“Josh Allen’s brilliance surpasses 2 INTs, run defense shows signs of hope: Bill’s observations.”

As an under-the-radar team, there is no hiding for the Buffalo Bills heading into the 2024 season. After a 30-20 road win over the Colts, the Bills are on a five-game winning streak and have scored at least 30 points in each of their last four games.

Quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills did everything in their power to take over the Colts’ game in the second half, setting up a massive showdown with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. But how did the Bills overcome a slow start and bring their record to 8-2?

Here are some observations about the Bills’ win in Indianapolis.

Josh Allen delivered some moments of brilliance despite the INTs

There is rarely a perfect performance, even for the best NFL players. And while Josh Allen has been exceptionally efficient as a passer this season, he experienced his first multi-interception game in 2024. On the surface, one of the two interceptions looked like a terrible throw that fell well short of its intended target, but that replays clearly showed that Allen’s shoulder was hit during his throwing motion, which likely affected the trajectory of the pass. Things like that happen in the NFL from time to time, and he was very lucky it didn’t happen more often this season.

The second interception was a great play by the defender, but more on Allen than the other play. At the same time, Allen didn’t have his usual passing touchdown to make up for his stats. Regardless, Allen brought some heroic moments to the fore that put the Bills in a great position to put points on the board. As a passer, he was just a little more subtle this week.

Allen had to turn back the clock a bit as a runner against the Colts, with two runs being crucial to the Bills being victorious on Sunday. Allen’s 21-yard scramble on a second-and-19 play was an ode to the player he was early in his career. That run helped slam the door in the Colts’ face as the Bills marched the ball downfield to take a 30-13 lead. It was his longest run of the season.

As a passer, Allen had some similarly heroic moments. On a failed play where he was just trying to get something going at the end of a half, his touch pass to Mack Hollins on a third-and-10 that went 44 yards is not a throw that many quarterbacks can make. Coincidentally, two throws to Hollins to defeat the Colts’ Cover-2 weak spot were also particularly impressive. One of them was a second-and-16 where Allen threw to take back all 16 in one play. While Allen wasn’t a fantasy football darling in this matchup, he was impactful and effective, keeping the Bills on time despite missing three of his top four pass-catchers against a well-coached Colts defense.

What a play!

📺: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/vdWPzZRk6Q

– Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 10, 2024

How Dalton Kincaid’s injury caused the Bills to return to their roots

The Bills went into the game knowing they would likely have to get creative with their personnel lineup. After trading down both Amari Cooper and rookie Keon Coleman at wide receiver, the Bills signed Jalen Virgil from their practice squad and elevated Tyrell Shavers to the usual five. But neither Virgil nor Shavers played more than a handful of snaps in the early going. Instead, the Bills went with a solid 12-player lineup with tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. It was shaping up to be a difficult day for Kincaid. He was on the field for 17 of the offense’s first 22 snaps, and the second-year tight end was targeted three times in the first quarter alone. After Kincaid suffered a knee injury and left the game after a brief comeback, the Bills turned back the clock and refocused on the offense that existed before Kincaid was drafted.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady and the Bills’ offense consisted almost entirely of 11 personnel throughout the game. Not only did they use that three receiver set, but they also used the same three receivers on every single play. With Hollins, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir it was the same every time. Dawson Knox was usually the tight end unless he needed a breather, in which case Quintin Morris would sign him for a moment.

This staff size of 11 people and defined roles hasn’t been seen since Brian Daboll left the team to become head coach of the New York Giants. However, the effort from these eleven players was also very successful on Sunday, averaging more than seven yards per play after Kincaid left the contest. If the Bills are without the trio of Cooper, Coleman and Kincaid next weekend against the Chiefs, it wouldn’t be ideal for their prospects for the entire game, but it’s fair to expect a similar effort from Hollins, Samuel, Shakir and others Knox.

The run defense had some misfires, but there is reason for optimism

The last time we left the Bills’ run defense, the Dolphins’ running backs De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert were outstanding, and while they failed to break a big run, there were plenty of medium-plus gains , which showed the Bills still had some work to do in the week leading up to the Colts game. Because it was clearly an issue on film, the Bills talked about dropping blocks all week and even dedicated part of their practice on Thursday to running a fundamentals drill with every defensive player on the roster to address the issue.

Unfortunately for the Bills, some of those key issues surfaced on three long rushing attempts from powerhouse Jonathan Taylor. Taylor hit an outside run for a 58-yard rush that led to a Colts field goal. On their next two drives, Taylor had a 13-yard run to help the Colts on their first-half touchdown drive. Afterwards, his 22-yard run at the start of a drive helped the Colts to a field goal and a 13-10 lead. These three big plays accounted for a total of 93 yards and featured players not getting out of the blocks, poor angles and some poor tackling.

There is some good news for the run defense, however, and the Bills will likely look to isolate them before the Chiefs game next weekend. On Taylor’s other 18 rushing attempts, he gained just 21 yards, a stellar average of 1.2 yards per rush. Taylor didn’t have a rush of more than four yards on those 18 attempts, and that 4-yard gain only occurred once. Most impressively, the Bills stopped Taylor for either zero yards or a loss on seven different rushing attempts. These numbers are more similar to what we saw from the Bills defense in Seattle than what happened in Week 9 against the Dolphins. And while it would be foolish to give the Bills defense full credit and still allow three plays averaging 31 yards per rush, they are certainly getting closer to the run defense they want to be.

Jordan Phillips was one of the Bills’ new signings who made his season debut with the team on Sunday. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

How did the Bills utilize the new defensive tackles?

After a performance against the Dolphins that left opposing running backs far too much room to maneuver, the Bills swung into action this week and tried to bandage up the struggling defensive tackle group. The team added Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson — two players familiar with the Bills’ defensive system — and both were active on Sunday. There was a chance it could be the start of a tryout for both players, but instead we saw some very defined roles for Phillips and Jefferson, mirroring what the Bills had with injured rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and defensive end Dawuane Smoot had lost.

With Carter absent the past two weeks, the Bills have looked to utilize the duo of Austin Johnson and Eli Ankou in a more versatile role, while both likely perform best in the one-technique role. It has led to some difficulties, particularly on the part of Johnson. That’s why they tried something different this week by bringing Phillips back to simplify things and have some clearly defined roles. Phillips played almost exclusively alongside Johnson during the game and was the preferred three-technique, with Johnson able to play more one-techniques. Phillips even worked DaQuan Jones, her starting number one, into the game. However, Jefferson did not consider this role at all. That meant Phillips was the one-on-one replacement for Carter.

So what did Jefferson do? He took care of a very specific part of Smoot’s role. While Smoot took several reps on defense over the course of the game, on obvious passes inside, Smoot reduced himself to defensive tackle and lined up next to Ed Oliver to attack the passer. That role was given exclusively to Jefferson on Sunday against the Colts. Every single one of his snaps came in specific pass rush scenarios. So unless those roles change while Carter and Smoot are unavailable, maintaining a spot on the roster when those players return will be tenuous at best. They would likely need both injuries or play so well that the Bills would be forced to give up a roster spot elsewhere.

Bills MVP: NCB Taron Johnson – His interception for a touchdown set the stage for the defense to become a turnover machine, especially after the Bills’ first four-game possession ended in a punt. Johnson continues to prove why he is an important player on the Bills’ roster.

Bills LVP: Explosive runs – The Bills appeared to have solved their inconsistency problem, but allowed three plays to slip away. However, there will be no room for these errors next week. Honorable mention goes to return specialist Brandon Codrington for the fumble and near turnover.

Next: The 8-2 Bills, No. 2 in the AFC, will travel home on Sunday to take on the 9-0 Chiefs, No. 1 in the AFC, in a game that I’m sure few will be writing or talking about Week.

(Top photo: Grace Hollars / Imagn Images)