Bold predictions for Colts vs. Bills in the Wild Card Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
Many people would make the argument that the Buffalo Bills are the hottest team entering the 2021 NFL Playoffs. Winners of their final six games, they’ve started to look more like a juggernaut than not. Thus, they enter Wild Card Weekend as the No. 2 seed in the AFC and will play host to the 7-seeded Indianapolis Colts.
Despite being the lowest-seeded team in the conference, Indianapolis finished the year with an 11-5 record. They’ve not been consistent but, at their best, this team has looked difficult for anyone in the league to beat. Thus, we have an intriguing matchup as they head to Orchard Park on Saturday afternoon in the Wild Card Round.
So how will this matchup play out? Let’s break down the Colts vs. Bills matchup on Saturday by making five bold predictions.
5. Diggs gets loose for two 40+ yard Bills touchdowns
For as good as the Indy defense is, one area in which they’ve struggled is in the deep passing game. Unfortunately for them, that’s where Stefon Diggs, the Buffalo newcomer who led the NFL in receiving, is capable of thriving.
Diggs finished the year with 1,535 yards and was remarkable at attacking opposing defenses down the field. In a good matchup to do that, we’ll see him do that again. The wideout will get loose for not just one but two long touchdowns that help set the tone for the Bills.
4. Buckner wrecks game with 2+ sacks
DeForest Buckner missing out on the Pro Bowl makes very little sense but he was rewarded with a First-Team All-Pro selection. He led the Colts this season with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in 15 games. Yes, he’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s game but he’s going to make an impact. He’s been an absolute disruptive presence throughout the year and make life hard for the Buffalo offense. At the end of the day, Buckner will rack up at least a pair of sacks in a defining performance.
3. Allen turns the ball over 2+ times
No one has been blind to the corner that Bills quarterback Josh Allen has turned in his third NFL season. The young signal-caller went from being a fledgling leader to being one of the best at his position. But the next step for him is to deliver that type of performance in the playoffs — and I’m not sure he’s there yet.
That’t not necessarily an indictment on Allen. Sometimes it takes young quarterbacks a few tries to get their playoff sea legs under them and it clearly wasn’t there last year. And it won’t totally be this year. Allen will flash with some big plays but he’ll also cost his team with multiple turnovers on the day.
2. Taylor carries Colts with 200+ total yards, 3 TDs
Considering that Jonathan Taylor spent much of the season fighting to become the workhorse of the Indianapolis backfield, it’s kind of shocking that he finished the regular season as the third-leading rusher in the NFL. That’s how good he was down the stretch and now he has a matchup against a bottom-third run defense. The Colts want to be a run-first team to control the game and Taylor will make it happen. Also contributing in the receiving game, he’ll be a rookie superstar with 200 all-purpose yards and at least a trio of trips across the goal line.
1. Colts upset the Bills with late game-winning field goal
The Bills come into this Wild Card game as 6.5-point favorites and, for many people, they are a sleeper pick to make it to the Super Bowl out of the AFC. But when it’s all said and done, Rodrigo Blankenship and the Colts are going to send them packing after just one game.
Indianapolis is better than the seed they’re given and, simply, they’re not a good matchup for Buffalo. They match up well overall with their top-end defense and have a steady offense that can pick them apart. They’ll keep things close throughout and their bespectacled rookie kicker will take the field and close out the upset victory.