Bills preparing to start Barkley at QB

A day after coming six points short in their upset bid against the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills on Monday announced they are planning to start backup Matt Barkley at quarterback next weekend, as starter Josh Allen remains in the concussion protocol. Barkley replaced Allen early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 16-10 loss at home -- a game in which both teams entered unbeaten -- after Allen was knocked out of the game by a helmet-to-helmet hit from defensive back Jonathan Jones.

While Allen had his share of struggles (he had three interceptions and no touchdowns), Barkley was 9 of 16 for 127 yards and failed to lead the Bills to any points. Jamie Collins intercepted Barkley's pass intended for John Brown on third-and-9 from the Patriots' 39-yard line with less than 90 seconds to play to seal the Patriots' victory.

Nonetheless, Bills head coach Sean McDermott says he has confidence in Barkley as his team prepares to play at Tennessee next Sunday. "There's a lot of internal belief in Matt Barkley, and we know he'll be ready to go if we need him," McDermott told reporters.

 

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