As Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott paces the floor in his office deciding on which pivot will start the teams home opener on Sunday, a CBS Sports Insider has weighed in on who's more likely to scrimmage behind the center.
"Bills coach Sean McDermott is noncommittal about his QB situation," tweeted the network's sports scribe Jason La Canfora. "Says he needs more time to decide. Either way, Josh Allen is gonna be starting games there soon."
The reality is that McDermott doesn't have much of a choice when it comes to selecting a quarterback when the team kicks off against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. In Buffalo's season opener last weekend, both Nathan Peterman and Allen were ineffective against the Baltimore Ravens after the Bills were blasted out of M&T Bank Stadium 47-3.
Sophomore Peterman threw two interceptions and had only five completions out of 18 attempts garnering only 24 yards. After Peterman was yanked out of the game when the Bills were behind 40-0, Allen's numbers were only slightly better. He managed to move the ball for a total of 74 yards, but his completion stats were hardly stellar at six out of 15. Still, he did manage to get the squad into field goal range for a three-pointer, the only scoreboard tally the Bills managed to muster.
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No doubt La Canfora's pointing to Allen's fourth-quarter effort that helped the Bills avoid a goose egg tally against the Ravens, but Buffalo's coaching staff aren't exactly placing all their faith into the 22-year-old quarterback. Allen is a rookie after all, and doubts linger over his level of development. Then there's the question of an unstable offensive line that allowed Allen to be sacked three times during his brief time on the field. Buffalo's coach staff are worried that the rookie's development could be hampered by an injury if he doesn't get enough protection in the pocket.
On the other hand, Peterman's record with the team has been abysmal. In his 2017 rookie season, he only had three starts and had to be pulled from those games due to injury or his performance on the field. Last season, he averaged only 47 yards a game, gave up seven interceptions and threw for only one touchdown. But at least his pre-season record this year was better than third-stringer AJ McCarron, who was traded to the Raiders after training camp ended.
McDermott is mulling over the option of trading for a more experienced quarterback, but until then, he's stuck with two players who haven't stepped forward enough to indicate they can get the job done. But according to La Canfora, if anyone deserves a chance, it's Allen.