Nathan Peterman leads Bills to huge win (from the bench).

Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? Just a week after throwing five interceptions in a single half against the San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman bounced back to lead his team to a huge 16-10 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City. Even more amazing? He did it all without playing a single series of downs.

Bills coach Sean McDermott caught a lot of flak for benching starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor last Sunday in favor of Peterman. When the unproven rookie melted down in a performance that can only be described as the single worst half of quarterback play in modern NFL history, all that criticism looked to be justified. But, in a savvy move of coaching genius, McDermott opted not to play Peterman against the Chiefs. As a result, Peterman was able to calmly guide the Bills back to one game over .500 from the sidelines. In chess terminology, this is what’s known as a “discovered check.”

With the experience he gained throwing all those picks against the Chargers, Peterman was able to see the field like a true general (which, is to say, from afar). Arrowhead Stadium is an extremely loud venue, and that makes it a notoriously tough place to play for opposing quarterbacks. Despite all the noise, Peterman was able to pass along words of encouragement to Tyrod Taylor. This no doubt helped Taylor throw for 183 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions in the win.

The AFC East may be the Patriots’ division to lose thanks to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but McDermott and Peterman present a genius all their own. That this genius is only evident when Taylor plays is a testament to just how genius-y it truly is.

• Football
• NFL

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