Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a patellar contusion in his knee against the New England Patriots in Week 13. And unfortunately for the Bills, he will not play in their Week 14 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts and they’ll have to turn to Nathan Peterman again, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
What happened? Early in the fourth quarter against the Patriots, Taylor was carted off the field with a knee injury and didn't return. Peterman came in and finished the game, but the Patriots still cruised to a 23-3 victory.
After the game, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Taylor took a hit on Buffalo's first offensive play of the day. But McDermott didn't make any comments about Taylor's situation until the team knew the severity of the injury.
On Monday, McDermott told the media that Taylor suffered a patellar contusion and was considered day-to-day.
McDermott: “Tyrod Taylor has a patella contusion and he is day to day. When healthy, Tyrod is our QB.” pic.twitter.com/JAPMXHo0Ks
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) December 4, 2017
On Friday, Taylor was limited and listed as a game-time decision. In fact, ESPN's Mike Rodak said Taylor could be active and serve as the backup.
Unfortunately, Taylor will remain on the sidelines against the Colts. The Bills will have to hope Peterman’s second start goes way better than his first. In Week 11, McDermott named the rookie as the starting quarterback against the Los Angeles Chargers. It was one of, if not the worst, debuts in NFL history.
Peterman tossed five interceptions in just 14 pass attempts in the first half of the game. McDermott later benched him and brought Taylor into the game. The Bills were able to get in the end zone then, but the Chargers still cruised to a 54-24 win.
Why is this important? This is a tough blow to the Bills, who are 6-6 and still alive in the race to the playoff. But they have to win the rest of their games to have a legitimate shot at clinching a playoff spot.
Peterman still needs a lot of time to morph into a NFL-caliber quarterback, and his job Sunday should be simple: don't turn the ball over. But that’s easier said than done, especially since the field was already covered in snow before kickoff.
And even if the Colts are struggling this season, they have an opportunistic defense that can force Peterman into mistakes
The Bills will have to depend on their rushing attack and play great defense to get a win.