Colts 20, Bills 13: Frustrating Bills Can't Steal A Win

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-13 in Week 12, dropping the Bills to 4-7 and putting a serious dent in the team's faint, fledgling playoff hopes.

Buffalo did not lack for opportunities to win a very winnable game. They continued to find excruciating ways, however, to blow those opportunities. A late fourth quarter Ryan Fitzpatrick interception as the team was driving for a potential game-tying score highlighted that laundry list of plays; credit Stevie Johnson for hustling back into the play, forcing a Tom Zbikowski fumble and recovering it, but the massive loss of yardage stalled the drive - and when Chan Gailey elected to punt and put the game in his defense's hands, three Colts first downs (one via a Stephon Gilmore penalty) put the game on ice for the home team.

Fitzpatrick had one of his more inefficient days of the season, completing 17-of-33 passes for just 180 yards with a touchdown (to tight end Lee Smith) and the aforementioned interception. The struggles of the passing game undid another solid outing for running back C.J. Spiller, who carried 14 times for 107 yards. Gailey did nothing to quell doubts that Spiller's one-game run as a feature back would come to an end; it clearly has.

T.Y. Hilton did most of the dirty work for Indianapolis. He provided both Colts touchdowns on the day - a 75-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter, and an eight-yard strike from Andrew Luck in the third. Luck and the Colts managed just six points otherwise - and Mario Williams had three sacks of Luck, by the way - but Indy still managed 328 total yards of offense, and picked up several huge third downs throughout the day to control the flow of the game.

At 4-7, Buffalo's playoff chances went from slim to purely mathematical. They get a home date with the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.