Nathan Peterman ATS

The Buffalo Bills tried something new when they decided to play Nathan Peterman at quarterback last season, benching then-starter Tyrod Taylor in the process. That experiment lasted for one start last year, and what a disaster it was. But Bills head coach Sean McDermott wasn’t deterred, and went back to Peterman as the team’s starter at the beginning of the 2018 season. The results were again catastrophic. Let’s take a look back at Nathan Peterman’s performance against the spread in his two NFL starts.

Peterman’s career as an NFL starter began last season when the shocking announcement was made that he would start for the team against the Los Angeles Chargers. Given the Bills’ surprising status as a playoff contender, the move was curious to say the least. But given how well McDermott was coaching that season, you figured that he knew something the rest of us didn’t.

To say that things couldn’t have gone worse in that game would be an understatement. Buffalo lost that game by 30 points, with Peterman throwing five interceptions in the first half of play. The Bills were a seven-point underdog heading into that game, meaning that the team lost by a whopping 23 points even after the touchdown spread was applied.

After that performance by Peterman, it was clear: if there was an effective NFL betting system out there, it could certainly involve betting against Peterman as a starting quarterback given just how unqualified he looked. That made it even more surprising when McDermott named Peterman the starting quarterback for week one of this season against the Baltimore Ravens, even trading away AJ McCarron in the process.

As soon as that announcement was made, many thought that the Ravens should have been a double-digit favorite. And with the way that the Bills played with Peterman under center, those people would have been right. The Bills lost that game by a final score of 47-3, in a contest that saw Peterman get pulled for rookie Josh Allen in the second half.

Buffalo entered the week one matchup as a 7.5-point underdog, meaning that they lost against the spread by an incredible 36.5 points in this game. In total, Peterman’s two starts as touchdown underdogs saw the Bills go 0-2 both straight up and against the spread, with the team losing by a combined 59.5 points against the spread.

McDermott and the Bills have announced that Peterman will not be the starting quarterback of the team for their week two game at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bills will be around a touchdown underdog at home for that game, where the 0-1 Bills will need to conjure up some magic if they are going to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole in an AFC East that is looking more competitive this season.

Peterman as a starter will be remembered for failing to throw a touchdown pass in his two starts, while throwing seven interceptions in those games. His performance, or lack there of, won’t soon be forgotten by NFL fans and bettors alike.