Colts vs. Bills Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats01:00 PM
by Gracenote on 12/08/2017

After a disastrous NFL debut, Nathan Peterman may get another chance to make a first impression at quarterback as the Buffalo Bills host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Peterman threw five interceptions in the first half of his first start with the Bills three weeks ago in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and will get the call again if Tyrod Taylor is unable to play after sustaining a knee injury last week.

Taylor has practiced in a limited fashion, leaving his availability in question and possibly putting Peterman back under center for the Bills, who have lost four of their last five and are near the brink of elimination in the playoff picture. The Colts have lost three straight and are 1-5 on the road. Jacoby Brissett has kept Indianapolis competitive for much of the season, but without much success to show for it as the Colts' defense has been the main culprit, ranking last in the NFL while surrendering 27.5 points a game. Brissett has thrown seven touchdown passes over the past four games, but was stymied by Jacksonville's solid defense last week by throwing for just 174 yards with two interceptions in a 30-10 loss.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: NL. O/U: NL.

ABOUT THE COLTS (3-9): Brissett has been a warrior all season long in place of the injured Andrew Luck. He has been sacked a league-high 51 times and was sidelined by a concussion a couple weeks ago, but did not miss any game time. Indianapolis has lost six of its last seven games, but it did run the ball well against Jacksonville last week, gaining 141 yards on 26 carries, and may take to the ground against Buffalo, which allowed 191 yards rushing to the Patriots last week. Indianapolis also fared a bit better than usual against the Jaguars' ground attack by limiting Leonard Fournette and company to 96 yards on 27 carries.

ABOUT THE BILLS (6-6): Injuries continue to mount as wide receiver Jordan Matthews was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury this week and tight end Charles Clay is questionable once again, also with a nagging knee injury. Receiver Kelvin Benjamin returned to practice, giving Peterman (19-for-39 passing, 195 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 interceptions) another possible reliable target. Still, expect LeSean McCoy to receive the bulk of the touches as the veteran back is ninth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage, rushing for 851 yards and adding 48 receptions for another 304 yards on the season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Colts have won seven of the last nine in the series, but the Bills won the last meeting 27-14 in 2015.

2. Colts WR T.Y. Hilton had three catches for 51 yards last week and has scored in just three games this season.

3. Buffalo rookie WR Zay Jones continues to see a lot of passes come his way but with little success -- he has 25 receptions on 68 targets.

PREDICTION: Colts 24, Bills 21