Bills become laughingstock again by starting Peterman

The Buffalo Bills inexplicably started rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman over Tyrod Taylor for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, despite holding a 5-4 record that represented the franchise's best chance to snap the longest playoff drought in major North American professional sports. As befits the organization, the worst-case scenario proved more dire than the most hardened skeptic could've imagined, and the Bills have quickly devolved from playoff contender to laughingstock - again.

Related: Tyrod Taylor replaces Nathan Peterman after brutal debut

Peterman, selected 171st overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, was woefully unprepared for the dynamism of professional football and threw five interceptions in a single half. By submitting one of the worst debuts imaginable, he invited further questions about the Bills' decision-making.

As new general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott try to help the franchise recover from the disastrous Doug Whaley-Rex Ryan era, they've overcorrected, giving the disquieting impression that the Bills still don't know what they have in Taylor.

Taylor was reinserted into the game during the third quarter, long after the result was in the balance. Few might have faulted him if he played with outright resentment and contempt. To the veteran's credit, he was significantly better than Peterman, going 15-of-25 for 158 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions in the 54-24 loss.

Taylor has an out clause in his contract ahead of the 2018 season. It wouldn't be surprising if he exercises this option before the Bills can try to retain him in earnest (if they do so at all). After being mistreated by two separate regimes - Whaley stumbled over the decision to bench him last December and then lowballed him in negotiations, and now he's been undercut on the heels of a playoff bid - Taylor surely realizes there are greener pastures than Buffalo.

And suggesting quarterback play was the Bills' glaring flaw during their November slide ignores the team's actual and immediate problems. The Bills have surrendered 638 rushing yards during their three-game losing streak, which began shortly after they traded defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo ranked 30th in adjusted sack rate prior to Sunday's game (according to Football Outsiders), which ought to have forecasted the disaster awaiting the slow-footed, indecisive Peterman. If you can name more than two receivers from Buffalo's corps, you're either a professional scout or a masochist. Taylor wasn't the problem to begin with, and alienating the avatar of the franchise midseason with a playoff berth in reach is an absolutely baffling decision.

When they took their new positions, McDermott and Beane made it clear that they were also taking responsibility for the trajectory of the franchise. This summer, the executives made a number of trades and signings indicating a concerted effort to distance themselves from the remnants of Ryan and Whaley's work. They've gone too far by discarding and embarrassing Taylor, only to be forced to call on him when disaster struck. McDermott said postgame that he doesn't regret his decision to start Peterman, showing a level of obstinance that even Ryan seldom, if ever, reached.

The Bills have become a national punchline by feeding an unprepared rookie to the wolves. Mere weeks ago, they sat at 5-2, destined to make the playoffs. In the process, they've probably destroyed their relationship with the franchise quarterback they stumbled upon by happenstance. What could be more quintessentially Bills?