Buffalo Bills overcome first challenge with playoff win over Colts

The Buffalo Bills earned their first playoff victory in 25 years.

The joy and relief on the Buffalo Bills sideline and on the field when the final Haily Mary attempt from Phillip Rivers went incomplete should say it all.

Considering it took a quarter of a century to finally see Buffalo win a playoff game, the celebration is more than deserved for Bills Mafia. It was not an easy task to beat the Indianapolis Colts as they made a late push to win 27-24 in the first game with fans at Orchard Park.

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This was a big test for Bills quarterback Josh Allen who hasn’t been in a lot of close games lately and he made some great plays when he had to. It was a slow start to the game for Allen as they were down 10-0 early but picked up 17 straight points.

What could have gone terribly is the Colts getting life in the fourth quarter and getting a chance to tie and even take the lead because of a controversial fumble. Receiver Zach Pascal lost the ball after coming up with a big play on fourth down but the officials ruled that he was down by contact.

Fortunately for the Bills, the play didn’t lead to anything although it did make things stressful at the end. It should also remind the Bills that at any moment, the opposition can regain momentum and there were certainly moments where the game could have gone a different way.

Credit the Bills for making sure the Colts didn’t capitalize on taking chances to go for two at one point in the game and for stopping them on fourth down and goal. In the playoffs, one or two plays can make all the difference and Buffalo didn’t let it come back to bite them especially a fumble by Allen that got scooped up after the Colts defender kicked it.

What Bills fans should be encouraged about is seeing Allen and Stefon Diggs continue to establish their dominance while also getting Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley involved. The run game struggled a lot to start but Devin Singletary made plays late to help eat some of the game clock.

Now the Bills will see who their next opponent will be with two more AFC games Sunday between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers along with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Tennessee Titans.

It won’t get any easier for the Bills going forward but they have shown that they can handle a tough challenge and getting the first win is always crucial for a team that has struggled to get over the hump.

What were your thoughts on the Bills’ win over the colts. What do you they need to work on before the divisional round games? Let us know in the comments below.