INDIANAPOLIS – On Sunday afternoon, Tyrod Taylor will lead a starting offense onto the field for the first time in his five NFL seasons.

Taylor's last start, ironically enough, came at the 2011 Orange Bowl when his Virginia Tech Hokies lost to Andrew Luck's Stanford Cardinal, 40-12.

Nearly five years later, Taylor is opposite Luck once again, this time in front of a Bills fan base hoping they have finally found their man under center.

Taylor will mark the 15th quarterback the Bills have used since their last playoff appearance in the 1999 season.

The fact that Taylor is under center to start a highly anticipated Bills campaign is a bit of a surprise.

Despite not taking the bulk of the first-team reps in Training Camp, Taylor dazzled during the preseason showcasing the traits that has Chuck Pagano's attention this week.

The 11 carries for 108 yards from Taylor this preseason was somewhat expected.

The 77.4 completion percentage this preseason? August, or not, that mark certainly screams starting quarterback.

That's what Taylor will be Sunday afternoon, after being a backup with the Baltimore Ravens for the first four years of his NFL career (Taylor has thrown 35 career passes).

The Colts head coach is familiar with Taylor's skillset after the now starting quarterback gave Pagano fits when the two were together in Baltimore for the 2011 season.

"No question about it, it's going to be a nightmare," Pagano says of trying to prepare for Taylor. "The toughest part is trying to simulate that in practice and get ready for what we're going to see come Sunday.

"He can really, really run and when he drops back, he can beat you with his arm talent. He makes great decisions (and) then the containment becomes an issue. You want to get after quarterbacks and all that kind of thing, but you've got to be very, very smart and you've got to be disciplined in your pass rush lanes."

How the Bills utilize Taylor on Sunday should look similar to how the 49ers operated with Colin Kaepernick in recent years.

Buffalo offensive coordinator Greg Roman comes over after four years in San Francisco, and obviously employed a system that included many read-option looks.

In Buffalo, Roman has a similar quarterback but he also has a skill group that looks vastly different from recent Bills offenses.

With LeSean McCoy in the backfield, tight end Charles Clay flanking wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin on the edge, this is a group with plenty of potential, led by the unknown under center.

"They have a lot of different ways that they can attack," Colts safety Dwight Lowery says of the Bills offense. "Obviously, they have a quarterback that is dynamic, who can do some things that most quarterbacks can't do. They have outstanding skill players that they can move around to be successful.

"It's just being really discipline with whatever your job is, whatever your technique is because (Taylor) does have the ability to make a play a positive play out of what looks like a negative."