BILLS WIN IN THE SNOW.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — LeSean McCoy scored on a 21-yard run with 1:33 left in overtime to secure the Buffalo Bills’ 13-7 National Football League win over the Indianapolis Colts in a wintry, whiteout setting best suited for snow shoes and sled dogs. Mush! McCoy finished with 156 yards rushing and topped the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in his career on a slick, snow-covered field.
The Bills’ sideline erupted after McCoy’s touchdown, with numerous players running on to the field to either make snow angels or engage in celebratory snowball fights.
Buffalo (7-6) stayed alive in the AFC playoff picture, while the Colts (3-10) were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
The game began in nearly whiteout conditions with a major lake-effect storm blowing in off nearby Lake Erie. The snow fell so hard a half-hour before kickoff it was nearly impossible to see New Era Field’s west-end scoreboard from the east-end stands.
McCoy’s touchdown came on Buffalo’s second possession of overtime. Facing third-and-two, McCoy found a crease up the middle and had enough footing to cut to his left and scamper into the end zone untouched.
It was a topsy-turvy game played in a snow-globe setting, with a regular parade of work crews taking the field with snowblowers on their backs to clear the yard lines.
Early in the third quarter, fans were even treated to a rare metrological event of “thunder snow,” as lightning flashed over the stadium. The game was not stopped.
So much snow accumulated on the roof of the first-level suites that fans began building snowmen.
Colts receiver Chester Rogers disappeared into a snowbank in the end zone after being unable to stop on a deep pass from Jacoby Brissett. Rogers made the catch, but couldn’t keep both feet inbounds.
Injuries became an issue for Buffalo, with rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman leaving in the third quarter to be evaluated for a head injury. Peterman was starting in place of Tyrod Taylor, who was sidelined by a bruised left knee. Joe Webb finished the game. The Bills scored first on Peterman’s eight-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin in the final minute of the second quarter. And it took the Colts nearly 59 total minutes to find the end zone.