FOXBORO, Mass. — A year ago, Tyrod Taylor didn’t attempt a single pass with the Baltimore Ravens. But he’s getting a second chance with Buffalo, which he took full advantage of in Week 1.
The Bills quarterback completed 14 of 19 passes for 195 yards with one touchdown in the their 27-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. That performance caught the eye of Patriots coach Bill Belichick ahead of New England’s trip to Buffalo this Sunday.
“I think he did everything well,” Belichick said. “I thought he threw the ball well — he had a big third-down conversion to (Robert) Woods on a third and 8. He made a real good throw on the sideline with pressure with a guy right in his face.
“He made a great throw to (Percy) Harvin on the go route. That was decent coverage, but he put the ball in a perfect spot right on him.”
Taylor is a mobile quarterback, which he displayed against the Colts. While he showed an ability to stay in the pocket and make smart decisions, he also scrambled and extended plays when needed.
Taylor ran the ball nine times and picked up 41 yards — the same amount as Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who carried the ball 17 times.
“He scrambled, made plays,” Belichick said. “I thought he handled the check game — they obviously had some check-with-me type plays that he made good decisions on at the line of scrimmage, which got them into the running game.
“He made a good throw to McCoy on that wide route out to the defensive right on the blitz. I think he did a lot of things well in the game.”
Taylor’s favorite target against the Colts was Harvin, who led the Bills with five catches for 79 yards. Charles Clay, Woods and McCoy also were factors in the receiving game, while second-year wideout Sammy Watkins ended up with zero catches.
“You go back and look at the Pittsburgh (Steelers) game from preseason, similar — good runs, good throws, good decisions,” Belichick said. “He got a lot of guys involved in the offense, not just a one-man show. He gave the ball to a lot of different people — the tight ends, the backs (they’ve got several backs), the receivers, the quarterback, they all made plays. So a lot of things to defend, lot of things to stop.”
The Bills’ offense is in Taylor’s hands for the forseeable future, and if he continues to play like he did in Week 1, that could spell trouble for the Patriots on Sunday.
“It all runs through him and he’s done a great job with it,” Belichick said. “It will be a big challenge for us on Sunday.”
Thumbnail photo va Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images
