It was cold and nasty up in Buffalo yesterday but that will be the last game the Colts will play in conditions like that this season.  The Colts didn’t look like they wanted to play as the Bills destroyed them.  Peyton Manning started the game by completing 14 of 18 passes for 95 yards with 1 INT.  Rookie Curtis Painter showed once again that he is not ready for prime time.  He completed 4 of 17 passes for 39 yards with a INT and he also lost a fumble.  Mike Hart was the leader on the ground for the Colts yesterday with 28 yards rushing on 10 carries (2.8 ypc) with a TD run.  Dallas Clark (7 rec, 52 yards) and Reggie Wayne (5 rec, 21 yards) led the way for the Colts in the passing game yesterday.  The Colts finished up with only 157 total yards on offense (25 rushing, 132 passing) in this game as they only had the ball for 22:26.

The Colts didn’t have any luck on defense as the Bills pushed them around the whole game.  Fred Jackson rushed for 212 yards for the Bills yesterday and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 3 TD passes which should tell you all you need to know about this game.  CB Jamie Silva (10 tackles, 2 passes defensed) and LB Freddy Keiaho (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) led the way on D for the Colts yesterday.  The Bills finished up with 403 total yards on offense (248 rushing, 155 passing) in this game.  The Colts finished the season with a 14-2 record earning a bye next week.

This will likely look like the final pre-season game for the Colts who get their starters in and out really quickly to keep them healthy.  That means that this game will likely be in the hands of rookie QB Curtis Painter who looked overmatched last weekend against a outstanding Jets defense.  But, this week he should do better although he will likely just be trying to manage the game with the Colts leaning on the running game against a Bills’ D that is allowing 165.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  I have a feeling that rookie RB Donald Brown is going to have a monster game this Sunday afternoon.

The Colts are likely going to rest DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis so they will need someone to step up and pressure the Bills’ QB.  The Bills are hoping that the QB will be Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Brian Brohm.  If it is Fitzpatrick the Colts might have a tougher time defensing the pass.  The Colts must be able to contain Lee Evans and Terrell Owens to have a legit chance of winning this game.  The Colts can’t cheat to stop the passing game or Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch might gash them.

PREDICTION:  BILLS 20, COLTS 14

While last week’s game meant a lot to both the Jets and all the team’s that are trying to make the playoffs in the AFC, I still think Coach Caldwell did the right thing in pulling his players in the second half.  The goal is not to go 16-0 during the regular season, it’s to win the Super Bowl.  If Caldwell had went for the perfect record and Peyton Manning got hurt think of how much flak he would be getting right now.  The Colts earned the right to rest their players due to what they had done the first 14 weeks of the season.  All the crybabies……especially the whining Pittsburgh Steelers need to look in the mirror rather than blame the Colts if they don’t make the playoffs.  After all, the Steelers did lose to the Browns, Chiefs and Raiders so do they really deserve to make the playoffs?