Tyrod Taylor is on the bench, and Nathan Peterman will be on the field Sunday. The Buffalo Bills’ rookie quarterback will make his first start against one of the more talented defenses in the league.
There is never a perfect time to throw a rookie quarterback in the mix, but coach McDermott says that following week 10 is the time to do it. I’ve voiced my opinions that I believe Tyrod Taylor is the man for the job right now, but I will support any Bills’ quarterback through and through.
The Los Angeles Chargers offense is sub-par compared to the New Orleans Saints; the team Buffalo struggled against last week. The Bills’ defense allowed 298 rushing yards in a blowout loss.
The LAC defense is their strong point. With Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, they are the only team to have two top five graded edge defenders according to Pro Football Focus.
Casey Hayward, Trevor Williams, and Tre Boston have been absolutely lock-down defensive backs in coverage, and are no push-overs when it comes to stopping the run.
It will be a tough test for Nathan Peterman, but if he can succeed while facing the best pass-rush duo in the league, then we’ll have our answer.
Here is a short excerpt from Pro Football Focus‘ preview of the game Sunday:
"“With the announcement that Tyrod Taylor will be benched for the Chargers game, the Bills will look to rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman to the lead the offense.Peterman, the Bills fifth-round draft pick in 2017, had a passer rating of 123.0 on deep passes (20-plus yards in the air) last season at Pittsburgh, which ranked fifth among all FBS quarterbacks.”"
One of the complaints that Buffalo Bills’ fans had with Tyrod Taylor was the lack of a serviceable deep ball. It just so happens that Nathan Peterman specializes in gun slinging. This could fulfill the big-play potential that Buffalo has been searching for the entire season.
It will be interesting to see if the offense utilizes any plays where it forces Peterman to navigate outside of the pocket.
Jordan Mills and Dion Dawkins will have to step up against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram in order to protect the rookie quarterback. It will be a shame if the coaching staff is restricted from fully evaluating Nathan Peterman’s first start because of the offensive line’s inability to protect the picket.
Next: Buffalo doesn’t deserve Tyrod Taylor
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