The Buffalo Bills will open their season in less than a week at 1 P.M. on Sunday against the New York Jets. The Bills are listed as 8.5 point favorites in Vegas at home, as the Jets offense looks pretty bad on paper. Both Sean Mcdermott and Bills fans are expecting a win in week 1, but neither is quite sure who the starting quarterback for the team will be.
Tyrod Taylor in Concussion Protocol
With Taylor hurt, his status for week 1 is completely up in the air. Sean McDermott admitted this in a press conference this morning.
#Bills HC Sean McDermott affirms that Tyrod Taylor's status is "up in the air" for Sunday due to concussion protocol.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) September 4, 2017
Without him, the Bills would turn to rookie Nathan Peterman, who turned in an unbelievable performance in week 4 of the preseason against the Lions.
He looked sharp, got the ball out quickly, and is more than capable of running the Bills offense. According to head coach Sean McDermott, Peterman is ready for the advanced playbook and is more than capable of playing in week 1 if Tyrod isn't ready to go.
#Bills HC Sean McDermott says rookie QB Nathan Peterman "is ready" for an enhanced playbook and workload if Tyrod Taylor isn't ready to play
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) September 4, 2017
And there are more signs that point to Tyrod not being able to play in week 1. The Bills recently signed Joe Webb, who would be a fourth quarterback on the roster in addition to T.J. Yates and Peterman. That signing could easily be a hedge against Taylor not being able to play in week 1.
Still, even if Taylor were healthy, plenty of Buffalo fans are clamoring for Peterman to get the start against New York.
Peterman a fan favorite?
Taylor looked pretty terrible to any objective Bills fan throughout the preseason. Against the Eagles in week 2, Taylor threw two interceptions and was late in getting the ball out.
There has been a ton of roster turnover, but that doesn't excuse the poor throws that wouldn't have been caught by anybody. Bills fans have been divided on who should start, but it could be Peterman by default in week 1 if Taylor isn't healthy.
And there are plenty of fans who would love to see Peterman start anyway. He played pretty much a perfect game against the Lions in week 4, completing 9 of 11 passes for 81 yards and leading several scoring drives.
He also looked solid in other games during the preseason, which had fans asking if he should be the starter in week 1.
Taylor still starter when healthy
Sean McDermott has committed to Taylor as the starter when he is healthy.
Sean McDermott: "Tyrod Taylor is our starter" #Bills #NFL https://t.co/nlxCEo4t3S pic.twitter.com/Zr5OK5H9xM
— Bills 101 (@Bills_101) September 1, 2017
That might be true now, but things could absolutely change if Peterman has an impressive performance against the Jets in week 1. It certainly feels like Peterman will get the nod against the Jets, but we will have to just wait and see who will be under center in the first week of the year. My guess is Peterman.