Photo Credit: Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports
A great quarterback is hard to find, especially if your name’s not Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning, but that’s not to dismiss any other quarterback either. The biggest surprise this season so far has to be how good Buffalo Bills’ QB Tyrod Taylor is and just how much Rex Ryan has improved the Bills’ from underdogs to possible playoff contenders.
Preseason was full of whispers on who Rex Ryan would pick to be the Bills’ starting QB. Would it be the veteran Matt Cassel or their old starting QB EJ Manuel or would Ryan take a chance on the new kid, Tyrod Taylor? After it was reported that Taylor would be the starter, many were surprised especially with Manuel’s experience with the offense, but 12 interceptions and four fumbles in his career wasn’t really selling Manuel.
Their first game against the Indianapolis Colts was the first true test for Taylor, going up against Andrew Luck who is one of the top-tier quarterbacks in the league.
In their game against the Colts, Taylor completed 14 of 19 passes, accumulated 195 passing yards, threw 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while the Buffalo defense ran over Luck. Their second game against the Patriots wasn’t very pretty, the Bills lost 40-23 which given how Taylor did wasn’t all that bad. Three touchdowns to three interceptions and 23 of 30 passes completed was pretty decent considering how good the Patriots defense is.
Their game against the Miami Dolphins is really where everyone started to see that Taylor was actually the real deal and their 41-14 win proved that. He completed 21 of 29 passes, threw three touchdowns and a career-high 277 passing yards. Stats most certainly don’t lie and it looks like Taylor is set to be one of the great quarterbacks who has finally gotten a chance this year.
Taylor may have seemed like the underdog at first, but it looks like he could be the answer to all of Buffalo’s problems. If LeSean McCoy can stay healthy and become another weapon for Taylor, the Buffalo Bills will become a playoff contender before anyone realizes it. Even without weapons like McCoy and Sammy Watkins, Taylor has shown good decision-making and great time management too.
His team also seems pretty excited about their quarterback and have been praising him constantly throughout the past three weeks. Bills’ LB Preston Brown seems especially impressed, “He’s been outstanding throughout all three games… His completion percentage has been outrageous. He’s getting the ball out. On third down, they’re moving the ball. It’s great being a defense when you see the offense put up points.” Brown’s point about a good quarterback being an essential part of the defense and offense is often overlooked, but if Taylor keeps it up, the Bills could be a double threat. If both sides of the ball are loaded, the Bills could be on their way to the playoffs already.
