Buffalo Bills: Top 3 takeaways from Wild Card win over Colts

Lost identity

All season long the Buffalo Bills have had tremendous success passing the ball. Reflected in broken records in passing and receiving, the formula to beating Indianapolis was targeting their corners.

Though, Brian Daboll decided to call an entirely different game than what had gotten him and the Bills to this point in time. Ditching the pass and committing to the run game, Buffalo seemingly was stuck inside their own 30 for the entirety of the first half. Being pinned with treacherous field position on nearly all their first-half possessions, instead of passing to make up for lost yardage, Daboll opted for a heavy serving of Zack Moss and Devin Singletary.

After some locker room adjustments, the Bills went back to passing the ball in the second half which made a considerable difference in the score and momentum of the game. Connecting with Stefon Diggs for a 35-yard score just 50 seconds into the second half, Buffalo had finally gotten back to their bread and butter.

With season-long success passing the ball, seeing Daboll ditch the pass and opt for the run would have made sense if Buffalo had a strong running game. Those who have watched the Buffalo Bills this season will be the first to admit that they do not. If Daboll didn’t open the playbook to the pass, this entire piece may have a different tone and the game, a different outcome.