By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
Nathan Peterman will lead the Buffalo Bills into battle on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Like most, the Ravens are well aware of Peterman. His name proceeds him.
Peterman has played well during the preseason, but his five-interception outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 won’t be replaced is people’s minds until he prove it during the regular season starting with the Ravens.
Regardless of his past, the Ravens said they aren’t concerned with Peterman’s disastrous first-career start.
“We’re not worried about that. We hope we can get five picks again, or even more would be great. But he’s prepared just like we prepare,” inside linebacker C.J. Mosley told Sean Grogan of the Cecil Whig on Wednesday. “He’s going to go in with the play calls, with the game plan and try to execute. We’re going to do our best to try to execute, too.”
All-Pro linebacker and 16-year veteran Terrell Suggs echoed Mosley, saying Sunday has nothing to do with November of 2017.
“I know he won the starting quarterback job. So that’s saying they have faith in him to lead the team. But we’re taking all precautions that he plans to come here and light it up. We’re preparing for that,” Suggs said.
Still, many in Baltimore and nationally expected either AJ McCarron or rookie Josh Allen to be making Sunday’s start for Buffalo. McCarron’s long gone via trade to Oakland and Allen simply didn’t put up the numbers Peterman did in the preseason. Peterman had an impressive 80.5 completion percent with 431 yards.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has preached that, while a year Allen’s elder, Peterman himself is still young. That’s how Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is viewing Peterman, too.
“I see him playing quarterback for the Bills. Do you want more than that, a scouting report?” Harbaugh joked with reporters on Wednesday. “I mean, he’s good. He’s young, he’s on time, he operates well within their offense. He gets them in the right protections, he makes the run-checks for them. I think he’s a very accurate thrower, and he gets the ball out quickly. He was the best quarterback in the preseason, and I can certainly see why they chose him to be their quarterback. So, we’re rolling, and we’re preparing for him.”
Harbaugh also compared Peterman to a Buffalo folk hero.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who the Ravens face on Thursday Night Football following their game against the Bills.
“(Buffalo) runs all the RPOs and read-option as well, though. They run the similar stuff that people run around the league. You look at Cincinnati, what they run with Andy Dalton is very similar, in that sense, which is good for us. We play both teams in five days. But he gets the ball out quick, and he’s very accurate.”
While the Ravens are prepping for a new-look Peterman, the Bills QB isn’t expecting anything different from a Baltimore defense that put up three shutouts and led the NFL in turnover differential with plus-17.
“Yeah, I mean they’re talented. Obviously, you see their stats this preseason as well. They’re a leader in all the categories. I think that shows just their total team [talent]. We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us. [They have] very talented players, good scheme, so we’ve got to be ready on Sunday,” Peterman said.