Bills Backup QB Battle: Matt Barkley or Kyle Allen?
Sometimes, numbers don't tell the whole story.
In the Buffalo Bills' 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, quarterback Matt Barkley was 14 of 15, throwing for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Allen, who got the start under center, completed 8 of 15 passes for 122 yards and threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown.
Barkley and Allen are competing to be Buffalo's backup quarterback.
But despite the statistical discrepancy, Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said Allen and Barkley's performances weren't that different.
"Both of them graded out very similar," Dorsey said. "They both came in and were effective for us. I thought Kyle did some really good things, and obviously, there's some things he can learn from. When you look at that competition, I think it's very close between the two of them, which is a testament to the two of them because neither one of them are playing bad football."
While the numbers may tell one story, Dorsey and the coaching staff viewing them differently isn't shocking. How a player performs goes beyond the stats depending on the situations and what's asked of them.
Given Barkley's familiarity with Dorsey's offense, it can tip the scales in his favor as opposed to Allen, who was playing in his first game as a Bill. The balance between giving Allen a chance to learn the offense while still giving Barkley a fair shake in the competition is one that Dorsey is trying to maintain as they compete to be the No. 2 quarterback.
"There are days where we have to give Kyle more reps, and at times, Matt's reps tick down a little bit," Dorsey said. "There were days when we had to do that just to see Kyle in some of these different situations that [Matt's] been exposed to within the offense in the past. At the same time, you want to make sure when it's competition between two guys that you're giving both guys an opportunity, but there is a little bit of a juggling act."
Regardless of the experience difference, it'll ultimately come down to one thing for Dorsey in deciding who the backup quarterback is.
"Consistency through decision-making," Dorsey said. "That's huge because the talent is there. I don't think they'd be in this position. Consistency in decision-making and being accurate with the football... Being on time [and] accurate with good decisions. We preach if you guys make good decisions, everything takes care of itself."
Buffalo will have another chance to see more from Allen and Barkley on Saturday when they go on the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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