Buffalo Bills' confounding decision to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor backfired immediately as rookie Nathan Peterman had a historically bad first start
Harry How/Getty Images
- The Buffalo Bills shocked the NFL world when they chose to bench their starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor.
- The Bills chose to give rookie Nathan Peterman a shot even though Taylor had been productive.
- The move blew up in the Bills' face right away as Peterman threw five interceptions.
The Bills' decision to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor in favor of Nathan Peterman did not look like a good one through two quarters, with Peterman throwing four interceptions in his first nine passes and adding a fifth pick later in the game before he was eventually pulled.
The decision to switch quarterbacks during the Bills' game last week against the New Orleans Saints raised eyebrows. Taylor played poorly, going 9/18 for just 56 yards and an interception before getting pulled, but there hadn't been any overly egregious bad plays that usually come with such a mid-game switch.
When it was announced that Peterman would be the Bills' starter for Week 11, the decision felt even more odd - the Bills were right in the hunt of the AFC Wild Card picture, and Taylor's play had largely been solid on the whole, with 1,600 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and just three interceptions on the year. Changing quarterbacks at such a crucial moment in the season isn't a common occurrence in the NFL.
A fifth round draft pick out of Pittsburgh, Peterman took the field for his first career NFL start and promptly threw five interceptions in just two quarters of action. He'd put up a final stat line of 6/14 passing for 66 yards, five interceptions, and no touchdowns before getting benched at halftime in favor of Taylor.
In fairness to Peterman, the first interception he threw was more on his receiver, with a tipped pass being picked off by Chargers linebacker Korey Toomer for a touchdown.
But with the four other picks he went on to throw, the onus was more or less on Peterman, either throwing dangerous passes he shouldn't have thrown or eyeing his receivers downfield so intensely he was all but telling defenders when and where to jump.
With the loss the Bills will drop to 5-5 and the path to a potential playoff spot will get a bit more difficult. But before they can think about making the playoffs, they'll have to decide whether or not they're going to give Peterman another shot next week, or go back to Taylor as the starter.
#Bills benched Tyrod Taylor for Nate Peterman.
- Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 19, 2017
Nate Peterman starts the #Chargers game with a pick-sixpic.twitter.com/daHfuR1bu8
Here his the 2nd #Bills Nate Peterman INT, this one is just awful as #Chargers Casey Hayward has it pic.twitter.com/NpJdPxJ6iv
- Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 19, 2017
- I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
- Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
- I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
- Why are so many elite coaches moving to Western countries?
- Global GDP to face a 19% decline by 2050 due to climate change, study projects
- 5 things to keep in mind before taking a personal loan
- Markets face heavy fluctuations; settle lower taking downtrend to 4th day
- Move over Bollywood, audio shows are starting to enter the coveted ‘100 Crores Club’