Winners and losers: 5 takeaways from Bills big win over Colts in Week 10

The Buffalo Bills' Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts had all the makings of a trap game, as it would have been very easy for Sean McDermott's squad to look ahead to next Sunday's battle with the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the Bills didn't allow that to happen. Even with Josh Allen failing to throw a touchdown pass for just the second time this season, Buffalo rolled to a 30-20 victory behind yet another strong performance from the defense, which we'll break down in just a moment.

Sitting at 8-2 for the first time since 1993, Buffalo now has a five-game lead in the AFC East with seven games remaining. So, in essence, the division race is over. The bigger question, of course, is where they'll be seeded once the postseason arrives. And next Sunday's matchup with the two-time defending champion Chiefs will obviously play a part in that.

But let's not jump too far ahead just yet. For now, let's have a look at some winners and losers from the Bills' big win over the Colts.

Winner: The Buffalo defense as a whole

The Buffalo defense set the tone early, as Taron Johnson picked off Joe Flacco's very first pass of the game and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to give Buffalo an early 7-0 lead.

Austin Johnson joined the fun with a pick of his own on the very next possession, which the Bills' offense turned into three points, and Aaron Rapp completed the trifecta in the third quarter, with his interception leading to the touchdown that truly put the game on ice.

The Bills also forced a Flacco fumble in the third quarter, as Greg Rousseau recorded a strip-sack, one of four Buffalo sacks on the afternoon.

Was it a perfect performance? Certainly not. But 70 of the 361 total yards the Colts gained came on their final drive when the Bills were playing extremely soft coverage. And while Buffalo allowed 121 rushing yards, 58 came on one run from Jonathan Taylor. Otherwise, Indy managed just 3.0 yards per carry. So, while it might look average on paper in some aspects, this was a strong overall performance.

Winner: Josh Allen

As mentioned, Josh Allen failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second time this season, the only other instance coming in the Bills' Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. And he did toss a pair of interceptions, giving him four in his last three games after not throwing any in the first seven.

Nevertheless, Allen did plenty to help Buffalo get this victory.

For one, Indy only got three points off his two turnovers. Secondly, he still threw for 280 yards despite not having Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman at his disposal, hitting seven different receivers.

And what Allen may have lacked with his arm at times, he made up for it with his legs, rushing for 50 yards on eight carries, including an incredible 13-yard touchdown run that gave the Bills a 17-13 lead.

Given what Lamar Jackson did against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, throwing for four touchdowns in the Ravens' wild 35-34 win, Allen has now fallen behind in the NFL MVP race. But again, he still did plenty to help the Bills get this win and can get himself right back in the mix with a strong performance against the Chiefs.

Winner: James Cook

A week after getting just 10 carries against the Miami Dolphins, James Cook got nearly double that amount against the Colts, running the ball 19 times for 80 yards, which should serve as a nice confidence booster going into a tough matchup with a Kansas City defense that's one of the best in the league against the run.

Cook also added his eighth touchdown run of the season, tying him with the Detroit Lions' David Montgomery and the Los Angeles Rams' Kyren Williams for the third-most in the league. Williams, of course, could break out of that bunch, as the Rams will face the Dolphins on Monday night.

Nevertheless, Cook continues to impress.

Winner: Tyler Bass

It was only a few weeks ago that the Bills were considering making a change at kicker, as Tyler Bass was struggling. But that now seems like forever ago, doesn't it?

Coming off his record-setting 61-yard game-winner a week ago against Miami, Bass was money against Indy, making all three of his extra-point attempts while also going 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 29, 47, and 28 yards.

After missing five total kicks in the Bills' first six games, Bass has missed just once in his last four outings, going 9-for-9 on field goals and 12-for-13 on extra points, his lone miss coming against Miami.

Loser: Dalton Kincaid

The loser designation for Dalton Kincaid here has nothing to do with his performance on Sunday but more with the fact that he was knocked out of the game with a knee injury, which the Bills certainly don't need right now.

One play after making his second 12-yard catch near the end of the first quarter, Kincaid was forced to jump on an errant deep pass from Allen and came down hard on his left knee. The second-year tight end left the game and was questionable to return.

Kincaid ultimately did return in the third quarter but only took a few snaps before he exited again, at which point he was downgraded to doubtful. The extent of his injury isn't yet known, but he did tell reporters afterward that he was wearing a brace when he came back into the game in the second half.

Given the issues with Cooper and Coleman right now, this is certainly a situation worth monitoring as the week goes along.