Colts ride their defense to a 13-6 halftime lead

AP

It hasn’t been the prettiest of halves for Andrew Luck and the Colts offense, but their defense has helped keep the Bills from doing much of anything about it.

The Colts helped force Ryan Fitzpatrick into a 6-for-15 half throwing the ball and they got a punt return touchdown from T.Y. Hilton to put them on top 13-6 as the teams take their halftime break. One of the biggest stands for the defense came after Andrew Luck was intercepted by Justin Rogers to give the Bills the ball near midfield. Robert Mathis came up with a sack on third down after a short drive to push the Bills out of field goal position.

Luck would get Rogers back on the final drive of the half when a throw to Reggie Wayne led to a pass interference penalty on Rogers. Two more completions to Wayne and a very well-timed spike by Luck would get Adam Vinatieri on the field with one second to go. His field goal extended the lead and gave the Colts a little more breathing room.

That final drive was put in motion with thanks to the Bills, who chose to have Fitzpatrick throw twice from the shadow of his own end zone on the preceding drive. Both were incomplete, allowing the Colts to hold onto a timeout they needed after a pass to Wayne fell short of the end zone just before Vinatieri’s kick.