The Buffalo Bills broke their 25-year playoff winning drought with their 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday’s Wild Card outing. It was an intense atmosphere that saw both teams exchange leads, a 54-yard field goal, plenty of officiating reviews, and a failed Hail Mary. The Bills ultimately prevailed and will get to host another playoff game in the divisional round.
Following the Buffalo victory, here’s how the Bills fared in this week’s stock report:
Stock up
Josh Allen
There were a ton of questions being asked of quarterback Josh Allen entering the Wild Card weekend, most of them were if he could shake last years collapse against the Houston Texans. To answer those questions, yes… yes he could. Allen was dynamic against one of the best defenses in the league, lighting them up for 378 total yards and three total touchdowns.
Credit to the Colts, they made life difficult for Allen flushing him out of the pocket, and forcing him to make tough throws. Unfortunately for the Colts, their secondary couldn’t cover receivers Gabe Davis or Stefon Diggs when the play broke down. Of course, if his receivers weren’t open he made plays with legs, rushing for 54 yards and one touchdown.
These types of performances will be needed from Allen if the Bills want to continue beyond the Wild Card weekend.
Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis
What more can be said about Stefon Diggs? He’s an elite receiver who can make even the best of defenses look foolish. Diggs’ first catch showed one of his more underrated talents… his toughness. It was a 37-yard grab over the middle where he took a shot from the Colts safety. Diggs got right back up, and immediately started jawing at the Indianapolis secondary.
He wasn’t just tough, he also put up great numbers. Diggs had six catches for 128 yards and one touchdown to lead the Bills. A sensational effort for his debut performance in front of Bills Mafia.
We’re not done talking about the receiving corp though… how good is Gabriel Davis? The rookie made clutch catches throughout the game, especially on the Bills final drive of the first half. Both of his catches came down the sideline, helping set up a Josh Allen touchdown to the end the half.
Like Diggs, Davis had an impressive stat line, four grabs for 85 yards. An average of 21.3 yards per catch. A big play waiting to happen.
Micah Hyde
The Bills defense had a shaky performance against Indy, they struggled to stop the run, allowing 163 yards on the ground, and didn’t put any pressure on Philip Rivers. So when the Bills needed a big play, Micah Hyde delivered. He stepped up in the run in the game, denying Jonathan Taylor in the red zone, and made the play of the season so far in the closing seconds of the game.
To set the scene: The Bills are hanging onto to a three-point lead, and there are just four seconds left in the game. Future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers has a shot to steal the game for the Colts, he launches a 60-yard Hail Mary towards receiver T.Y. Hilton. Buffalo has seen this before, Week 10, the Hail Murray. Hearts are in the throats all throughout Western New York, but before Hilton can break the hearts of Buffalo, Hyde spikes the pass down with authority sealing the victory.
Honorable mentions
Both linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano had good games, breaking up passes, and meeting running backs in the backfield. Kicker Tyler Bass hit a 54 yard field goal, setting the playoff record for longest field goal made by a rookie. Finally, offensive linemen Daryl Williams. Williams jumped on Josh Allen’s fumble in the 4th quarter, which could have been disastrous if the Colts recovered.