Bills go back to Tyrod Taylor as the starter after Nathan Peterman’s disastrous 1st game

The Bills have come to their senses. Tyrod Taylor will get the start this week against the Chiefs, head coach Sean McDermott announced Wednesday.

The Bills benched Taylor and started Peterman against the Chargers in Week 11, with abysmal results. Peterman threw five interceptions in a single half before the team pulled him and replaced him with Taylor. Taylor added a passing touchdown and a rushing score, but it wasn’t enough to overcome all of Peterman’s mistakes in the first half.

McDermott said after the game that he didn’t regret the decision to roll with Peterman. He just regretted the outcome, which was a 54-24 loss to the Chargers. On Monday, it sounded like McDermott was leaning toward giving Peterman another go.

“There are some plays yesterday that I know [Peterman] wants back,” McDermott said. “There were also some plays yesterday that you look at and say ‘That’s pretty darn good.’“

Peterman completed six of 14 passes for 66 yards and no touchdowns against those five picks. The Chargers defense was especially fired up to face Peterman because they saw the Bills’ decision to start a rookie as a sign of “disrespect.” Taylor went 15 of 25 for 158 yards and a touchdown once he took over for the rookie.

The Chiefs may be an easier test for Buffalo’s offense than the Chargers were. They have lost four of their last five, including losses to the hapless Giants and Broncos. And Taylor gives the Bills a better chance to win.

The Bills are sitting at 5-5 and are still in the playoff hunt. After Peterman’s debut, it was clear that they had to go back to Taylor as the starter. They made the right call.