Going into Week 10, the Buffalo Bills are already closing in on an AFC East title.
Up four by games in the division with eight games remaining, Buffalo tries to take another step toward what seems like an inevitable title Sunday when they visit the desperate Indianapolis Colts.
Buffalo (7-2) maintained its lead on the New York Jets last week, edging the visiting Miami Dolphins 30-27 as Tyler Bass drilled a 61-yard field goal with five seconds left. The victory also gave the Bills a season sweep of Miami.
However, coach Sean McDermott isn’t about to take a fifth straight division title for granted.
“Every week it’s hard,” he said. “You can never take a week for granted or, ‘OK, we’ll look at the record and look at the schedule and we’re going to win here.’ Nah. Just stay focused on what’s right in front of us.
“We didn’t play a great game (against the Dolphins). We can be better, and so we’ve got to go back and make sure our techniques are sound. Fundamentally, we’re better than what we were (Sunday). Just a lot to improve on.”
McDermott certainly wants more from his defense than it provided last week. The Dolphins carved up Buffalo for 26 first downs and 373 total yards, allowing Tua Tagovailoa to complete 25 of 28 passes in his second game back from a concussion. Miami also possessed the ball for nearly 32 minutes.
One concerning note might be that Miami rushed for 149 yards, considering Indianapolis is a run-first offense with Jonathan Taylor at running back. The Bills are also down two defensive linemen, leading them to sign tackles Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson this week. It will be Jefferson’s second stint with the team and Phillips’ third.
While Buffalo tries to find healthy bodies up front, the Colts (4-5) face their own difficult task. They trail AFC South leader Houston by two games, failing to take advantage of the Texans’ loss last week against the Jets by taking a 21-13 defeat at Minnesota. And the division margin is essentially three games since Houston swept the season series.
What’s more, Indianapolis has a big shortcoming in the offensive line as center Ryan Kelly (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The four-time Pro Bowler has to sit out at least the next four games.
Rookie Tanor Bortolini, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, will replace Kelly and make his third career start. The Colts might also be without star linebacker Zaire Franklin, who missed practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back/finger) also didn’t practice on Wednesday but is expected to play. Indianapolis hopes for more production from Pittman than he offered last week, when he managed just one catch for 14 yards on four targets.
“I’m not going to make excuses for it,” Pittman said of his ongoing back problems. “If I’m out there, I’m out there. Obviously, I’d like to be more productive out there. It’s definitely frustrating because I feel like I need to do better.”
The Bills own a 37-33-1 lead in the all-time series between former division rivals. Buffalo and Indianapolis haven’t met since 2021, when the Colts scored a 41-15 road rout behind Taylor’s 185 yards and four touchdowns.
