Why Colts' full-team win over Buccaneers checked important box in ...

The Colts' 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was defined by gutsy playcalling and complementary football – the sort of stuff contending teams need to put on display after Thanksgiving. 

Whether it was Mo Alie-Cox scything 30 yards on fourth-and-one, or Samson Ebukam knocking the ball out, or Jonathan Taylor icing the game, the Colts made the plays they needed to make to push past the Buccaneers and cement themselves in the thick of the AFC playoff picture. 

"You gotta win in all types of ways," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "I felt all three phases, offense, defense and special teams, everybody made plays and everybody contributed to the win today. Late in the year, that's what you want."

The Colts won all three of their games in November and enter the holiday season with a 6-5 record and a legitimate chance to make noise in the AFC. This is a team that's weathered several challenges this season: Taylor began the season on PUP, starting quarterback Anthony Richardson sustained a season-ending injury in Week 5, both starting outside cornerbacks (JuJu Brents and Dallis Flowers) have been in and out of the starting lineup, defensive tackle Grover Stewart was suspended six games in October and linebacker Shaquille Leonard was waived just last week. 

But through all that, the Colts have kept plugging away and doing some of the things running back Zack Moss – no stranger to playoff pushes during his two and a half seasons with the Buffalo Bills – sees contenders needing to do. 

"We do a lot of good things fundamentally, those things that show up in the playoffs — it's who can do the fundamentals at a high level," Moss said. "As the season goes, we've shown that the biggest thing is we gotta continue to be consistent, find ways to close things out at the end of the year."