Rolling on to Buffalo
The Colts look to break a 5 year drought.
written by Stephen Conway

After a stellar performance in all phases of the game against Jacksonville Monday night, the Colts have very little time to savor their victory. The Buffalo Bills, still stinging from their sloppy loss to the Jets two weeks ago, await the Colts this Sunday in New York.

It is safe to say that Ralph Wilson Stadium has traditionally been one of the toughest venues on the Colts year to year. The Colts last won a game in Orchard Park  in 1994. Buffalo fans are extremely knowledgeable and supportive of their team which has translated into a great sense of pride amongst the players defending their home turf.

However, this may be the year the Colts set a new trend. The Colts are gaining momentum and confidence with each set of downs they play. Offensively and defensively, the team continues to improve. Most notably, the defense came up with 2 interceptions and 5 sacks last week.  With the New York Jets sitting atop the division with the only undefeated record in the AFC, the loser of Sunday's contest will fall behind in the hunt for the division title. And with two more games on the road after Buffalo, the importance of this game to the Colts cannot be understated.

Focus would seem to be the watchword for this week. Can the team maintain the type of focus that allowed them to perform at the high level they attained Monday? The answer, I think, is yes. Monday was not a fluke. Its was a glimpse of things to come: the Colts taking a step closer to fulfilling their potential as a team.

Matchups
Breakdowns of the key matchups on offense, defense, and special teams.

Game Prediction
Last week I predicted a close game and I was half right. The first half that is. The second half, the Colts came out and proved that they were capable of going toe to toe with a tough playoff caliber team and beating the snot out of them. I wish I could say this week's game will be easier to predict, but it isn't. As ESPN's Chris Berman is so fond of saying, "nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills." Coming off a horrendous loss to the Jets ( similar to the Colts' loss to Oakland), look for the Bills to be focused and ready to erase the sour memories of their last game. The Colts' defense proved that they could make big plays last week when backed by the roaring crowds at the Dome. This week they must enter a hostile environment and maintain the same level of play. While the Bills have traditionally found ways to frustrate our offense, I beleive that if our defense can play as well as they did last week, the Colts will have a good chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. I'll bet on Manning making plays down the stretch any day. We'll sneak out of Orchard Park with a 3-1 record.

Score: Colts 24  Bills 21

Next Opponent
Buffalo Bills
10/01/2000

when: 12:00
where: Orchard Park
TV: CBS

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