective on the ground. That was certainly the case when Richardson was playing, and it remains so with Flacco under center. The Colts were not able to get Jonathan Taylor rolling against the Vikings (13 carries, 48 yards) and he’ll need to be much better against a Bills defense that plays the pass well, but is not at all strong against the run. The Bills allow the seventh-worst yards per run average (4.8) and have given up 35 runs of at least 10 yards, fifth-most in the NFL. Offensive balance will be imperative for the Colts, and Taylor is the key to that.
Who wins? Bills 26, Colts 19
For the second week in a row, the Bills will be playing a desperate team. They survived at home against division rival Miami, and now they go on the road to play the 4-5 Colts who are in the AFC wild-card mix, but currently sit outside of the top seven.
Despite their middling record, the Colts are not an easy out. All nine of their games have been decided by eight points or less so they are always in it right to the end. The Bills have played only four one-score games, but they did win three including the thriller Sunday against Miami.
Ultimately, the Bills have the better roster with the better quarterback, and if Allen plays clean, Buffalo - a team that has topped 30 points six times this year - will do enough to get the victory, even if it doesn’t get to 30 because the Colts’ offense ranks 22nd at 20.9 points per game.
What time does the Bills vs Colts game start?
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Colts?
The Bills have opened as a 4.5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-225 (bet $225 to win $100) and Colts plus-180 (bet $100 to win $180). The over-under is 47.5.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Colts game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC channel 8 (Rochester area), WIVB channel 4 (Buffalo area), WTVH channel 5 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WENY channel 2 (Elmira area), WRGB channel 10 (Albany area), and WBNG channel 12 (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Colts game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 382 (Bills feed) and channel 226 (Colts feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills schedule, NFL Week 10: What to know about Colts game
