Three matchups to watch when the Buffalo Bills take on the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday’s wild-card game:
DeForest Buckner vs. Bills’ guards. Look for the Bills to try to use a lot of double-team blocks on Buckner, whose massive length is hard for any guard to handle. The 6-foot-7 Buckner has an 82-inch wingspan, and his hands (11 3/4 inches) are the largest ever measured at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Bills’ Ike Boettger actually has good size for a guard, at 6-6, with an 80 3/4-inch wingspan and 9 3/4 inch hands. Buckner has great power moves with his long arms, but he’s also light enough on his feet to get quick penetration.
A year ago, in the Bills’ wild-card loss at Houston in overtime, Allen looked every bit like a quarterback playing in his first postseason game.
Bills' WRs vs. Xavier Rhodes and Rock Ya-Sin. Rhodes made three Pro Bowls for the Vikings as a teammate of Stefon Diggs. After two subpar years, the Vikings cut him in March and the Colts signed him to a one-year contract. He has rejuvenated his career. But he’s a bit of a boom or bust player. He stays on the right side of the defense. It will be interesting to see him matched on Diggs. The Colts will be without Rock Ya-Sin, who has been in the concussion protocol. Indy has one of the best slot corners in the NFL in Kenny Moore, who’s also a pretty good blitzer. Rhodes and Ya-Sin have combined for 12 penalties, nine the second half of the season. The top four corners have combined for 20 penalties.
Here's a capsule look at Saturday's wild-card games.
Leslie Frazier vs. Philip Rivers. It’s hard to imagine the Bills completely shutting down the Colts’ run game. The question is: How much pressure can Frazier manufacture on the immobile Rivers when the Bills get the Colts in obvious passing situations. The Colts have one of the top two guards in the NFL in Quenton Nelson and one of the top centers in Ryan Kelly. Pressure up the middle won’t be easy, but it’s the way to impact Rivers. Look for the Bills to show a lot of A-gap pressure (on either side of the center). In the win over the Titans, Tennessee rushed four and sat back in zones all day. That’s not the way to go. Rivers was 29 of 39, and 27 of his completions were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Rivers has been sacked at the third lowest rate in the NFL. Sacking isn’t key. Making him feel heat is.
