I wasn't too surprised at the outcome. I figured the offense would be better with having a quality OC, more weapons at key positions, plus having an unknown at QB which would make it hard for the Colts to game plan against. I was surprised that the Bills D held the Colts to 14 points, especially with Dareus out. Here are some of my takeaways from the game:
- McCoy had some good runs, but was bottled up for most of the game. I really like what he can do when he catches the ball as he was very effective in the passing game.
- Karlos Williams, now we know why the coaching staff was high on him. His first NFL carry goes for 29 yards and a TD. I think he will be a great compliment to McCoy.
- Taylor had a good, effective day as was mostly playing game manager with 19 pass attempts. His 51 yard bomb to Harvin was great to see. Nice heads up play to be defender and swat down a possible INT. Great 30 yard run as well!
- I liked what I saw from Charles Clay today and think he will be a great TE for the Bills.
- I was worried about the secondary going into the game, especially Darby, but he rose to the occasion and played great. Gilmore had some great pass breakups as well, too bad he doesn't have better hands as he should of had a pick.
- I loved how Rex kept Luck off-balanced today with pressure from all over the place. I like that he moves his personnel around and creates mismatches.
- I was disappointed that they didn't get Watkins involved sooner in the passing game as they seemed to target him (only twice) late in the game. I know he was double-teamed all game long. Watkins had a great block to help spring Karlos Williams open for his TD.
- My only real negative on the game was that once the Bills were up 24-0, they seemed to go into a prevent mode. I understand that the coaches wanted to run the ball and eat up the clock to keep Luck off the field, but I felt the Bills were moving the ball and scoring on the Colts and they should have kept it up. Too many times over the past 15 years have we seen the Bills blow a big lead and lose the game in the final moments. I'm glad it didn't happen this time.
Overall, great game! There's a lot to be excited about with the Bills. It's going to take some time for the offense to really get going as they have a new offensive scheme and a lot of new players, but I can see the Bills having an explosive offense by the middle of the season. Go Bills!