The Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott tried to switch things up at quarterback, but it backfired.
Rookie Nathan Peterman got the nod to start at QB over Tyrod Taylor who had started every game this season at QB.
Buffalo Bills Gamble With Quarterback Change
Tale Of Two Halves
The Bills were on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday afternoon. Buffalo was sitting as the six seed in the AFC playoff picture at 5-4 entering the game. The coaching staff decided to change things up and give Nathan Peterman a chance to show his skills as the leader of the offense.
Peterman, a rookie from Pittsburgh, did not pan out in his regular season debut. He threw five interceptions in just the first half, completing only 6 of his 14 pass attempts for 66 yards. Peterman was unable to throw a touchdown pass and was benched at halftime with a stunning 0.3 QBR.
The Los Angeles Chargers do not have the most intimidating defense when it comes to the stats. They are ranked 22nd in total yards given up per game. Before the game on Sunday, the Chargers only had seven interceptions through the first nine games of their season. They nearly doubled their interception total in one half of football playing against the rookie QB.
At the start of the second half, Tyrod Taylor came back in at QB after the Bills were already trailing 37-7. A second-half comeback was nearly out of the question. However, it was a chance for Taylor to prove why he should be the starting QB for the Bills. Taylor completed 15 out of his 25 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown pass. He also adds the ground game as a major part of his ability. Tyrod rushed four times for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Crucial Loss
This was an important game for the Bills and choosing this game to take a risk put them in a much tougher position. After Sunday’s loss, Buffalo is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture due to a tiebreaker with the Ravens. With six games remaining, the Buffalo schedule does not get easy.
The next two games for the Bills are away against Kansas City and at home against New England. The Bills final three games of the season are all divisional opponents. They have Miami twice with an away game against the Patriots in the middle of those two Miami games.
Buffalo fans are hoping they see Tyrod Taylor under center after Peterman’s performance. However, Buffalo has not officially stated who the starting quarterback will be against the Chiefs next week.
This 30 point loss to the Chargers dropped the Bills to 5-5 on the year. An 8-8 record may be enough to make the playoff in the AFC, but 9-7 is more realistic. If the Bills want to go 9-7 they will have to beat the Chiefs or win one of the games against New England. That is not an easy task, but because of this week’s performance, they are put into that situation. If they had won against the Chargers then they could afford to lose those three games and still have a chance at 9-7.
The question remains who will be the starting QB Sunday afternoon in Kansas City for the Bills. Head coach Sean McDermott needs to be sure about his decision and what it could also mean for his future as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.