Josh Allen expects more from Buffalo’s offense than what he saw in Sunday’s game at Indianapolis, but he was happy with how the defense played.
Taron Johnson intercepted Joe Flacco’s first pass of the game and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. Allen and James Cook each ran for a touchdown as the Bills defeated the Colts 30-20, marking their fifth straight win.
“We’ve got to have a faster start. We didn’t play our best today, but we’ll take the win,” Allen said. “Four forced turnovers — we’ve got to hold onto the ball a little bit better. We’ll take them how we can get them, and we’ll turn the page tomorrow.”
The Bills, who lead the AFC East, have scored more than 30 points in four consecutive games and improved to 8-2, their best record at this point of the season since 1993. This was also their first win in Indianapolis since 1998, despite missing some key receivers due to injury.
The defense stepped up big for the Bills, recording four sacks, intercepting Flacco three times, and recovering a fumble, which gave Allen good field position to capitalize on.
“I thought the defense, the takeaways was a big-time difference in the game,” said coach Sean McDermott. “I think they’re just a very competitive group, they take a lot of pride in not letting each other down.”
Allen finished the game 23 of 37 for 280 yards with two interceptions. He also rushed for 50 yards, including his 57th career rushing touchdown, tying O.J. Simpson for second place in Bills history. James Cook ran for 80 yards on 19 carries, and Mack Hollins caught six passes for 86 yards.
Buffalo’s defense forced Flacco into several mistakes and shut down Jonathan Taylor in the second half after he rushed for over 100 yards in the first half. Taylor finished the game with 114 yards on 21 carries. Rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell had six catches for 71 yards, his best performance of the season.
The Colts (4-6) lost their third straight game. Flacco, who has six turnovers in his two starts since replacing the benched Anthony Richardson, was booed by the fans after going 26 of 35 for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
“The first one was just an awful decision,” Flacco admitted. “The toughest thing about not playing well is just your mentality and having to deal with the fact that you’re not playing well, and the best way to do that is to go back to work.”
After Johnson’s interception return for a touchdown, Flacco threw another interception just seven plays later, which set up a field goal and gave the Bills a 10-0 lead.
The Colts responded with a 59-yard run by Taylor, setting up a field goal by Matt Gay. After the Bills’ offense was stopped on a fourth-down attempt, Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Goodson, giving Indianapolis a 13-10 lead.
Allen’s interception on the Bills’ next possession led to another field goal for the Colts, but Allen quickly regained the lead with a 13-yard touchdown run. Tyler Bass kicked two field goals for the Bills, one at the end of the first half and another early in the fourth quarter. Cook sealed the win with a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“I threw two interceptions, can’t do that. We can be cleaner, that’s on me,” Allen said. “We’ve got to play better on offense. The defense played awesome. We gritted it out and that was a team win right there.”
