A win for the Colts would keep them in the driver's seat for a wild card spot, while a loss for Buffalo could be curtains for its playoff chances. Despite the 4-6 record, the Bills still have a chance at a run, as Indy and the Seattle Seahawks are the only two remaining teams on the schedule with winning records. A win away could give the team the push it needs, especially since the next three games will be at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
DECIDING FACTORS:
Big return. Buffalo's Leodis McKelvin has been a special teams master this season, and he's on an all-time pace. He's led the league nearly the entire season in punt return average and added another return touchdown to his stat sheet last week against Miami. Indy's special teams unit is near the bottom of league in punt returns against, giving up nearly 14 yards a try. Expect Buffalo's unit to come out swinging on its first few returns and try to put one in the end zone early.
Gun slinging. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has quashed his inconsistency of late, averaging nearly 66 percent in completions over the past five games and throwing only two inceptions in that span. The Colts' defense is giving quarterbacks all sorts of confidence, allowing a QB rating of nearly 100 for opposing signal callers and 240 yards in the air per game. So while most Buffalo critics are saying the team needs to stick to the ground game, Sunday may be the perfect opportunity for Fitzpatrick to let it loose, especially since the Colts' defense has snagged just six turnovers all season.
REG-GIE, REG-GIE. Since the transition to quarterback Andrew Luck, wide receiver Reggie Wayne's career has seen a rebirth. Moving into more of slot-receiver role, Wayne is back to his 1,000-yard days and has already eclipsed his reception totals from last season. Though he may not be tallying as many touchdowns as he would like, his new role has helped Luck and Indy average nearly 300 yards per game in the air, good enough for eighth in league. He sits behind only Calvin Johnson for the most yards per game among receivers at more than 100.
Going big. With the help of Wayne, Luck has made his mark throwing the ball deep this season, leading all quarterbacks in passes of 20 yards or more. He's paid for though, getting hit nearly 22 percent of the time he drops back. Buffalo forced three turnovers against Miami and is hoping to keep that going, which may come easy against Luck, who's thrown 12 picks already this year and has fumbled eight times.
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