The Bills quarterback situation took another turn on Tuesday when head coach Sean McDermott announced that Derek Anderson is in the concussion protocol. Anderson was sacked by Kyle Van Noy with two minutes left in the game, with Van Noy burying the crown of his helmet in between Anderson's shoulder blades forcing his head to whiplash on his way to the ground.
Anderson got up, but soon after went down to one knee and team doctors and athletic trainers eventually walked him to the locker room.
The injury to Anderson leaves Nathan Peterman as the team's only healthy quarterback as Josh Allen remains out of the lineup this week.
At this point McDermott isn't ready to name a starting quarterback for Sunday's game.
"We'll see where things stand as we go through the week with Derek," said McDermott. "We'll take it from there."
Coming off the Monday night game, time is not on the Bills side. Wednesday will be the first day of game plan install at practice. If Anderson has not reached step four of the concussion protocol (football specific activities) he will not be allowed to participate.
It could thrust Nathan Peterman back into the starting lineup. It's a role the second-year quarterback has not held since Week 1 when he was named the opening day starter, but was benched in the third quarter in favor of rookie Josh Allen due to performance.
Since then Peterman subbed in for an injured Josh Allen in Week 6 at Houston and played the last two snaps on offense Monday night against New England.
"We'll support Nathan if he's called upon to play," said McDermott. "And we'll expect him to play at a high level."
The short week could also prompt the Bills to sign a free agent quarterback to ensure they have at least two healthy signal callers for their home game against the Bears.
"That's something we're going to look at because of Derek's situation as well as Josh's situation," said McDermott. "Brandon and I have talked about that and we'll be on top of that."
McCoy, offense trying to gain traction
Buffalo's offense had another tough day at the office on Monday night. Points were the main issue as the Bills were unable to reach the end zone against the Patriots.
"You're always trying to find solutions. There were some things we did well Monday night," said McDermott. "We were able to move the ball. We just weren't able to produce points at the end of the drives. A guy here, one guy there, that's not a way to play consistent offensive football. We've got to find that consistency whether it's the run or the pass game."
McDermott is resolute in his belief that the team is headed in the right direction even if the results are not what they want right now. He also maintains that LeSean McCoy, who is struggling along with the offensive unit, is still a viable weapon for them.
"He's a competitor. I've been around LeSean before," he said. "We're competitive. I appreciate that about him. I appreciate the fact that he wants to win bad. I understand his frustration from that standpoint in terms of not getting going at times. There are things that all of us can do better so I appreciate the fact that he's driven to be the best at what he does.
"He's important. He's a good football player. I'm counting on him to get on track as we move through the second half of the season. You saw him catch some passes in the passing game. We couldn't get him going in the running game. I'm looking forward to him putting together a good week of practice and getting ready for the Bears."
Milano excelling
Second-year linebacker Matt Milano put together another strong performance as part of a quality defensive effort in the loss to New England. Buffalo's defense held the Patriots attack to just four field goals through the first three quarters of the game.
Milano was a big part of that with a key third down stop on the goal line when he broke up a pass intended for Rob Gronkowski to force the Patriots to settle for one of those aforementioned field goals.
"I thought Matt played well," said McDermott. "That's another young player who has really developed this season. He still has a lot of work to do, but I love the mindset he's beginning to establish. That's a tough matchup, probably as tough as there is in the NFL for a linebacker and a tight end in Gronkowski. I thought that was good for Matt and something he can learn from."
Milano finished the game with seven tackles, including one for loss and a pair of pass breakups.
His presence at the second level could be even more important this week knowing that the status of fellow LB Tremaine Edmunds is up in the air. Edmunds is currently in concussion protocol after leaving Monday night's game at halftime with a concussion.
