The Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts opened up their preseason schedules on Sunday as the Bills defeated the Colts 44-20.
The first preseason game for most NFL teams allows the starters to work one or two drives and then allow the back-ups to play. For the Colts, quarterback Andrew Luck saw limited action as he played the opening 2 series going 4-6 for 51 yards passing. Veteran backup Matt Hasselbeck took over for Luck in the 1st quarter and hit T.Y. Hilton for a 45 yard touchdown. Hilton finished with 3 catches for 61 yards. Third string quarterback Chandler Harnish entered the game in the second quarter and finished the contest having completed 14-of-33 passes for 109 yards and one interception. In the second quarter, he led the team on a nine-play scoring drive, which resulted in an Adam Vinatieri 44-yard field goal in the second quarter.
For Buffalo, rookie quarterback EJ Manuel had a golden opportunity to show what he could do in his first taste of NFL action and he did not disappoint. After a couple early runs by CJ Spiller, Manuel was given the opportunity to throw the ball and get comfortable in the offense. It became clear as the game went on that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wanted to get his quarterback into a nice rhythm. Manuel had a steady diet of short passes and easy reads to help settle into the flow of the game.
Manuel’s shining moment in his first game was during the final 2 minutes of the first half. The rookie was given the ideal situation of a two minute drill. Starting at their own 8 yard line with all 3 timeouts, the Bills began the drive. Manuel looked very comfortable with the tempo as he began moving the ball with short intermediate throws. The Bills were helped out by a personal foul penalty and soon they found themselves in the red zone. On his first pass attempt over ten yards EJ Manuel connected with Dorin Dickerson for a 17 yard touchdown capping off a ten play 92 yard drive. Manuel was 8 of 9 passing for 67 yards on that drive.
Manuel was not the only Bills quarterback who found success Sunday. With Kevin Kolb still out with an injury, rookie Jeff Tuel took over for Manuel in the second half and the offense did not skip a beat. Tuel connected on his first 9 pass attempts on his way to a 19 for 23 day passing. Tuel threw for a game high 212 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Overall, Manuel and Tuel combined for 35/44 for 319 yards and 3 scores.
The quarterbacks were not the only rookies to impress for Buffalo. Wide receiver Marquise “Flash” Goodwin took a kick-off return 107 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give Buffalo their first touchdown of the preseason. Earlier in the game Goodwin had a kick-off return of over 50 yards just nearly breaking that one for a score as well. Robert Woods, TJ Graham and Goodwin all worked with the 1st team as Stevie Johnson sat out with a hamstring injury.
The Colts didn’t play their starters for as long as Buffalo did but there are a few things that Coach Pagano can take away from the contest. Matt Hasselbeck will obviously be a quality back-up for Indy and T.Y. Hilton looked very good on offense. The Colts were a playoff team a year ago so at the very least they will want to repeat their performance last year. Giving up 44 points isn’t the ideal way to start but it is just one game.
It is preseason and it is important to not read too far into one game but both teams showed promise at different points today. The Colts still have Luck and an offensive cast of young hardworking players around him. Last year’s 1st overall pick will only get better and so far he has lived up to all the expectations that come with the 1st overall selection. If anything the Colts should look to their special teams. Two big returns hurt them today as well as poor returns by their own return men. Special Teams is a third of the game and it will be important to fix those issues.
For the Bills today was just about perfect. Both quarterbacks shined, young rookies got involved and the defense looked better than it did in years past. Lead by Manny Lawson and Kiko Alonso, the Bills linebacking core are faster and more athletic than linebackers in years past. Based on today’s preseason record setting performance of 44 points, the Bills are in good shape. I know, I know pump the breaks its only one game. The offense was in great rhythm and the defense only saw Luck for about 5 minutes. No one is saying playoffs or anything like that but today should give Buffalo fans hope that the future, maybe even this season, is very promising.
