Week 1: Bills vs. Colts
at
Sunday, Sept. 13th
1:00pm ET
After a long and very busy offseason opening day in the National Football League is finally here! Optimism is running very high in Western New York as the Bills have topped 60,000 season tickets for the first time ever. Rex Ryan makes his much anticipated debut as the Bills head coach and the assignment isn't easy as the AFC runner up Indianapolis comes to town with Andrew Luck at quarterback. Ryan is imploring the 12th man to be heavily involved to help the Bills to a slight upset victory.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (0-0) vs. Indianapolis (0-0)
Place: Ralph Wilson Stadium
TV/Radio: Network: CBS; DirecTV: 705; SiriusXM: 82
Announcers: Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
Spread: Colts by 2½
Series: Bills Lead 35-31-1
Streak: Colts Won 1
Last Meeting: Colts 20-13 in Indy (2012)
Colts Offense: 2014 Rush (22nd); Pass (1st); overall (3rd)
Colts Defense: 2014 Rush (18th); Pass (12th); overall (11th)
Bills Offense: 2014 Rush (25th); Pass (18th); overall (26th)
Bills Defense: 2014 Rush (11th); Pass (3rd); overall (4th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills expect to have LeSean McCoy this week after being sidelined a few weeks with a significant hamstring injury. He may be on a pitch count because he isn't 100% but he will be ready to play. Marquise Goodwin will be out with broken ribs and Tony Steward may be sidelined with a sprained MCL. Despite all the injuries this summer other than those two players everyone should be available for the opener.

The Colts may be without RB Vick Ballard who is missing practice time this week with a hamstring injury and CB Greg Toller who has a neck injury. LBs Nate Irving and Robert Mathis have been limited with knee and Achilles issues respectively. CBs Sheldon Price and D'Joun Smith have also been limited this week.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

TE Charles Clay vs. LB D'Qwell Jackson:
The Bills paid big money for Clay to make him a big player in their offense. Jackson has struggled in the past covering backs and tight ends in coverage. If the Bills get this matchup look for Clay to make some plays.

WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Vontae Davis:
The 7 year pro Davis is a solid corner who will likely be following Watkins all over the field. Look for the Bills to move him around and get him the ball near the line of scrimmage so he can plays in space.

DE Mario Williams vs. RT Jack Mewhort:
Williams goes up against the converted guard Mewhort. He is a second year player who started all 14 games he appeared in last year as a rookie.

CBs Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby vs. WRs T.Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson:
Gilmore will likely be following Hilton all over the field in one on one coverage. If he can take him out of the game that will be huge. Luck will try to pick on the inconsistent rookie Darby who will definitely have safety help. This is the toughest matchup of the game for the Bills. If they can win it there chances of winning the game go up substantially.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Pressure Luck: Look for Ryan to bring pressure often and from every angle. If they don't make Luck feel uncomfortable in the pocket he can have a huge day.

2. Get Taylor In Space: Since they decided to start Tyrod Taylor they should use his greatest asset, his legs. Get him out of the pocket and moving. He should run often and throw on the run often to keep the Colts guessing. Expect to see a lot of read option which would help accomplish this goal.

3. Physical OL Play: The Bills partially rebuilt offensive line needs to be much improved from last year. They brought in Richie Incognito and John Miller to bring some physical play to the line. They must win the battle along the line of scrimmage to open up holes for the running game and give Taylor a chance to get into a groove.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

The crowd will listen to Coach Ryan and be very loud to make things hard for Luck. Rex will definitely have some tricks up his sleeve for who he calls the top fantasy QB. Luck has never played at the Ralph and has only faced Ryan once so far in his career. That being said Luck has had a history of big games on opening day. The Colts are a very talented team that will likely find a way to pull out a close game:
Colts 20, Bills 17

Season Prediction Record: (0-0)
Season Record Against The Spread: (0-0)

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