Getty Bills quarterback Matt Barkley at Acrisure Stadium on August 19, 2023.
Before the Buffalo Bills took on the Pittsburgh Steelers for their second preseason game on Saturday, August 19, quarterback Matt Barkley had unexpectedly placed himself in the running to be Josh Allen’s main backup, as Kyle Allen’s ongoing struggles were quite concerning.
However, the hype surrounding Barkley to be QB2 came to a screeching halt during the Bills’ 27- 15 loss to the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. After replacing Josh Allen, he was intercepted three times in four pass attempts before getting sacked and losing a fumble.
Barkley completed 7-of-12 passes for 93 yards, and zero touchdowns before the Bills announced he suffered an elbow injury being replaced by Kyle Allen. The Buffalo News‘ Katherine Fitzgerald asked Barkley about his injury outlook, “We’ll see,” he said.
Matt Barkley throws an absolute gimme here but Joey Porter Jr. with his first INT as a member of the Steelers! #WeAre
While head coach Sean McDermott didn’t give an update on Barkley’s elbow after the game, he said, “The backup quarterback competition will continue,” per Bills reporter Maddy Glab, which could insinuate it’s nothing too serious, or he was distracted by the team’s overall performance. The Bills simply played bad football on both offense and defense while committing 13 penalties.
“Absolutely unacceptable,” McDermott said, per One Bills Live host Chris Brown. “I thought we addressed it last week by pulling guys out of the play in practice, but obviously, that didn’t get the job done. So we go back to drawing board & then guys got to take ownership. It’s not like we don’t talk about discipline. But we’ve got more work to do there.”
Bills Offensive Coordinator Called the Backup QB Competition ‘Close’
GettyBuffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey at Hard Rock Stadium on September 25, 2022.
The Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was asked about the backup quarterback situation during a press conference on Wednesday, August 16, and his response turned some heads since Barkley completed 12-of-13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts, while Kyle Allen completed 8-of-15 passes for 122 and one interception.
“I know that Matt’s numbers were, what they were, and he did a great job. But at the end of the day, really both of them graded out very similar,” Dorsey said. “I think they both came in were and very effective for us.”
“I thought Kyle did some really good things and obviously there are things we can learn from. So when you look at the competition, it’s very close… which is a testament to the two of them. Neither one of them are playing bad football.
“It’s not like it’s close because both of them are playing bad. Obviously, at practice, there are going to be good days and rough days. But at the same time, I think both are doing a very good job.”
Several NFL Analysts Urged the Bills to Bring in Another Backup QB
What a strike by Kyle Allen to Justin Shorter!
Kyle Allen entered against the Steelers with 4:37 left in the third quarter. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 112 yards with a late-game touchdown pass an two-point conversion. However, NFL analysts aren’t liking what they see behind Josh Allen in general.
USA Today‘s Bradley Gelber posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “The Matt Barkley storyline was fun for a week but feeling more and more like the #Bills QB2 isn’t currently on the roster,” a sentiment which echoes what The Athletic‘s Joe Buscaglia suggested after Buffalo’s first preseason game.
“Things can still change, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Bills’ 2023 backup quarterback is not currently on the team,” Buscaglia surmised. “Some will argue that the backup doesn’t matter because if Josh Allen is out, the season likely will unravel anyway. However, that isn’t how Beane has operated recently with the position. He knows they’re in a Super Bowl window, and if Allen has to miss some games, having a solid replacement who can keep things afloat is worth a lot.”