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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills fans still hoping for a playoff run this season breathed a sigh of relief when coach Sean McDermott announced Tyrod Taylor will return as the starting quarterback Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The move takes some heat off McDermott nationally after he was roasted for his decision last week to start rookie Nathan Peterman in what turned out to be a five-interception first half in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While starting Taylor undeniably is the best move for the Bills if they believe the postseason is a realistic possibility, the damage from the flip-flopping between quarterbacks already has been done.  Peterman's nightmare performance helped push the Bills out of the current playoff picture. McDermott's insistence he is a methodical decision-maker should be open to scrutiny after the back and forth at the team's most important position. It has only contributed to a sense of chaos in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
McDermott going back to Taylor seemed obvious given the seven-year veteran replaced Peterman for the second half of Sunday's game and played well. However, this week's decision about the starting quarterback was not a slam dunk because of the seemingly competing goals for McDermott in his first year as coach. On Monday, McDermott defended his move to start Peterman because he felt it was part of a building process that will lead to "winning in the future." In that sense, sticking with Peterman as the starter against Kansas City and for the rest of the season would have fit McDermott's long-term approach -- even if it meant folding the 2017 season. But on Wednesday, McDermott flipped the script and focused more on the short term. "You look around the league and there’s a lot of teams in the hunt,” he said. “We’re in the hunt. You sit here and say, ‘Hey, Thanksgiving, close to the end of November and we’re in the hunt.’ You sit around the table tomorrow and say, ‘We’re in the hunt.’ There’s a lot of teams that wish they were in the hunt. Well, we’re in the hunt." Bills fans will roll their eyes at McDermott because "in the hunt" has become a sarcastic rallying cry in the city in recent years. As Bills seasons have slipped away over its ongoing 17-year playoff drought, fans often joke about how Buffalo shows up as being "in the hunt" when television broadcasts discuss the playoff picture. How much the Bills are "in the hunt" is up for debate. ESPN's Football Power Index gives them a 9 percent chance of making the postseason. Taylor naturally gives the Bills a better shot than Peterman, but the task will be tough at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs this weekend and at home Dec. 3 against the New England Patriots. It also is debatable how much of a difference Taylor would have made in the Bills' 54-24 defeat to the Chargers. Peterman's five turnovers were a huge factor, but Buffalo's rapidly declining defense allowed 37 first-half points, the most the franchise has allowed before halftime in 40 years. It is safe to say the turnover-averse Taylor, who has three picks all season, would have given Buffalo a much better opportunity to win in Los Angeles. The smartest move from McDermott would have been riding Taylor through the Chargers, Chiefs and Patriots games before deciding to try out Peterman against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 10. Instead, the rookie coach has embroiled himself in a mess that undermines his credibility, especially as he continued Wednesday to defend his call to start Peterman. "You’re always trying to develop and build," McDermott said. "You have a vision and you keep working toward that vision. If not, you’re shortsighted on what’s going on. When you look at it big picture-wise, there’s a lot of coaches that go in and sit on their hands and make comfortable decisions. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win. We’re here to sustain winning. That’s the grander vision. In order to do that, you have to be willing to make those types of uncomfortable decisions. That’s what to me leadership is all about." The decision to start Peterman over Taylor teetered on reckless. If McDermott truly thought Peterman was a better option to get the Bills to the playoffs this season, it seems to be wishful thinking. Now McDermott has corrected his mistake, but not without showing his hand on Taylor to him, the locker room and the rest of the NFL. Taylor, who is under contract through next season at an $18 million cap number, repeated Wednesday that he does not control whether he will be with the team next season. After his benching last week, it is clear the Bills do not intend on keeping him. Yet, for at least this week -- which is only as far as McDermott has decided about his starting quarterback -- Taylor is back in charge of the offense with the hope of getting his team to the playoffs. Too bad the damage already has been done.
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