Oakland Raiders: Taking A Closer Look At The AFC Playoff Picture
By Kevin Saito
Buffalo Bills (5-5)
Remaining Schedule: @Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, @New England Patriots, @Miami Dolphins
Last week, Bills HC Sean McDermott made the inexplicable and head scratching decision to sit quarterback Tyrod Taylor, inserting rookie Nathan Peterman into the lineup. And, it went about as well as you might have expected.
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Peterman tossed five first half interceptions as the Los Angeles Chargers built up a 37-7 first half lead en route to a dominant 54-24 victory. Taylor was dropped back into the lineup after the half and made the score slightly more respectable, but the hole the Bills had dug by then was already too great to overcome.
McDermott was likely trying to light a fire under a team that’s been mediocre so far this year. Although, that mediocrity didn’t prevent them from laying a 20 point beatdown on Oakland, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
But, it was a move that was inexplicable, given that Buffalo is still very much in the playoff mix. To the cynical eye, it would seem that McDermott perhaps, looked ahead on the schedule, saw what was coming, and decided to throw in the towel and look toward the future.
To a cynical eye, of course.
Though the Bills have the tiebreaker over Oakland, they are going to have to run the gauntlet for it to even matter. With two games against the Patriots and one against Kansas City, not to mention two games with a Miami team still scrapping for a playoff spot, the home stretch isn’t going to be easy for Buffalo.
Looking at their last six, maybe McDermott was right. Maybe, they should just stick with Peterman and see what they’ve got.
Predicted Finish: 7-9