Scouting The Indianapolis Colts

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

AFC East Champions for the first time in 25 years. 13-3 and the AFC's #2 seed. Swept the division including the hated Patriots. Josh Allen breaking countless records and likely being one of three players in the NFL to receive MVP votes in the coming weeks. Stefon Diggs as the league leader in receptions and receiving yards. The defense rounding into form and taking the ball away like it's 2019. The list of accolades goes on and on, the point is we may have just witnessed the greatest regular season in franchise history. Now it's time for the playoffs and time to break some more records of the post-season variety.

Next, we're at home facing the 11-5 Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Playoffs Wild Card Round who are coming off a somewhat shaky win against a 1-15 Jacksonville team. Same as the previous weeks, I wanted to do an amateur deep dive/scouting session into the Colts' last three games based on their game highlights (granted it's not the All-22 film but still nearly an hour of tape) and then list some keys/X-factors for our matchup this week. Anyways, hope you enjoy/find this useful:

 

***Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Ranks are based on Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average statistics.***

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings 

 

December 20th- Week 15 Win at Home vs Houston (the Texans (current record: 4-12) have the 13th ranked offense, 30th ranked defense, and 20th ranked special teams) by a score of 27-20:

• Phillip Rivers- 22/28 for 228 yards, 2 passing TDs, and 0 INTs. Rivers is a cagey veteran QB and the Hyde/Poyer tandem may not be able to confuse him as often as other QBs. In most cases, he reads the opposing defense well, knows the right time to call an audible, and makes the correct decision/throw, but the main issue at this point in his career is his dwindling arm strength. Having played in the warm California weather for so many years and now in a dome in his debut season with Indy, he never had the strongest arm to begin with and now you have to wonder if his arm will hold up in the Buffalo elements (fun fact: 3 of Indy's 5 losses this year have come outdoors). The Colts still have certain packages that they roll out for Brissett as a more mobile QB option, but he was 0/1 in this match up. Rivers was only sacked once and Indy was excellent in pass protection, shutting out JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus. 
• Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines- Taylor (83 yards, 5.2 YPC, and 1 TD) is more powerful than I realized, but he's still more athlete than running back at this point in his career IMHO. Hines (43 yards and 8.6 YPC) is super quick and is possibly a top 3 receiving RB in the NFL especially in the screen game. Hines fumbled in the third quarter which was luckily recovered by the Colts. Both backs have benefitted from some enormous college football-sized holes opened up by the Colts' linemen (although their line is now missing a couple key pieces like LT Anthony Castonzo). In some ways, I view the Colts offense as a less dynamic version of the Titans where success comes from leaning heavily on the run game with the QB being counted on to mix in a few throws downfield to keep the other team honest. 
• TY Hilton (4 receptions for 71 yards)- Came up with a huge 40 yard catch to set up the game-winning TD. Still their #1 WR and a true deep threat although his usage is down on the year. 
• Zach Pascal (5 receptions for 79 yards and 2 TDs) and Michael Pittman Jr. (2 receptions for 19 yards)- Pascal is a physical receiver with steady hands who seems to be a favorite target of Rivers in the red zone. He's not going to blow you away with elite speed or athletic traits, but he's a hard worker who has put together a solid career for an undrafted free agent and a powerfully-built receiver who will win with strength and toughness after the catch. Pittman Jr is a more athletic and slightly taller/leaner/younger version who excels on quick slants and uses his height (6'4") and long arms really well against smaller DBs. 
• Colts TEs- Rivers looked Jack Doyle's (2 receptions for 14 yards) way a couple times in the red zone, but the Texans LBs were able to bottle the Indy TEs up on this day. 
• Colts Run Defense- Held David Johnson, Watson, and the back ups to 83 combined rushing yards at 4.0 YPC. Texans went pass heavy given that they were trailing for most of this contest. 
• Colts Pass Defense- Allowed a strong performance from Desean Watson (33/41 for 373 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs) as he willed the Texans back into the game. It should be noted that Houston was without a few of its biggest playmakers due to injury (Will Fuller and Duke Johnson among them). David Johnson had 11 catches for 106 yards which is eye-catching, I wonder if we can get Singletary and Moss going in the screen game this Saturday. Watson was under pressure constantly behind a poor Houston O-line and DeForest Buckner led the way with a game-wrecking performance with THREE sacks (including one that may have saved the win with less than a min to go) and a forced fumble. Denico Autry chipped in with 1.5 sacks as the Colts DTs had a clear advantage against the Texans' center and guards (another way you could read this is that the Colts don't have much edge rushing talent behind a 31 year old Justin Houston). The Colts secondary doesn't inspire much confidence and gave up a wide open 38 yard receiving TD to a guy named Chad Hansen on a major busted coverage (there wasn't a Colt within 10 yards of him). Xavier Rhodes is their #1 CB and is having a bounce back year after bombing off of the Vikings, but they don't have any true difference makers in the DB room. Indy's star LB Darius Leonard put in a strong shift with 9 tackles. 
• Miscellaneous- It felt like Indy was going to dominate this game after going up 14-0 in the first quarter, but they lacked the killer instinct and Houston tied the game with 7 min left and could have won it. From a brief peek at the Colts' fan forums, it's a pattern and a major source of frustration as their team seems to build a lead in the first half, but go cold in the 2nd which has cost them. Indy averaged 6.6 yards per play with a balanced attack. Rodrigo Blankenship can't hold Tyler Bass' jockstrap in terms of kicking power, but he's a steady and accurate NFL kicker and I have to admit I'm a fan of the sports goggles (throwback to Horace Grant maybe). Blankenship snuck a 53 yarder just over the crossbar at the start of the 4th quarter. Indianapolis committed 4 penalties for 35 yards. 

 

 

December 27th- Week 16 Loss Away vs Pittsburgh (the Steelers (current record: 12-4) have the 22nd ranked offense, 1st ranked defense, and 14th ranked special teams) by a score of 28-24:

• Phillip Rivers- 21/34 for 270 yards, 1 passing TD, and 1 INT. TJ Watt beat the right tackle and hit River's arm, forcing a fumble that was returned to the four yard line and led to a Steelers TD. Rivers threw a beautiful 45 yard deep ball to Pascal for a TD in the second quarter (the arm strength seems to come and go with him sometimes). Threw a pick on another deep ball with just 6 minutes left, overthrowing Pittman Jr and could have thrown a more accurate ball to Pascal on their final play. The Indy line played outstanding in the first half even without Castonzo, but seemed to tire in the second half, ultimately allowing five sacks. Their RT struggled against both Watt and Highsmith, hopefully Hughes can win that match up on Saturday. 
• Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines- Indy lost LT Anthony Castonzo to a season-ending ankle injury in their Thursday practice before this game. Taylor (74 yards, 4.1 YPC, and 2 TDs) showed good power on his goal line carries and his blend of speed and strength allows him to gain extra yards after contact. Hines (44 rushing yards and 5.5 YPC with 20 receiving yards) also broke off a 70 yard catch and run on a screen pass that was called back due to an iffy blocking penalty. 
• TY Hilton (3 receptions for 60 yards)- Counted on for some big catches once the Colts were trailing. Probably not as fast as he once was, but can still stretch the field. 
• Zach Pascal (3 receptions for 64 yards and 1 TD) and Michael Pittman Jr. (3 receptions for 38 yards)- Pascal was a difference maker early scoring the TD, but dropped a (slightly high) pass that hit him in both hands on 4th-and-7 with the game on the line.
• Colts TEs- Doyle (4 receptions for 50 yards) made some key grabs and was able to separate from Pittsburgh's weakened LB corps. Trey Burton had a significant drop on third down with two min to play and seems to be a non-factor for a player who looked like a rising star for the Bears just a couple seasons ago.
• Colts Run Defense- James Connor (21 yards and 4.2 YPC with 1 TD) didn't get many opportunities as the Steelers trailed for most of the contest and had to throw their way back into the game. Pittsburgh's longest carry of the first half was 3 yards, but the Steelers found more success later on. The Colts defense recorded 0 takeaways for the second straight week. 
• Colts Pass Defense- Ben Roethlisberger (34/49 for 341 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs) had one of his better games passing the ball and really started to dominate the opposing DBs as the game went along. Khari Willis got to Big Ben on a safety blitz for Indy's only sack of the contest as Big Ben continued to get the ball out quickly. In the first half, the Colts led by Leonard and Bobby Okereke did a great job forcing Ben to take the short completion on third-and-long situations and rallying up to make the tackle short of the sticks. However, the tides started to turn after HT as Rock Ya-Sin got torched in single coverage by Diontae Johnson for a 39 yard TD. Kenny Moore (Indy's slot corner) wasn't able to contain JuJu Smith-Schuster (9 catches for 96 yards and 1 TD) either. Pittsburgh got their screen game working and Ebron seemed to find more space over the middle. As talented as Leonard is, he finished this season with a career-low 3 sacks and didn't record an INT for the first time.
• Miscellaneous- Indy led 21-7 at halftime. Terrell Edmunds dropped an INT in the end zone on the Colts' opening drive that would have prevented a Taylor rushing TD on the next play. Indy averaged 5.4 yards per play and committed 9 penalties for 83 yards. 

 

 

January 3rd- Week 17 Win at Home vs Jacksonville (the Jaguars (current record: 1-15) have the 27th ranked offense, 31st ranked defense, and 18th ranked special teams) by a score of 28-14:

• Phillip Rivers- 17/27 for 164 yards, 1 passing TD, and 1 INT. More of a dink-and-dunk passing game as Taylor and Hines were getting whatever they wanted on the ground. Threw a pick on a deep ball in the third quarter, underthrowing TY Hilton. The Indy line played outstanding all game, giving Rivers all day to throw, and didn't allow a sack. 
• Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines- Taylor (253 yards, 8.4 YPC, and 2 TDs) had his break out game albeit against a 1-15 Jaguars team that appeared to have quit. The Indy line opened some massive holes and Taylor, often untouched until he was already 5-10 yards downfield, then ran around and through the secondary. Hines (17 rushing yards and 8.5 YPC with 50 receiving yards) was again an effective weapon in the screen game. 
• TY Hilton (3 receptions for 27 yards and 1 TD)- Came up with a great TD catch and a 2 pt conversion as well, getting excellent separation on both. 
• Zach Pascal (2 receptions for 41 yards) and Michael Pittman Jr. (2 receptions for 28 yards)- Pascal also took a jet sweep and showed off some good moves to gain 15+ yards.
• Colts TEs- Doyle (3 receptions for 17 yards) came up big on a couple third downs, but had a quiet game overall. Cox and Burton didn't register a catch.
• Colts Run Defense- Dare Ogunbowale (50 yards and 3.6 YPC) has been Jacksonville's lead back with James Robinson out injured and didn't have much room to run. While their pass defense has dropped off a cliff, Indy's run defense is still stingy. 
• Colts Pass Defense- The Jaguars were seriously outmatched here, but Mike Glennon (26/42 for 261 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs) actually managed to put in a respectable performance. Darius Leonard finally made the flash play I was expecting to see, coming free on a blitz and hitting Henne's arm just before he threw, forcing a fumble. The Colts were able to collapse the pocket and sack Henne SIX times with Jacksonville's line having no answer for Buckner in particular. The Colts pass defense seemed to go into prevent mode after going ahead 20-0 and gave up some quick scores, getting burned by Laviska Shenault Jr (6 receptions for 68 yards and 2 TDs) especially. 
• Miscellaneous- Indy led 20-7 at halftime, but again squandered a ton of chances to put the game away and gave the Jags a chance (had the ball in a 6 point game with only four min left). A random note, but I've rarely seen a guy play as hyped up as Leonard. A routine tackle? Big celebration. An incomplete pass? Big celebration. After the forced fumble above, Leonard nearly took the roof off the building. In a season with no fans, you need guys who can bring the juice and Leonard does for this defense. Blankenship missed a 50 yarder short as time expired in the first half and another in the 3rd quarter. Indy averaged 6.8 yards per play and committed 1 penalty for 15 yards. 

 

 

January 9th - Wild Card Playoff Round Game: Indianapolis Colts (current record: 11-5, the Colts have the 12th ranked offense, 7th ranked defense, and 10th ranked special teams) Away vs Buffalo Bills (current record: 13-3, the Bills have the 5th ranked offense, 12th ranked defense, and 4th ranked special teams)

 

• Bills On Offense- The strength of the Indianapolis defense is their front seven with studs like Buckner and Leonard. However, their defense has gotten much worse in yards against/points/turnovers forced in recent weeks after a strong start and are vulnerable in the secondary which is bad news for them against our on-fire passing attack. I also think after playing the Patriots and Dolphins in back-to-back weeks, the Colts should be easier to decipher as we've passed some tougher tests against defenses that were better vs the pass and play a more unpredictable amoeba-type scheme. The main key to the Bills offense will be neutralizing DeForest Buckner (9.5 sacks) and Denico Autry (7.5 sacks) inside and giving Josh time to pick apart the Colts secondary. The Colts aim to get pressure with four rushers without blitzing very often and drop into coverage with an emphasis on preventing the big play (sounds familiar, right?). The main difference from the Bills scheme though is that Indy depends more on man coverage which Allen has shown he can feast on this season. As in past games, the Bills should continue to spread the defense out with 3-4 WR sets while doubling Buckner and leaving an RB or TE in to chip frequently. I can envision a repeat of a game like Week 2 vs Miami where Diggs and Brown were un-guardable on long crossing routes.

 

• Bills On Defense- Indianapolis are well-coached by Frank Reich who is squeezing some great production out of a pretty average group of offensive players, is very analytics driven, and is aggressive on fourth downs. That being said, this is very much a throwback team that is built to win with running and defense. A lot has been said about Rivers' arm and age, but he's seen it all and plays the QB position intelligently. Rivers is really hard to sack as well with his awareness in the pocket. Taylor started slow this year having to adjust to the NFL with a shortened offseason, but he's among the top RBs over the past month and is coming off a monster rushing performance vs the Jags. Rivers is obviously a different QB than Tua, but I think the Bills' strategy here has to be similar to the way we attacked Miami: stacking the box to stop the run and sitting on the shorter routes. Hopefully our strong secondary can force Rivers to hold onto the ball for longer than he's like and our pass rush can get home. 

 

• On Special Teams- The Colts have an above-average special teams unit. Blankenship has proven to be an accurate NFL kicker in his rookie season (32/37 on FGs and 43/45 XPs), but lacks elite power, only hitting 1/3 on 50+ yard FGs despite playing in a dome. Nyheim Hines flashes as a returner with a 10 yard return average and their punter has overcome some serious medical issues to put together a solid season. Lastly, despite McKenzie's electric PR TD last week, I still think Roberts is the better returner with more proven ball security and he should have some room on punt returns, maybe he can answer back and tie McKenzie by finally taking one back to the house. 

 

***After seeing so much discussion and disappointment over this game being played on Saturday at 1 PM EST, I just wanted to add that I think the slightly shorter rest for both teams is an advantage for the Bills. First of all, the Bills played earlier last Sunday and rested their starters for part or all of the game. The Bills are also the home team and don't have to travel. Lastly, while the Bills have played on short rest multiple times this season and dealt with some schedule uncertainty, the Colts have only played on short rest once this season (Thursday Night Football in Week 10).*** 

 

Alright thanks for reading! I enjoyed putting this together and will hopefully get the chance to do a few more of these in the coming weeks. I think the Colts are a good test for the Bills and a team we should respect. They are well-coached, have a strong defense, and a powerful O-line/run game, but I have doubts about Rivers' ability to throw the ball in the elements against a strong Buffalo secondary and he's so immobile that it gives me hope that we can get pressure with four. More importantly, I think our offense is well-positioned to take advantage of their biggest weakness (pass defense) and that will be the deciding factor on gameday. The Bills are now the #1 team in the NFL in weighted DVOA which gives recent games more strength to get a better idea of how well teams are playing now and with the incredible momentum the Bills are riding, I'm optimistic about a Bills win. 

 

All the best, stay healthy, Happy New Year, and Go Bills! 

[Just Joshin']

One advantage is that the Bills have played a tougher schedule.  Better stats, W-L, tougher schedule at home point towards a Bills victory.

 

Turnovers are the potential downfall - no fumbles or bad interceptions should result in a Bills win.

[Rock'em Sock'em]

Hopefully the extra juice provided by 6,700 frenzied fans will lead to a strong start.

[Steptide]

1 minute ago, Rock'em Sock'em said:

Hopefully the extra juice provided by 6,700 frenzied fans will lead to a strong start.

That's my hope too, but also hope that it doesn't get the bills players over hyped and start playing stupid 

[Freddie's Dead]

2 hours ago, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

• Lastly, despite McKenzie's electric PR TD last week, I still think Roberts is the better returner with more proven ball security and he should have some room on punt returns, maybe he can answer back and tie McKenzie by finally taking one back to the house. 

 

***After seeing so much discussion and disappointment over this game being played on Saturday at 1 PM EST,

 

Good writeup, disagree with two points.

 

McKenzie hasn't fumbled in over two years (he had 2 in 2018), while Roberts had 1 in 2019, and 3 this year.  Yet somehow, the myth in bold above continues at TBD.  I really don't get why people have no faith in McKenzie when it comes to PR/KR.  All the kid does is make plays.

 

As far as the Saturday start time, I don't understand all the disappointment.  This is a HUGE advantage for the divisional round, as we get an extra day to prepare for the next sacrificial lamb.  Look on the bright side people!

Edited January 7, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[Richard Noggin]

At some point today on WGR (OBL, I'm pretty sure), the Colts radio guy mentioned the Colts using Moore (CB) as their shutdown/shadow cover guy in crunch time recently. Like as an adjustment they had Moore follow some primary receiver on every play for an important 4th quarter drive, and it worked. Wish I could call up more specific details about this point. 

 

Anyone else hear it? Did you see it, OP, in your game reviews?

[qwksilver]

Was waiting for this report. 

This is must read for me all season please continue to do this for palyoffs and beyond. Thank you and nice report!

 

I am a little concerned that the Bills might be reading all their great press the last 4 weeks and come out flat.

My takeaways: Their run game and their rookie RB has been getting better as the year has goes on. The Colts have recently let teams back into games, once they get a lead, even bad teams. Their defense in the back end is somewhat of weakness. So if we come out flat, we should be able to come back.

 

Your report has lessened my Billsy worries, thanks!

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Good writeup, disagree with two points.

 

McKenzie hasn't fumbled in over two years (he had 2 in 2018), while Roberts had 1 in 2019, and 3 this year.  Yet somehow, the myth in bold above continues at TBD.  I really don't get why people have no faith in McKenzie when it comes to PR/KR.  All the kid does is make plays.

 

 

 

I don’t know. Going into last game, I said I was excited about McKenzie getting some opportunities in the return game. And everyone reminded me of his bobbles and fumbles and bad decisions.

Then, this past Sunday, on his punt return TD, he almost fumbled the ball on the catch, if you go back and look. On another punt return, he got out of the way Too late, and the ball missed hitting him by like an inch. 
 

My buddy is a Broncos fan, and he said McKenzie made a lot of mistakes and bobbles and fumbles in his very limited time in Denver too. 
 

I love McKenzie, but remain nervous with him on returns. 
 

 

 

[downunderbill]

3 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

At some point today on WGR (OBL, I'm pretty sure), the Colts radio guy mentioned the Colts using Moore (CB) as their shutdown/shadow cover guy in crunch time recently. Like as an adjustment they had Moore follow some primary receiver on every play for an important 4th quarter drive, and it worked. Wish I could call up more specific details about this point. 

 

Anyone else hear it? Did you see it, OP, in your game reviews?

 

The thing is, while Josh favors Diggs, he'll throw to anyone so i'm not sure it would stop a drive. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

I really like Hughes coming off a week of rest against a back-up LT.  Bills blitzed more this year under Frazier than in years past.  I think he will call some timely blitzes in the early downs against the most immobile QB in the league.  Force a few short fields and the Bills can open a big lead early

[Xwnyer]

10 hours ago, Rock'em Sock'em said:

Hopefully the extra juice provided by 6,700 frenzied fans will lead to a strong start.

I am guessing they will be loud and sound like 20k or more

[CSBill]

Great work Billeaving! If the Bills prepare like you they are in great shape 😎

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

8 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Good writeup, disagree with two points.

 

McKenzie hasn't fumbled in over two years (he had 2 in 2018), while Roberts had 1 in 2019, and 3 this year.  Yet somehow, the myth in bold above continues at TBD.  I really don't get why people have no faith in McKenzie when it comes to PR/KR.  All the kid does is make plays.

 

As far as the Saturday start time, I don't understand all the disappointment.  This is a HUGE advantage for the divisional round, as we get an extra day to prepare for the next sacrificial lamb.  Look on the bright side people!

Cheers man. I think you bring up a fair point about McKenzie, guess the memories of him back there fielding punts in 2018 are still haunting me. But similar to a lot of players we've brought in, I think McKenzie has worked really hard and improved (becoming the best version of himself as McDermott would say) and he deserves a shot to be our returner for sure. Still like Roberts a lot and he's an accomplished multiple Pro Bowl returner, but glad we have both for now. 

 

We actually agree on the second point you mentioned. I said the same thing in my OP, I believe the Saturday 1 PM slot is a big advantage for the Bills as well against the Colts and any future opponent if we win this weekend. 

 

Thanks and Go Bills!

[mjt328]

Our biggest advantage in this game will be Josh Allen and the passing offense, going against the Colts below-average secondary.  The strength of the Colts D is against the run, with their best players (Darius Leonard and Deforest Buckner) right up the middle.  Unfortunately for them, we run less than any team in the NFL.  The Bills should be able to focus their blocking efforts on Buckner, avoid Leonard and attack the corners.  Allen has put up huge numbers recently against much better groups.

 

On the other side, the Colts do have a very-underrated and balanced offense.  Their biggest names (Quentin Nelson and Ryan Kelly) are on the line, so they don't exactly have a reputation for being explosive.  But they were Top 10 in most categories this year, don't allow many sacks and don't turn the ball over much.  Phillip Rivers is still a good QB.  Jonathan Taylor can be dangerous.  This is a group that can put up 25-30 on pretty much anyone.

 

The key will be for Buffalo to get an early lead, and put themselves on pace for at least 35 points.  The Colts don't want to get in a shootout.  They want to keep the score close in the 25 point range and hope for a couple turnovers, so they can maintain balance on offense and not force Rivers to push the ball downfield.  The good news is, our offense has been very hot over the last month plus, and should be extra hyped for the playoffs (with fans in the stands for the first time all year).  As long as we don't come out of the gates flat or make some stupid turnovers, I see us winning this one pretty soundly.

 

 

[Don Otreply]

13 hours ago, Steptide said:

That's my hope too, but also hope that it doesn't get the bills players over hyped and start playing stupid 

This, need to avoid sugar high antics by everyone,

[Amaru523]

The Colts sound like the early season Bills, getting big leads in the first half and blowing them in the 2nd half.

[BuffaloBobs]

9 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

 

I don’t know. Going into last game, I said I was excited about McKenzie getting some opportunities in the return game. And everyone reminded me of his bobbles and fumbles and bad decisions.

Then, this past Sunday, on his punt return TD, he almost fumbled the ball on the catch, if you go back and look. On another punt return, he got out of the way Too late, and the ball missed hitting him by like an inch. 
 

My buddy is a Broncos fan, and he said McKenzie made a lot of mistakes and bobbles and fumbles in his very limited time in Denver too. 
 

I love McKenzie, but remain nervous with him on returns. 
 

 

 

 

I completely agree with you, it's clear if you watch closely that he's way less comfortable securely fielding the ball in the return game.

 

It's an underrated part of Roberts value -- he's so confident fielding that ball that when other players would and probably should wave off a punt and let the ball hop five or ten yards, Roberts hangs in and secures the fair catch in traffic.

[Bray Wyatt]

The key for us to win the game (imo obviously) is to force the colts into 3rd and longs (7 and longer). This way we can show pressure (we dont have to blitz every time just enough to make him think we are) looks and force Rivers to have to check it down and we can make the tackle before the sticks. He wont want to get sacked and he cant really move so he will try and get the ball out quick. This also means we need tackle well. How our defense does against them on 1st down (cant force them into 3rd and long giving up 7 yards on 1st) will determine how close this game is.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Good writeup, disagree with two points.

 

McKenzie hasn't fumbled in over two years (he had 2 in 2018), while Roberts had 1 in 2019, and 3 this year.  Yet somehow, the myth in bold above continues at TBD.  I really don't get why people have no faith in McKenzie when it comes to PR/KR.  All the kid does is make plays.

 

As far as the Saturday start time, I don't understand all the disappointment.  This is a HUGE advantage for the divisional round, as we get an extra day to prepare for the next sacrificial lamb.  Look on the bright side people!

 

Until last Sunday, McKenzie hadn't had an opportunity to fumble a KR/PR in over two years.  Before they signed Roberts, they benched him for Micah Hyde.

 

And while McKenzie didn't fumble on Sunday, he did bobble the catch he ran back for a TD, and he also barely got out of the way and averted disaster on another punt - ball missed him by inches, too f'ing close.  I'll trade the excitement of his TD for lack of excitement about what other outcomes might occur.

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Until last Sunday, McKenzie hadn't had an opportunity to fumble a KR/PR in over two years.  Before they signed Roberts, they benched him for Micah Hyde.

 

And while McKenzie didn't fumble on Sunday, he did bobble the catch he ran back for a TD, and he also barely got out of the way and averted disaster on another punt - ball missed him by inches, too f'ing close.  I'll trade the excitement of his TD for lack of excitement about what other outcomes might occur.

 

 

 

I'm taking the TD.  LOVE ME SOME McKITTRICK!!!