Bills QB Nathan Peterman takes inauspicious place in NFL history in rout by Bears
Jori Epstein
Nathan Peterman played in a game from start to finish for the first time in his NFL career on Sunday, a 41-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. But the oft-criticized Buffalo Bills quarterback's latest outing didn't go much better than his previous ones.
Three of his passes ended up in Bears players' hands along the way.
Terrelle Pryor, in his first game with Buffalo, played hot potato with a short pass from Peterman up the middle in the second quarter. Bears safety Adrian Amos snatched the bobble.
Fewer than three game minutes later, Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd returned a short pass 19 yards for a score.
Cornerback Kyle Fuller dove for the third interception, a dart up the middle intended for running back Chris Ivory with 8 seconds to play in the third quarter.
All things Bills: Latest Buffalo Bills news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Peterman finished the game with 189 yards on 31-of-49 passing and added to an inauspicious résumé:
1. The second-year quarterback's second interception Sunday notched him 11 picks, a record for any player in the Super Bowl era with 100 or fewer career passing attempts. He later crossed the 100-attempt threshold, however, finishing the loss with 12 in 130 career attempts, good for more than one every nine attempts.
2. In comparison, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who faces another all-time great on "Sunday Night Football" in Tom Brady, has thrown 11 interceptions in the last 993 pass attempts, per ESPN. Peterman’s interception rate eclipses Rodgers’ more than tenfold.
3. Peterman also claims as many passing touchdowns (three) as pick-sixes after Floyd's score Sunday.
4. Sunday marked the first time in Peterman's career that he played in more than two consecutive quarters and eclipsed the 100-yard mark. He was pulled in two of his three starts and hurt in the other.
5. Peterman became the first quarterback since 1999 with at least 30 completions to pass for less than 190 yards. Derek Carr and Joe Flacco are the only other two passers to be held less than 200 with that mark, with each recording 192.
Follow Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.
