There were a wide range of reactions last week when Bills coach Sean McDermott announced his intention to bench Tyrod Taylor in order to start rookie Nathan Peterman at quarterback against the Chargers, including one from the defense that Peterman would be facing on Sunday.
Cornerback Casey Hayward said he and his teammates felt like the Bills’ decision to change quarterbacks with the Chargers next up on the schedule showed a lack of respect for the ability of the defense.
“I’m pretty sure we might’ve felt a little disrespected,” Hayward said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. "... We’ve got two really good pass rushers, probably the top tandem in the NFL. We’ve got really good corners. ... We’ve got really good safeties. They do it against us? Trippin’.”
Peterman was benched after throwing five interceptions in the first half, which Hayward described as the team taking “advantage of the disrespect” in a 54-24 win that bumped the Chargers up to 4-6 on the season. That’s not an overly impressive mark, but it’s an improvement on their 0-4 start and it has them alive in a divisonal race that has come back to them thanks to downward turns for Kansas City, Oakland and Denver.
The prospect of vaulting those teams should provide motivation for the Chargers even if teams start showing them the respect they feel they deserve.