Tyrod Taylor's first game as the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills went about as well as he could have hoped after he led the team to a 27-14 upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills absolutely dominated the Colts for the majority of the game, the complete opposite result that was expected.
Colts vs. Bills 2015 results: Tyrod Taylor leads Buffalo to 27-14 upset over Indianapolis
Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills have their first win of the season after dominating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Taylor had a near-perfect first half, completing 9 of 11 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, and he added another 43 yards rushing on the ground. The Bills had all the momentum after that half, and kept it going into the second. Taylor finished with 195 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
Andrew Luck and the Colts offense moved the ball throughout the game, but they were unable to finish and Luck did make a few mistakes. He threw an interception in the first half and only completed 11 of his 23 attempts during that time. Luck finished the game with a pair of touchdowns, but also a pair of interceptions, while running back Frank Gore only managed 31 yards on eight carries.
It’s a disappointing loss for the Colts, who have been dominant in the regular season but less than stellar in the playoffs. Head coach Chuck Pagano may actually be coaching for his job this season despite his regular season success, due to a “growing disconnect” between Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson. A loss to the Bills in Week 1 certainly won’t help his case.
Buffalo first got on the board in the first quarter when Taylor hit wide receiver Percy Harvin for a 51-yard touchdown. They added a field goal and a pair of rushing touchdowns by the middle of the third quarter. After another field goal in the fourth quarter, Indianapolis had no real chance at making a comeback.
Buffalo named Taylor the starting quarterback after a long battle against Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel this offseason. At various points, all three quarterbacks were favored to win the battle but Taylor, the biggest unknown of the bunch, seems to provide the most scoring potential with his combination of running and throwing ability. That ability was on display on Sunday.
It didn’t look like things were going to go quite so well at the beginning of the game, as the first play on offense saw both Taylor and Cassel on the field. The Bills tried an odd trick play in which Cassel faked a handoff to Taylor, but it went for a loss of yardage:
The Colts were not fooled at all.
Few expected this kind of result from Buffalo. Rex Ryan took over as head coach and yes, the Bills were expected to be a better team this season, but the Colts are one of the elite teams of the AFC, yet they were completely dominated in Sunday's game. Obviously, the Bills have a lot to contend with in their division, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots looking great in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Thursday's opener.
You can make the argument that the Colts didn't know what to expect out of Taylor and the Bills offense, but it's pretty clear the team as a whole was blindsided by Ryan's Bills and their game plan on Sunday. They'll have to go back to the drawing board with a game against the New York Jets in Week 2. Buffalo will take on the Patriots in their Week 2 game.
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