Colts Lose Three Fumbles and Fall to Bills, 30-7

Three fumbles in the game’s first seven minutes Sunday gave Indianapolis Colt Coach Ron Meyer a mountainous problem.

“As I said coming in, it looks like a very steep hill,” Meyer said in reference to Indianapolis’ playoff chances after a 30-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills. “It looks like Mount Everest right now.”

The Colts (4-6) are three games behind the first-place Bills (7-3) in the race for the AFC East title and two games behind second-place Miami.

“It is best when you control your own destiny,” Colts’ offensive tackle Chris Hinton said. “But now we have to win the rest of our games and we also need some help from other teams if we are going to catch Buffalo.”

The game’s turning point may have come on the opening kickoff, when Mark Pike ripped the ball out of Indianapolis returner James Pruitt’s hands. Mickey Sutton recovered for Buffalo on the Colt 22-yard line.

“That fumble was a big emotional lift for us,” Sutton said. “Both teams came out all psyched up and that play set the tone for the whole game.”

Jim Kelly took advantage of the mistake, connecting with Thurman Thomas for the first of Kelly’s three touchdown passes on the day with only 2:12 gone in the game.

That fumble was forced by a hard hit. The Colts, especially running back Eric Dickerson, had no such excuse on the fumbles that ended their next two possessions.

Leonard Smith recovered Dickerson’s first fumble, giving Buffalo the ball at midfield, and Scott Norwood kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Dickerson, who didn’t talk to reporters after the game, fumbled again when the ball bounced off his knee.

The Bills turned that into a 40-yard field goal by Norwood for a 13-0 lead.

Touchdown passes of 32 and three yards from Kelly to Andre Reed in the second quarter made it 27-0 at the half.

The Bills rushed for 232 yards in 51 carries. Thomas had 127 yards in 29 attempts.