CBS Sports

‘Pats coach Bill Belichick apologized to Bills coach Sean McDermott for the hit after the game, calling it “bulls–t.”‘

‘”I just didn’t understand why there wasn’t a flag [against White for defensive holding just prior to the interception],” the tight end explained. “… And they’re calling me for the craziest stuff ever.”‘

‘McDermott told reporters that he’d have to review the film before deciding if Taylor would return to the lineup, which is exactly what happened when the Bills beat the Chiefs last Sunday. Now, however, the extent of Taylor’s injury could mean that McDermott doesn’t have a choice and will have to turn to an embattled rookie and hope he can help the Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.’

‘The Chiefs may have to file a complaint against the Bills for fielding a literal robot against them, as wide receiver Zay Jones accidentally flexed his hydraulic systems while standing up after diving for a deep pass from Tyrod Taylor. In the glitchiest glitch to ever glitch, Jones glided to his feet, and people are kind of freaking out.’

‘I’ve said it before and I will say it again – you can do a helluva lot worse than Taylor in this league, he can win with a little around him and be a winning quarterback. He’s clearly not Buffalo’s QB of the future, and I still expect him to be dealt in the offseason … but he just might sneak the into the playoffs before then.’

‘Taylor’s contract has all sorts of weird language. He has an out after this season that would result in about $8.6 million of dead cap space. Given how things are going now, the Bills may want to move on from him, although La Canfora reports the Bills will try to trade him first before waiving him. However, given Peterman’s outing, it’s clear he isn’t ready to start. The Bills could go QB in the draft, but that’s a roll of the dice as well. Taylor certainly seems to have a lot of leverage, but it’s obviously up to the Bills to decide if they’re ready to move past him after this year.’

‘It’s hard to imagine what McDermott could have seen from Peterman that would lead him to believe that Peterman should start going forward, but then the decision to go to him in the first place didn’t make a whole lot of sense, either.’

‘By halftime, Peterman had thrown an incomprehensible five interceptions and with the reeling Bills trailing the Chargers, 37-7, McDermott had no choice but to reinsert Taylor back into the starting lineup. As often happens, the collective social media consciousness went from skeptical to incredulous to apoplectic as Peterman’s interception total grew. Injured Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who has seen NFL quarterbacks in every size, shape, color and ability, even weighed in on what was happening to the Bills in Carson, Calif.’

‘The entire football world outside of the Bills’ team facility thought Buffalo was crazy for benching quarterback Tyrod Taylor for fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman before the team’s game against the Chargers on Sunday. Predictably enough, Peterman threw five interceptions in his first half of action and ended up getting pulled for Taylor at halftime of the Bills’ 54-24 loss.’

‘It’d be unfair to write off Peterman’s chances to develop into a starting-caliber quarterback after one awful half against a talented Chargers defense, but I think it’s safe to say the move to bench Taylor for Peterman is not helping the Bills’ chances of winning now. In all, Peterman went 6 of 14 for 66 yards (4.7 yards per pass), no touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 17.9 passer rating. By the time Taylor entered the game, the Bills faced an insurmountable deficit.’

‘One of Taylor’s greatest strengths is the ability to make something happen outside of the pocket when things break down, but operating within the pocket was a concern.’

‘Several NFL execs said they foresee a decent trade market for Taylor, who just turned 28 in August, this offseason, and expect interest to form at the combine.’

‘Taylor ranks 20th in value per play among all quarterbacks, according to Football Outsiders’ metrics, just behind Russell Wilson and Marcus Mariota. A season ago, Taylor ranked 19th in value per play.’

‘Six words: Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty. McCown is 38 years young and neither Hackenberg (the 2016 second-round pick) nor Petty (a 2015 fourth-round) have been good enough to unseat him. In fact, when Rex Ryan was the Jets coach he desperately tried to get Taylor.’

‘”Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor from day one,” Gruden wrote on ESPN.com in April. “He just looks like a pro quarterback — coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don’t run. Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations.”‘