Football is back in Buffalo as the Bills won their preseason home opener 23-19 against the Indianapolis Colts Saturday afternoon.
Quarterback Matt Barkley led the offense with 172 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Barkley only had one incompletion across 15 attempts.
Inactives included quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs.
The defense started the game with a bang. Cornerback Dane Jackson intercepted a pass from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and returned it 20 yards to the Colts’ 13-yard line. Cornerback Siran Neal blitzed Richardson and created pressure on the outside to force the errant pass.
The offense capitalized on the turnover, running just three plays before James Cook took a handoff and ran for an 8-yard touchdown. Cook easily beat the Colts defenders to the outside and ran untouched into the end zone.
Damar Hamlin received a loud ovation when he and linebacker Tyrel Dodson tackled running back Evan Hull on fourth-and-1 to give the offense the ball and stop a driving Colts offense. Saturday marked Hamlin’s first time participating in a game since suffering cardiac arrest in January.
The defense struggled to contain the run during the Colts’ last drive of the first half and allowed Indianapolis to drive 88 yards for a touchdown to end the half.
The offense had a slow start to the second half as Allen threw an interception that was returned for a 52-yard touchdown. The pass was intended for Tyrell Shavers.