INDIANAPOLIS — If the Indianapolis Colts’ offense is going to awaken from its slumber, now would be as good a week as any.

The Buffalo Bills (7-2) boast the most potent offense Indianapolis has seen this season. The Bills average 28.9 points, and they’ve reached the 30-point mark six times — including each of the last three weeks.

Quarterback Josh Allen is a singular offensive weapon, and he is enjoying an MVP-caliber season.

Allen has completed 64.1% of his passes for 2,001 yards with 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s also rushed 47 times for 211 yards and three additional scores.

“(T)here’s no doubt he can beat you with his legs,” Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “And I’m not (just) talking about running the ball. I mean, he makes plays on the run, but he extends plays. You see a lot of the explosive plays off of that. So you’ve got to have really good awareness where he’s at. Just to count on the four guys rushing to squeeze the air out of the pocket and to get him down is difficult.”

This week was supposed to be a measuring stick for young Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has often been compared to Allen because of their similar skillset, size and raw passing ability coming out of the college ranks.

That showdown won’t come to pass after Richardson was benched last week in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.

But that doesn’t mean the 22-year-old quarterback won’t have an impact this week.

He’s been portraying Allen on the scout team preparing the Colts’ defense.

“They’re damn near built the same,” Indianapolis defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “And (Richardson’s) elusive with his legs and throws the deep ball. So, I mean, Anthony’s giving us some great looks this week.”

The Colts (4-5) can only hope Flacco and the rest of the offense can be equally impressive on game day.

Indianapolis made the quarterback switch with the belief the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP gives the team a better chance to win now.

But the offense did not respond well last week at Minnesota.

The Colts failed to score an offensive touchdown and posted season lows with 227 total yards and 13 first downs.

Counting the two starts Flacco made while Richardson sat out with an oblique injury, the veteran is 1-2 this year and has guided the team to its two lowest yardage totals.

His first start of the season, however — on Oct. 6 at Jacksonville — produced season highs with 34 points and 447 total yards despite the three-point loss against the Jaguars.

Indianapolis ranks 22nd in scoring offense (20.9 points per game) and has failed to exceed even that modest average five times — including each of the past four weeks.

The Bills have a top-10 scoring defense — ranking eighth with an average of 19.2 points per game allowed — but they can be run against.

Buffalo is 26th in the NFL with an average of 4.8 yards surrendered per carry.

Teams have to keep the high-powered Bills offense in striking distance to exploit the run defects.

That’s one area in which the Colts have done well throughout the season. They’re just the fourth team in league history to have each of its first nine games decided by one score.

Despite the adversity and inconsistency of the first half of the season, Indianapolis still has faith it can accomplish its goals.

The AFC South race looks bleak, with a two-game deficit behind the division-leading Houston Texans (6-3) — who also own the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.

But the wild-card picture is more hopeful, even after losing ground with last week’s loss at Minnesota.

The Colts enter the weekend just a game behind the Denver Broncos (5-4) for the final postseason berth. Breaking a playoff slump that extends to 2020 remains the team’s primary goal.

“I mean, the whole season is still ahead of us,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “We’ve got an opportunity again to come home, play against a big-time AFC opponent at home, in front of our fans, and it’s just a great opportunity — no shortage of opportunity.

“I think the teams that take advantage of that and continue to climb this mountain of the NFL season, I think at the end of the day, they always end up where they want to be.”