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Bills Slip Away With A 13-7 Victory
McCoy winning score in OT gives them a surprise win on a snowy day.
by Steve Saslow
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The Skinny:
It was a winter wonderland at New Era Field as the Bills and Colts lvoed battling in a snowstorm so much they decided to put in some overtime. LeSean McCoy ran 21 yards for the winning score with just 1:33 to go in the extra session and a tie looming. McCoy finished the game with 156 yards rushing on 32 carries. Nathan Peterman hit Kelvin Benjamin for an 8 yard touchdown just before halftime to give the Bills the 7-0 halftime lead. He left in the second half with a concussion and Joe Webb had to finish the game. The Colts scored a game tying touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett to Jack Doyle with 1:16 left in regulation. The Colts appeared to have taken the lead when Doyle caught a two point conversion but a late flag for an illegal pick forced the Colts to settle for the long extra point. Webb than threw an interception but Adam Vinatieri missed his second field goal of the game to force overtime. McCoy's late heroics were setup by a beautiful 34 yard bomb from Webb to Deonte Thompson coming out of the 2:00 warning of the extra session.
The Turning Point:
Not Going For It In OT: Social media was on fire when Sean McDermott decided to punt on 4th and 1 from the Colts 41 with just 4:13 to go in overtime. It appeared he was playing for the tie but his strategy worked as the Bills stopped the Colts after one first down and got the ball back but if it wasn't for the heroics of the pass to Thompson and the run by Shady people would be second guessing that call a long time.
The Big Drive:
Late 1st Half TD: The Bills drove 80 yards in seven plays in just 1:15 late in the first half to get the first points in the game. McCoy had runs of 23 and 25 yards before Peterman hit Benjamin for a 21 yard gainer on a fade pattern followed by the touchdown.
Stat I Did Like:
Yards Rushing: On a day when the running game was paramount, the Bills had 227 yards on the ground.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Turnovers: -2 on the day
Scene Setters:
- The Bills wore their red color rush uniforms for this game which should have given them an edge since you can see them in the snow better than the Colts white uniforms.
- Will Wolford was the leader of the charge.
- The field was still being dug out from snow during the morning hours and snow was left under the bleachers but it didn't matter as a real snowstorm hit just before kickoff. It was so bad you couldn't see the field from the press box.
- Inactive for the game today were Tyrod Taylor, Cordy Glenn, Leonard Johnson, John Miller, Seantrel Henderson, Khari Lee, and Brandon Reilly.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RB LeSean McCoy vs. LB Jonathan Bostic: Winner: McCoy. Shady took control of the game late in the first half and then finished it in overtime.
LT Dion Dawkins vs. OLB Jabaal Sheard: Winner: Dawkins. The snow made traction tough for pass rushers.
CB Tre'Davious White vs. WR T.Y. Hilton: Winner: White. The rookie was fired up for his first snow game jumping around and getting the crowd going. There was little in the passing game on this day from Jacoby Brissett but he did find Hilton for two critical first downs on their scoring drive.
LB Preston Brown vs. RB Frank Gore: Winner: Gore. The old man ran over many Bills and had success on the ground to the tune of 130 yards.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Force Turnovers: Failure! Even in the snow they couldn't take the ball away.
2. Get Shady Going: Success! He got it in gear and led the team on this snowy day.
3. Pressure Brissett: Failure! Tough to get pressure when there are so few passes.
My Take:
It was a wild game in incredible conditions and the Bills snatched victory from the jaws of defeat or a tie. I will take the win that keeps them in the playoff race no matter how ugly it was. These conditions made it impossible to evaluate players so no grades this week.
What's Ahead:
The Bills wrap up their three game homestand with the division rival Dolphins making a December trip up north which is a huge advantage for the Bills.
Gameballs
LeSean McCoy - 156 yards on the ground and the winning score. He was the star today.
Kelvin Benjamin - Had three catches for 38 yards but got hurt again.
Colton Schmidt - He punted really good considering the circumstances.
Goats
Mike Tolbert - He made one decent run and then fumbled it. I have no idea why he is the backup running back on this team. He is terrible.
Player Of The Week
LeSean McCoy - On a day when running the ball was crucial, Shady was ready.
 No Grades this week. Can't grade them in this weather.
NFL.com Gamebook
Colts Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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