INDIANAPOLIS -- With just 18 seconds left on the clock in the first half, the Buffalo Bills were trying to put more points on the board before halftime.
On third-and-10 from the Buffalo 27-yard line, quarterback Josh Allen was forced to scramble to his left to avoid pressure, avoiding defenders and running towards the sideline before throwing up a pass that sailed over 40 yards in the air to Mack Hollins as he separated from linebacker Zaire Franklin. The wide receiver slowed some to catch the pass, falling untouched as it went into his arms, but then quickly got up to get out of bounds and stop the clock.
The drive that started with 1:10 remaining in the half came after an up-and-down first two quarters that featured lead changes and turnovers. It ended with a 47-yard field from kicker Tyler Bass.
The kick extended the Bills' lead to seven, a lead that proved to be insurmountable as Buffalo's defense forced two of four turnovers in the second half and scored 10 more points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. But after the game it was Hollins noting that he could have done more on the play, if not for the sun, and gotten into the end zone that exemplified the day for the Bills.
"Obviously, [Allen] wanted to scramble, which is what Josh is really good at, so I know the play's not dead," Hollins said. "He threw it and then couldn't see it at all, but I said if I can slide and get some more time to find it again, I wish it wasn't sunny. I probably could have scored on it, but then just always knowing the situation [in a two-minute drill]."
The Bills left Indianapolis with a 30-20 win to improve to 8-2 on the season, the team's best record through 10 games since 1993 (also 8-2) and the first win over the Colts in Indianapolis since 1998 (lost six straight). The victory stretches the Bills' lead in the AFC East to five games, tied for the largest division lead through 10 weeks in the last 30 seasons, per Elias Sports Bureau, joining the 2002 Green Bay Packers and 2011 San Francisco 49ers.
The win, however, was far from a clean effort. The Bills suffered consistent miscues that were relieved by the defense -- forcing four turnovers, including a pick-six on the Colts' first play by nickel corner Taron Johnson, and holding the Colts to 4-for-11 (36%) on third downs. The Bills will have some areas to clean up, but with little time to work as Buffalo is hosting the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs (4:25 p.m. EST, CBS) on Sunday. Correcting gaffes and polishing up what didn't work in Indianapolis will be key.
The win happened in spite of wide receivers Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman being out with wrist injuries and tight end Dalton Kincaid missing most of the second half after suffering a knee injury in the second quarter. It also was the result despite some bad moments from Allen and the offense taking some time to get its rhythm.
"I know [Allen's] got a couple throws he wants back, and those are important for him and for us, but just all hands on deck. What else can you say," coach Sean McDermott said. "I mean, you're out Keon, you're out Amari, you're out Dalton for the majority of the game I would say. Joe (Brady), the staff -- they didn't flinch. They just kept dialing it up, trying to adjust."
Allen finished the day 22-of-37 passing (59.5%) throwing for 280 yards and two interceptions with two sacks. He also rushed for 50 yards and a score on eight carries. The two picks doubled Allen's total on the season. Illustrating the up-and-down nature of the game, Allen had his 14th game with 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, breaking a tie for the most in NFL history.
"Just trusting the playcalls, trusting the guys that were in there and just trying to run our offense to the best of my ability," Allen said. "And again, I don't feel like I did that today. I wish I had a couple throws back, especially early on, but we'll take 8-2."
Without the team's top targets, wide receiver Curtis Samuel saw the most snaps at wide receiver (88.6%), catching four of eight targets for 35 yards, while Hollins closely followed with one less snap, and receiver Khalil Shakir just behind them (72.9%). Shakir had a key play on the final full offensive drive that picked up 30 yards on third-and-8. The Bills were able to win the game by taking over six minutes and 40 seconds off the clock in consecutive scoring drives.
For the Chiefs, Buffalo could very well be without Coleman -- McDermott said "it's probably going to be multiple weeks," on Friday -- while question marks surround Cooper and Kincaid's availability.
Kincaid tried to come back in the game, but only played two plays in the third quarter.
"Thought I could go and just didn't feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself,'" Kincaid said.
Moving forward, there are tweaks the Bills can make to this offense to avoid some of Sunday's missteps ahead of the team's biggest matchup of the season.
"The expectations that we have for ourselves are the most important ones," McDermott said. "I understand everybody putting a lot into this coming game, and we will, too, but we put a lot into every game. If we don't, we're doing ourselves a disservice. ... It's a good football team that's coming in, an undefeated football team and well coached. So, we have a ton of respect for them. So, we've got to see if we can get a little bit healthy here, and put the week of preparation in and move forward from there."