The Indianapolis Colts might have suffered a close, tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. Recently unretired quarterback Philip Rivers was fine, but not great. What was great was that Indy found out they recently made a move which could turn out to be brilliant well into the future. The Buffalo Bills are taking the opposite approach.
The brilliance by Indy was the signing of kicker Blake Grupe. He had washed out with the New Orleans Saints, but against the Seahawks for the Colts, Grupe looked like an All-Pro. That included making a 60-yard kick with less than a minute left in the game. He also made his only extra point attempt.
Grupe took over for Michael Badgley, who was released after missing his third extra point of the season in Week 14 against the Houston Texans. The miss led to Indianapolis constantly needing a touchdown to catch up. The team couldn't do it.
Buffalo Bills take a risk by signing failed Indianapolis Colts kicker Michael Badgley
No matter that Badgley made 10 of his 11 field goal attempts, the missed extra points doomed him in his return to the Colts after playing elsewhere since 2021.
One might have assumed that Michael Badgley, who didn't kick anywhere in 2024, might have been done playing in the NFL. Why would a team risk losing an important game simply because Badgley couldn't make a freebie? Well, a team is, and that team is the Bills, who signed Badgley to their practice squad ahead of Week 16.
The Bills' full-time kicker is Matt Prater, and he has been mostly excellent for 19 seasons. He is dealing with a right quadriceps injury, though, and is listed as week-to-week. He isn't expected to play against the Browns in Cleveland in Week 16, though.
To be fair, the Bills, who are almost certain to make the playoffs, might be thinking Badgley is just a one-game replacement against a bad team. Maybe even if Badgley messes up, it won't be overly costly because Buffalo should win easily. Plus, Badgley kicking in windy Cleveland is not a fun thought.
Ironically, though, there is a chance that Michael Badgley could make a kick to win the game for the Buffalo Bills. If 10-4 Buffalo wins and the 8-6 Indianapolis Colts lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, that would push Indianapolis one extra point closer to missing the playoffs again, which is especially hurtful after a 7-1 start to the season.