Nathan Peterman’s first start as the Buffalo Bills' quarterback against the Los Angeles Chargers was pegged by most as disastrous. In the first half, Peterman threw five interceptions. While not all of them were his fault, the rookie was noticeably rattled and not ready for the pressure of the Chargers’ defense. Tyrod Taylor replaced Peterman in the second half, but the game was already out of reach. The Buffalo Bills lost the game 54-24 and fell to 5-5. Coach Sean Mcdermott just said today during a team press conference that Taylor would be the starting quarterback for the team’s match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
McDermott would not commit to Taylor beyond the Chiefs’ game, which leaves many fans wondering if Taylor will be the starter for the rest of the season.
Buffalo still in the playoff hunt
Despite getting blown out in three consecutive games, the Bills are still in the AFC conference playoff hunt. They are the number seven seed behind the Baltimore Ravens. If they win five out of the next six games, they should get into the post-season with a 10-6 record. However, Buffalo’s schedule is not easy for the remainder of the season. Besides their games against the Miami Dolphins and the Colts, the Bills play the New England Patriots twice, and the Chiefs. Taylor’s scrambling ability will come in handy in the games if he is the starter.
If Taylor can make some changes to his play, such as pulling the trigger on throws downfield and only resorting to checkdowns when no other options exist, he has a good chance of being the starter for all six games. Safe throws and a dysfunctional offense that mirrors the New Orleans Saints' game of 56 total yards passing for Taylor will probably have him watching from the sidelines.
Kurt Warner’s view on Taylor and Peterman
Many sports analysts feel that benching Taylor last week was a bad decision for the team. Former Cardinals and Rams’ quarterback Kurt Warner gave his perspective on NFL Network today: “Moving forward, you’re going to remember this game and you’re going to remember that fact that you’re in the playoffs when you decided to make this move.”
Warner questioned McDermott’s decision to start Peterman last week: “If you felt that he (Peterman) was the best quarterback for this team and gave the team the best chance to win last week going to Los Angeles, then how do you make this flipflop? This was just a bad decision.”
Hopefully the Bills can pull out a win against the Chiefs, who have dropped four of their last five games.
