Skip to main content
Advertising

Bills preparing Matt Barkley to start versus Titans

The Bills' quarterback in their most lopsided win of the past five years might be called to make a spot start again Sunday.

That would be Matt Barkley, of course. Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said Monday he is preparing the journeyman to start in Tennessee while the team awaits further word on Josh Allen, who remains in the concussion protocol.

With Allen sidelined for nearly the entire fourth quarter against the Patriots, Barkley led the Bills' final three-plus drives and was unsuccessful in trying to rally them from a 16-10 deficit.

Barkley completed just 9 of 16 passes for 127 yards. The seventh-year QB initially drove Buffalo down the field upon taking over for Allen, completing a 28-yard pass to John Brown on his first snap. The Bills would reach the New England 2 before turning the ball over on downs. After a pair of three-and-outs, Barkley again moved the chains through the air with four straight completions. But on third-and-9 from the Patriots 39, Barkley was picked off by Jamie Collins to seal the loss.

Allen, who was picked off three times himself, exited the field after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Pats CB Jonathan Jones during a scramble.

Barkley last started an NFL game in November of 2018, leading the Bills to a 41-10 win over the Jets. The USC product has been with six NFL organizations over his seven-year career but has started just seven games, including six with the Bears in 2016.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content