Bills host pair of defenders in Alexander and Anderson

A pair of free agent defenders (more specifically, special teamers) visited the Buffalo Bills at the end of the week, the team announced Friday.

The team hosted linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, formerly of the Oakland Raiders, and safety Colt Anderson, who was previously with the Indianapolis Colts.

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Hilton hoping a year makes all the difference vs. Pats

T.Y. Hilton is another year older, and, as he explains, another year wiser. Whether that old adage of age and wisdom will translate onto the field this weekend against the New England Patriots remains to be seen, though.

The fourth-year wideout has already tallied more than 3,600 yards in his career, but his success against the Pats has been unimpressive, to say the least. The 25-year-old had only four catches for 60 yards in two meetings last year and was held without a touchdown.

But with another season under his belt, and a few more offensive weapons surrounding him this season, Hilton is hoping to turn things around at home on Sunday night against the defending champs.

“Absolutely, it was frustrating and tough before,” he said via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “I’m older now, so I know what to expect. I’m going to get my plays come Sunday because [the Colts are] not the same team that they’re going to face.

“I’m going to get my changes, so when I do I have to make a play.”

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Bills oust Colts in well-rounded attack

The Buffalo Bills went ground-and-pound Sunday. But not completely.

Karlos Williams and Boobie Dixon each found the end zone in tallying 147 yards on the ground in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, however, made a nice contribution himself, completing 14 of 19 for 195 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin, along with 41 yards rushing.

Buffalo's defense held the Colts' offense to just nine first downs and 148 yards in the first half.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck finished the game 26 of 49 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, including a 2-yard pass to Donte Moncrief and a 6-yarder to Dwayne Allen.

He was also picked off twice--once by Ronald Darby and again by Aaron Williams.

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Fact Check: Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills kick off their 2015 campaign at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

Here's your Week 1 Fact Check for the AFC battle:

Head-to-Head -- Bills lead series, 35-31-1.

Head-to-Head Streak -- Colts have won seven of the last eight.

Last Meeting
November 25, 2012: Colts won, 20-13. Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton scored two touchdowns, including a 75-yard punt return for a score. Colts linebacker Jerrell Freeman tallied 16 total tackles and a sack.

Coaches vs. Opponent
Chuck Pagano 1-0 vs. Bills
Rex Ryan 3-1 vs. Colts

Colts Notes
QB ANDREW LUCK led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes in 2014 and has 12,957 career pass yards, more than any player in his first three NFL seasons. He's one of three players in NFL history with 4,000-plus pass yards in two of his first three seasons.

RB FRANK GORE makes his Colts debut. He finished his 10-year career with the 49ers (2005-14) as the all-time leading rusher in franchise history (11,073 yards).

Last year, Pro Bowl WR T.Y. HILTON led his team with a career-high 1,345 reception yards and had 82 catches for seven touchdowns.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON makes his Indianapolis debut. He is the Texans’ all-time leader in catches (1,012) and reception yards (13,597). Johnson needs 13 catches to surpass ISAAC BRUCE (1,024) for No. 8 on the all-time list.

TE DWAYNE ALLEN had a career-high eight touchdowns in 2014.

LB D’QWELL JACKSON led the AFC with 138 tackles in 2014. He was one of three NFL players with more than 100 tackles (138) and 4 or more sacks (4) last season.

Bills Notes

Head coach REX RYAN makes his Bills debut.

QB TYROD TAYLOR makes his first NFL start. He was drafted by the Ravens in 2011 (Round 6, No. 180 overall) and spent four seasons with Baltimore.

Pro Bowl RB LESEAN MCCOY makes his Bills debut. Since entering the NFL in 2009, he ranks third in the league with 9,074 scrimmage yards (6,792 rushing; 2,282 receiving). In two career meetings with the Colts, he had 205 yards from scrimmage (174 rush, 31 receiving) and a rush TD.

WR SAMMY WATKINS set Bills rookie records for catches (65), receiving yards (982) and touchdown catches (6) in 2014.

WR ROBERT WOODS posted career-highs in catches (65), receiving yards (699) and TDs (5) last season.

TE CHARLES CLAY makes his Buffalo debut. In four seasons with Miami (2011-14), he posted 161 catches for 1,809 yards and 14 touchdowns. In his last meeting with the Colts, Clay had five catches for 109 yards (21.8 avg.).

DE MARIO WILLIAMS posted a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2014 and has three consecutive 10-plus sack seasons since joining Buffalo in 2012. He has 11 sacks in 12 career meetings with Indy.

Sunday's Referee
John Parry

Broadcast Info
Television: CBS (1 p.m. EST).

Radio: SIRIUS: 137 (Ind), 82 (Buf). XM: 82 (Buf).

[Info courtesy of the NFL]

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Bradham: Bills' defense needs 'A-game' against Luck

The Buffalo Bills will play host to the No. 1-ranked passing offense a year ago Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Earlier this week, Rex Ryan called upon the fans to do their part. Later in the week, linebacker Nigel Bradham noted that the defense has plenty of work ahead of it, too.

"When you’re going against a guy like that, you have to be on your ‘A’ game, that’s how we have to be on defense," Bradham said, via The Buffalo News. "That’s how we have to be on defense, communication-wise, disguising, putting pressure on him, everything.

"We have to make him uncomfortable. And it’s going to be tough because he’s an athletic quarterback. So we have to keep him off his spot and disrupt him a little bit. Get him distracted. Try to frustrate him as much as we can.”

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Ryan asks fans to make it 'miserable' for Luck, Colts

The Buffalo Bills defense may be ranked near the top of the league to start off the season, but Rex Ryan is still asking for some help to take down Andrew Luck and the Colts.

Wednesday, the Bills coach reached out to the Buffalo faithful for some 12th-man assistance in taking down one of the league's elite quarterbacks, saying a win on Sunday is going to be a collaborative effort.

"We have to make it miserable when people come in here," he said via BuffaloBills.com. "I’m calling our fans out. We need you. We’re going to make it as challenging as we possibly can but it can only be added by our fans. 

"When our defense is on the field, I can’t wait to see our fans."

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Arrington takes on heavy dose of work with success

New England Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington had to guard Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton throughout the AFC Championship while the Pats' normal No. 2 corner, Brandon Browner, shadowed tight end Coby Fleener.

That matchup allowed the normal slot DB Arrington to take on a heavy dose of work, which he completed successfully. Hilton caught just one pass.

According to ESPN Boston, Arrington played every defensive snap in the victory--a major boost in playing time after seeing the field on just 40 percent of the team's defensive snaps during the regular season.

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AFC Championship Preview: Colts at Patriots

BY DAVID HEIM

For the ninth time in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era, the New England Patriots are playing in the AFC Championship game. Sunday marks the fourth straight season the Pats are playing in the conference final, but this season might be the most complete team to compete for a title even over those previous squads.

Patriots' Browner wary of 'dope' Colts TE Fleener

As he did two months ago, New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner will have his hands full defending Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener, who amassed 144 yards on seven catches (and seven targets) against New England.

Browner paid Fleener some big respect this week in talking to CSNNE about what it takes to defend against his receiver-at-tight end style. Their respective teams face off this Sunday in Foxborough for a trip to the Super Bowl.

"He's dope," Browner said, adding that "You gotta change it up on him. Keep him off balance. Play off sometimes. Get up in his face sometimes. I'm not out there on an island anymore. I have to come inside the box, key the run, key him. It poses its own challenges [versus defending an outside receiver]."

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Brown not fond of Gronk's 'out of the club' analogy

Remember when New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski "took" Indianapolis Colts defensive back Sergio Brown "and threw him out of the club" during a fine-inducing block two months ago?

Fast forward to January. Brown, who will face Gronk in a rematch Sunday when the Colts travel to Foxborough for the AFC Championship, wasn't so fond of the All-World tight end's analogy that Week 11 evening.

"I mean, it was a tough play. It was a hard play. I mean, I'm not mad about it. I was more mad about him saying he 'threw me out of the club' after the game." Brown said this week, via CSNNE.

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Jonas Gray has a day (or night) in Pats' rout of Colts

BY NICK ST. DENIS

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reserve running back Jonas Gray Saturday that he was in for a big game Sunday night.

Kraft was right.

After tallying just 131 yards and no touchdowns on 32 carries entering the game, Gray went crazy against the Indianapolis Colts. In a 42-20 blowout win, he amassed 199 yards and tallied a franchise-record rushing four touchdowns.

Patriots still wary of old foe Reggie Wayne

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New England Patriots will be up against an old foe in receiver Reggie Wayne when they take on the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night.

Now in his 14th year, Wayne has been relegated primarily to the slot, though the Colts still use him on the perimeter when needed. Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows that no matter where the veteran pass-catcher is, he's still a threat.

"Yeah, he’s still really good at everything," Belichick said last week, via CSNNE.com. "[He’s] obviously a real smart and experienced guy. Knows how to set up routes, make all of his routes look the same.

Hightower ready for toe-to-toe with Richardson

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Coming from a powerhouse collegiate program such as the University of Alabama, New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower has a lot of ex-teammates that are currently on the opposing sideline come Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson is one such former roster mate.

"Looking forward to going up against Trent," Hightower said, via Lee Schechter of ESPN Boston. "It’s been a couple of years since we got to go toe-to-toe. I’m looking forward to it."

Pats' D has work cut out for them with Colts' TE squad

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The New England Patriots know all about offensive potency from the tight end position. Heck, they wrote the book on it.

Teams utilizing multiple tight ends in their offensive game plan is nothing new for New England this season, as many teams have tried to expose the Patriots' secondary in the middle of the field and avoid their talented corners on the edges.

This week, however, coach Bill Belichick and the coaching staff will get a taste of their own medicine, as they'll be tasked with shutting down an Indianapolis Colts duo that's been tearing it up on the scoreboard.

QBs solid, Ivory injured during Jets preseason opener

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The New York Jets already have one injured running back on the sidelines in Bilal Powell. Now, they may temporarily be without thumper Chris Ivory.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, Ivory left Thursday night's preseason matchup against the Indianapolis Colts with a rib injury and will not return.

The 26-year-old had seven carries for 17 yards prior to leaving the game, and no word has been issued yet on the severity of his condition.

Vinatieri 'disappointed' when Patriots fans boo him

BY NICK ST. DENIS

What have you done for me lately?

That seems to be the general attitude among dedicated NFL fans. So it's no surprise that even a kicking great such as Adam Vinatieri catches flack when returning to Gillette Stadium.

Vinatieri played an important role in the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories in the early 2000s, but the Indianapolis Colts uniform he's donned the last seven years had drawn some distain from the Patriots faithful.

Divisional round picks: Colts at Patriots

Publisher Nick St. Denis, associate editor Dan Begnoche and senior contributor Sean Donovan pick the New England Patriots' home playoff battle with the Indianapolis Colts.

Dan's take:
Despite the game-changing potential both quarterbacks carry, ailing wide receivers and an inability to start fast on both sidelines will likely make this a ground-and-pound battle, at least early on. Both teams will be looking to effectively manage the clock, create short third-down opportunities and keep the opposing offense on the sideline as much as possible, a task the Pats have been better at of late, particularly with the uptick in output from running back LeGarrette Blount. If New England can continue its dominance in the running game and render Colts sack machine Robert Mathis a non-factor, Brady should have no problem making the most of his limited passing opportunities.
Prediction: Patriots 31, Colts 17

Four Point Stance: Colts at Patriots

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

New England's offense in 2013 wasn't exactly what it's been in years past, but the result was the same -- a first-round bye and a home game in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

The question now is whether the Patriots' new look look can get them where they were nearly a decade ago: back on top.

The first hurdle will be a familiar foe with a relatively unfamiliar leader. The Indianapolis Colts pulled out a thrilling come-from-behind victory last week to punch their ticket to Foxborough, where the Patriots are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to second-half stability.

McCourty gets bonus info on Colts from brother

BY NICK ST. DENIS

When Devin McCourty found out he would be facing the Indianapolis Colts this coming Saturday, the New England Patriots defensive back knew exactly who to turn to.

McCourty texted his identical twin brother, Jason, asking for some notes on the Colts' skill position players.

Jason, who was apparently happy to help, faces the Colts twice a year as a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans and had plenty to share.

Pats see Pagano's Baltimore roots in Colts' defense

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Bill Belichick knows one when he sees one.

The New England Patriots coach has gone head-to-head with the Baltimore Ravens on a regular basis over the past near-two decades and is well aware of their distinct style on defense.

So when a former Ravens defensive assistant implements his system into a new team, Belichick notices.