Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York is never an easy place to play in, but it is even more difficult when it’s the home opener. This is the challenge that Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts will have to deal with when they travel to Western New York to take on Mario Williams and the Buffalo Bills.
Both teams had winning record last year and the Colts even had an AFC Championship appearance last season. The Bills however missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The Bills are trying to end a long playoff drought that is now in its 16th year, while the Colts are trying to find their way to the Super Bowl for the first time in the Andrew Luck era.
The Colts have added some big offensive assets with the addition of WR Andre Johnson and RB Frank Gore.
However, they will be without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who will be serving his one-game suspension which will hurt the Bills rush defense. Dareus is the foundation of the Bills' interior and the backup tackles will need to fill that void well if they want to stop Gore. The Bills linebackers will have their hands full and will need to stop the run and force Luck into third and long situations to have a good chance to stop the high-powered Colts attack.
On offense, the Bills will have a new face under center as QB Tyrod Taylor came into camp as the projected third-string quarterback, but Taylor impressed and won the competition over EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel. At running back, the Bills will look different as well as LeSean McCoy should be ready to go against Indianapolis. Taylor and McCoy will be looking to make some big plays for the Buffalo Bills offense this week.
The Colts need to be ready to deal with not just the Bills, but the crowd as well. It will be a loud stadium, and Rex Ryan will want to get the fans involved in the game as soon as possible. If the Bills can get off to a strong start and keep the crowd going, they may have a real shot at getting the upset over the Colts.