7 good Nathan Peterman stats vs. the Bears (that are still pretty bad)

There are a few things you probably think of when you hear Nathan Peterman’s name. A pick-six. Proof of the NFL colluding against Colin Kaepernick. The living embodiment of the Bills’ historic offensive ineptitude this season. Perhaps the worst quarterback we’ve seen in the modern NFL.

All of those were on full display Sunday when Peterman was once again thrust into the starting role as a last resort when previous last resort Derek Anderson was out with a concussion. In a 41-9 loss to the Bears, Peterman was still in over his heads, and EJ Manuel isn’t the only one wondering why Peterman gets a long leash when he never did.

On Sunday, Peterman threw three picks, including a pick-six, and zero touchdowns. At three apiece, he now has as many career passing touchdowns as pick-sixes. His leading receiver was Logan Thomas, a former quarterback-turned-tight end who probably could’ve done better than Peterman’s 45.4 passer rating in this game.

We could list every stomach-churning Peterman stat, but that’s just depressing at this point. So let’s focus on the good for a change. Even after another game when he had to insist that he doesn’t think he’s “snakebit,” Peterman still had a few positives to take away from his second start of the season.

Peterman was the Bills’ leading rusher!

The best part of the Buffalo offense this season has been its rushing attack — and even that hasn’t been very good. The Bills came into Week 9 averaging just under 100 yards rushing each game, which put them at No. 23 in the league. That’s better than ranking last or second-to-last like they have in every other major offensive category.

But the rushing game hasn’t helped them much lately. This season, LeSean McCoy is averaging a career-low yards per carry, a number that fell to 3.1 when he ran the ball 10 times for 10 yards against the Bears. Chris Ivory was better Sunday — 5.1 yards per carry — but that was boosted by an 18-yard run. He also hurt his shoulder late in the game.

Instead, the Bills’ biggest weapon on the ground was Peterman, who had eight rushes for a team-leading 46 yards. That came out to 5.6 yards per carry, improving his career average to 4.2 — or a full 2.5 yards better than Tom Brady’s average.

On the other hand, Peterman’s longest run, 24 yards, came on this play:

Peterman scored the Bills’ first touchdown in 11 quarters!

Going into the fourth quarter against the Bears, the Bills hadn’t scored a touchdown in more than two games. More specifically, they had gone 38 straight possessions without a touchdown. That is, until Peterman came to the rescue.

Amazingly, that was the first rushing touchdown the Bears have given up all season.

The two-point conversion — a pass — fell incomplete.

The Bills’ last touchdown before that came in Week 6 against the Texans, and Peterman was also responsible for it. He connected with Zay Jones in the fourth quarter to give the Bills a lead. Then shortly after, he went full Peter Man and threw another touchdown to ... Johnathan Joseph, who plays for the Texans. That broke a tie and handed the Texans a 20-13 win.

Peterman improved his career passer rating!

After one half, and two picks, Peterman’s QB rating actually went up:

By the end of the game — and after yet another interception — that moved all the way up to 32.5.

For someone who started the season with a 0.0 passer rating in a game, this is marked improvement.

Peterman threw more passes in a game than any other Bills QB in four years!

Peterman threw a career-high 49 passes, the most for a Bills quarterback since Kyle “Neckbeard” Orton attempted the same number four years ago.

The bad news? He averaged fewer yards per pass than he did per run.

Peterman proved he’s better at Aaron Rodgers than something!

Sure, that something is throwing to the other team. But sometimes you just gotta take what you can get:

Peterman completed a game!

Peterman has started four games in his career — two due to injury, two due to coach Sean McDermott making bad decisions he immediately regretted, like he was trying to relive college.

But for the first time in the NFL, Peterman played an entire 60-minute game:

Yes, Peterman threw three picks, but they weren’t ALL his fault!

His first interception should’ve been a catch by Terrelle Pryor, who started the game just a few days after joining the Bills and is another former quarterback who would probably be a better option under center:

Here’s the pick-six, which was a pretty bad throw but also went off Zay Jones’ hands, so Peterman isn’t completely to blame:

And here’s the third, and despite the diving effort by Kyle Fuller, that’s on Peterman:

Peterman has now thrown 12 interceptions in just eight games, but he still has his defenders.

“I thought he did a good job. I think he managed it and hit the guys that were open,” Pryor said after the game.

That’s a bit hyperbolic, but you can’t put this loss — or the Bills’ misery — solely on Peterman. At the same time, the Bills would be better off starting anyone else at quarterback and should perhaps try that.