Viewers can watch the broadcast live on CBS/CBS All Access at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday as well as stream live on the NFL App and Yahoo Sports app.
The Backstory
The last time Buffalo was this good, Frank Reich suited up in uniform as a Bills backup quarterback for the early-90s squads that went to four-straight Super Bowls. Saturday, the ex-QB and his Colts will attempt to bring misery to Bills Mafia.
The Colts and Bills each made tactical upgrades in the offseason with the idea of getting their squads over the hump to make deep postseason runs.
Indianapolis signed veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, believing the 39-year-old would be an upgrade on Jacoby Brissett. In addition, the Colts shipped a first-round pick to San Francisco for difference-making defender DeForest Buckner to solidify the middle of the defense.
For its part, Buffalo traded a first-round pick for receiver Stefon Diggs with the notion that his uncanny ability to separate from defenders would provide Josh Allen a go-to target and unlock the QB’s talent.
Both teams hit the nail on the head.
Rivers stabilized an Indy offense that moved the ball at will between the 20s, even if it struggled in the red zone for stretches. And Buckner was a game-wrecking sledgehammer, combining with linebacker Darius Leonard to close down the middle of the field and live in the opponents’ backfield.
Meanwhile, all Diggs did was lead the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). The Bills played pitch-and-catch all over the park like it was a tribute to the K-gun days of yore. Allen led one of the most entertaining offenses in the NFL, as the Bills rolled over opponents down the stretch, winning six consecutive games.
Buffalo is out to snap a six-game playoff losing streak that dates back to 1996. The last time the Bills won a playoff game was Reich’s first season in a different jersey. Buffalo’s six-game playoff losing streak is the third-longest in the NFL, behind only Cincinnati (eight) and Detroit (nine).
In order to snap the streak, the Bills will need to knock off their former player in the process. Reich will be the fifth head coach in the last 30 seasons to face the team that drafted him in the playoffs (first since Ken Whisenhunt versus Atlanta in the 2008 wild-card round).
Each team’s vision for the postseason was built during an uncertain spring, realized during fortuitous marches through the fall, and all led up to a wintry field in Buffalo on Saturday.
Under Pressure
Philip Rivers, quarterback, Colts: After 17 years, Rivers knows this could be his final chance to play in a Super Bowl. The 39-year-old has the most games played (244), passing yards (63,440) and passing TDs (421) among QBs never to win a Super Bowl. Rivers has been open about the potential that the Colts could move on or he could retire following Indy’s postseason run. To put off those decisions, the Colts need the best version of Rivers. The signal-caller generated his eighth-straight season of 4,000-plus pass yards (4,169). In the past eight games, the veteran cut down on the wayward interceptions (four after seven in the first eight games) while the Colts leaned on the ground game. To pull off the upset, Rivers needs to hit on big plays against a defense that is susceptible deep — allowing the 18th-most big plays this season. Most importantly, when Indy moves the ball, Rivers must punch it into the end zone and stop settling for field goals. The Bills rank 28th in the NFL in red-zone defense, so the opportunities should be there. Indy can’t afford to kick field goals against this Buffalo offense.
Josh Allen, quarterback, Bills: Pressure is in the eye of the beholder. Via his own words, Allen wants to atone for his mishaps in last year’s playoff collapse. Since that game, the Bills quarterback has been a marvel to watch. Allen’s growth has seemingly been unprecedented. Under Brian Daboll’s tutelage, Allen increased his completion percentage by more than 10 points (69.2%) while throwing for 4,544 yards with 37 TDs to just 10 INTs. Allen has become a more efficient QB by taking what the defense gives him and allowing his dynamite receiver corps to make plays. That tactic sits juxtaposed to last year’s playoff loss when he was heaving prayers downfield to a fullback. Allen has become a more cerebral QB, who knows what the defense wants to do, gets through his progression fast, and has rarely been in a bad play this year. Combine that above-the-shoulder acumen with his cannon-rocket arm and bulldozing mentality, and you have a complete 2020 QB. Against a Colts defense that ended the season ranked second in the NFL against the run and 20th against the pass, expect Allen to sling it often Saturday. Allen went 4-0 against defenses which finished in the top 10 in total D in 2020 (LAR, LAC, SF, PIT). The Colts finished eighth. Indy, however, struggled down the stretch, allowing 311.4 passing yards per game since Week 13 (31st in NFL). Saturday has the makings of a big day for Allen, who threw 15 TD passes to just two INTs since Week 13. All the stars have aligned for Allen this season. Continuing his Pro Bowl play into the postseason is a must if the Bills are going to get their first playoff win in 25 years.
Matchup to watch
Colts run game vs. Bills defensive front: Streaking to a 6-2 finish to win 11 games, the Colts turned to rookie running back Jonathan Taylor, who joined Hall of Famers Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk as the only rookies in Colts history with 1,000-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing TDs in a season. Taylor is a joy to watch. His quick feet and superior vision allow him to hit holes that would close for other backs. The rookie owns the power to glide through tackles unimpeded and speed to outrace defensive backs. He’s the entire package. Taylor has 70-plus rushing yards in six straight games, culminated by Sunday’s 253-yard performance in a must-win game.
How will Buffalo slow this train?
Sean McDermott’s defense started the season struggling, particularly against the run. Buffalo gave up 135.0 yards per game on the ground through the first 10 weeks. Since their Week 11 bye, however, the Bills’ D has tightened. Buffalo has allowed just 94.0 rushing yards per game and 18.3 points per contest. Pressure is on linebackers Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds and A.J. Klein to clean up the middle of the field and ensure Taylor’s jaunts don’t turn into home runs.
The Colts’ game plan for pulling the upset is simple: Run the ball, control the clock, keep Allen, Diggs et al. on the sideline, and slam the ball in for TDs when they reach the red zone. If the Bills can’t stuff the run, the field could tilt, and the pressure on the home team would mount.
Final thought
It wouldn’t be far off to consider 2020 the Year of Josh Allen after the quarterback so thoroughly shut up critics. He didn’t do it alone, however. The Bills brass did a magnificent job buffering the young QB with playmakers who bolster Allen’s strengths. The light, however, will shine the brightest on Allen this Saturday. How he goes, so will Buffalo.
Rivers knows this dynamic all too well. Once part of dominant regular-season teams with the Chargers alongside LaDainian Tomlinson, the veteran signal-caller understands that playoff success is difficult and fleeting.
One QB is in the infantile stage of his playoff career, hoping to take another step. For the other, the end could be near, and he’s battling to put off the end for just a bit longer.
For Brad Marchand, right now, it’s all about Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You see the excitement they have all throughout Canada when they’re in playoffs,” Marchand said Thursday. “Makes it a lot of fun to play them. And I think, just with the history we’ve had with them recently, they’re probably our biggest rival right now over the last decade.
“They’ve probably surpassed Montreal and any other team with kind of where our rivalry’s gone, just because we’ve both been so competitive with each other, and we’ve had a few playoff series. It definitely brings the emotion, the intensity, up in the games and the excitement for the fans.
“It’s a lot of fun to play them.”
The Bruins and Maple Leafs will renew their rivalry in their first round series, which starts Saturday at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS). They’ll be familiar opponents.
Over the past 11 seasons, the Bruins have faced the Maple Leafs four times in the postseason, starting with the epic 2013 matchup in the first round. That resulted in an all-time instant classic, the Game 7 in which the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period and came roaring back for an overtime win that helped propel them to the Stanely Cup Final.
That would prove to be the model and, in the intervening years, the Bruins have beaten them in each of the three subsequent series, including going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018 and 2019.
Which could easily be where this series is going.
“Offensively they’re a gifted hockey club,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. “They present a lot of challenges down around the netfront area. We’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are. So I expect it to be a tight series overall.”
But if anyone knows the Maple Leafs — and what to expect — it’s Marchand. In his career, he’s played 146 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 11th most of any active player. Twenty-one of those games have come against the Maple Leafs, games in which Marchand has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
“They’re always extremely competitive,” Marchand said. “You never know which way the series is going to go. But that’s what you want. That’s what you love about hockey is the competition aspect. They’re real competitors over there, especially the way they’re built right now. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and that’s what playoffs is about. It’s about the best teams going head-to-head.”
But even though the history favors the Bruins — including having won each of the past six playoff matchups, dating back to the NHL’s expansion era in 1967-68 and each of the four regular-season games in 2023-24 — Marchand is throwing that out the window.
“That means nothing,” he said.
The Maple Leafs bring the No. 2 offense in the NHL into their series, having scored 3.63 goals per game. They were led by Auston Matthews and his 69 goals this season, a new record for him and for the franchise.
“You have to be hard on a guy like that and limit his time and space with the puck,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “He’s really good at getting in position to receive the puck and he’s got linemates who can put it right on his tape for him. You’ve just got to know where he is, especially in our D zone. He likes to loop away after cycling it and kind of find that sweet spot coming down Broadway there in the middle. It’s not just a one-person job.”
Nor is Matthews their only threat.
“They have a lot of great players, skill players, who play hard and can be very dangerous around the net and create scoring opportunities,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You’ve just got to be aware of who’s out there and who you’re against, who you’re matched up against, and play hard. Also, too, we’ve got to focus on our game and what we do well and when we do that, we trust each other and have that belief in each other, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”
Especially against the Maple Leafs.
Marchand, who grew up in Halifax loving the Maple Leafs, still gets a thrill to see their alumni walking around Scotiabank Arena in the playoffs. And it’s even more special to be on the ice with them, to be competing against them — even more so when the Bruins keep winning.
But that certainly doesn’t mean this series will be easy.
“They’ll be a [heck] of a challenge,” Marchand said.
The chase for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice will begin on Saturday.
After what could be described as the most exciting season in NHL history that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to clinch playoff spots, players and staff now get ready as 16 teams go to battle.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks have a massive year and finish first in the Pacific Division with captain Quinn Hughes leading all defensemen in points. The Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for most points. The Nashville Predators went on a franchise-record winning streak in order to lock themselves into a Wild Card spot, and the Washington Capitals clinched the last Wild Card spot in the East after a wild finish that saw the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers see their playoff hopes crumble in front of them.
While Auston Matthews missed out on scoring 70 goals, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov became the first players since 1990-91 to record 100 assists in a single season. They joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to do so.
With the bracket set, it’s time to expect the unexpected.
Here is the schedule for Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
#A1 Florida Panthers vs. #WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
Date
Game
Time
Sunday, April 21
1. Tampa at Florida
12:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23
2. Tampa at Florida
7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, April 25
3. Florida at Tampa
7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27
4. Florida at Tampa
5 p.m. ET
Monday, April 29
5. Tampa at Florida
TBD
Wednesday, May 1
6. Florida at Tampa
TBD
Saturday, May 4
7. Tampa at Florida
TBD
#A2 Boston Bruins vs. #A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
Date
Game
Time
Saturday, April 20
1. Toronto at Boston
8 p.m. ET
Monday, April 22
2. Toronto at Boston
7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 24
3. Boston at Toronto
7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27
4. Boston at Toronto
8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30
5. Toronto at Boston
TBD
Thursday, May 2
6. Boston at Toronto
TBD
Saturday, May 4
7. Toronto at Boston
TBD
#M1 New York Rangers vs. #WC2 Washington Capitals
Date
Game
Time
Sunday, April 21
1. Washington at New York
3 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23
2. Washington at New York
7 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26
2. New York at Washington
7 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28
2. New York at Washington
8 p.m. ET
Wednesday, May 1
2. Washington at New York
TBD
Friday, May 3
2. New York at Washington
TBD
Sunday, May 5
2. Washington at New York
TBD
#M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #M3 New York Islanders
Date
Game
Time
Saturday, April 20
1. New York at Carolina
5 p.m. ET
Monday, April 22
2. New York at Carolina
7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, April 25
3. Carolina at New York
7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27
4. Carolina at New York
2 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30
5. New York at Carolina
TBD
Thursday, May 2
6. Carolina at New York
TBD
Saturday, May 4
7. New York at Carolina
TBD
Western Conference
#C1 Dallas Stars vs. #WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
Date
Game
Time
Monday, April 22
1. Vegas at Dallas
9:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 24
2. Vegas at Dallas
9:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27
3. Dallas at Vegas
10:30 p.m. ET
Monday, April 29
4. Dallas at Vegas
TBD
Wednesday, May 1
5. Vegas at Dallas
TBD
Friday, May 3
6. Dallas at Vegas
TBD
Sunday, May 5
7. Vegas at Dallas
TBD
#C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. #C3 Colorado Avalanche
Date
Game
Time
Sunday, April 21
1. Colorado at Winnipeg
7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23
2. Colorado at Winnipeg
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26
3. Winnipeg at Colorado
10 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28
4. Winnipeg at Colorado
2:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30
5. Colorado at Winnipeg
TBD
Thursday, May 2
6. Winnipeg at Colorado
TBD
Saturday, May 4
7. Colorado at Winnipeg
TBD
#P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #WC1 Nashville Predators
