4 things Buffalo Bills fans should be thankful for in 2018

Time to build Barkley a statue?

Matt Barkley was the hero the Bills needed on Sunday.

Josh Allen and Derek Anderson were out with injuries, leaving Nathan Peterman and Barkley as the only available quarterbacks.

Sunday’s game came in the midst of a four-game losing streak. The offense had failed to score more than nine points in each of the previous three games and looked atrocious in general.

A similar performance heading into the bye week would have had fans bummed and could have lost any sense of confidence in the locker room for the remainder of the season. It could have even called some jobs into question if Peterman stepped onto the field and laid another egg.

Instead, Barkley came out and lit up the Jets as the Bills put up 41 points. His performance led to Peterman being released and the Bills potentially finding a new long-term backup who can actually step in and win if needed.

But more than that, Barkley helped give this team a positive heading into the bye week. The team has a whole week to soak up a victory and get healthy for the final six games of the year. Showing up to the facility for two weeks after five straight losses would have been miserable. It may have even caused some fans to tune out for the remainder of the year.

But Barkley was Buffalo’s hero for a day and gave fans a reason to smile in what has been a tough season so far.