The Drought Breaker Returns: A Look at Tyrod Taylor’s Time in Buffalo

Whether you’ve been a Bills fan for 50 years or 10 years, you should know about Tyrod Taylor and what he did for this organization. He was a light of hope during the longest playoff drought in Buffalo Bills history, and he eventually helped lead this team back to the playoffs in 2017. While he didn’t remain the quarterback long after that, he’ll still remain a legend to many. With Tyrod Taylor returning to Buffalo as a Giant, let’s take a look at why Tyrod is a Bills legend to many fans.

Accomplishing the Impossible

14. That’s how many quarterbacks failed to accomplish what Tyrod Taylor accomplished in Buffalo. From Drew Bledsoe to EJ Manuel, the Bills struggled to find a quarterback that could lead them back to the playoffs and end the drought. Yet only Tyrod could do it. He battled with EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel in 2015 for the starting job and ultimately won the job.

Each year he started for the Bills, he had a winning record. What’s more impressive than his winning record is who he managed to win with. The only receiver to have over 650 yards during his time in Buffalo was Sammy Watkins in 2015. After Sammy Watkins, his best receiver was Kelvin Benjamin. While he didn’t have much help on the outside, he did have LeSean McCoy. Taylor and McCoy created one of the best rushing offenses in the league as they were top six each season they were together, including two #1 finishes in 2015 and 2016.

Tyrod Taylor could do it all. He completed passes at a high rate, used his legs, and threw a beautiful deep ball. However, the most important trait he brought to the Bills was his winning mentality.

Rankings in Bills History

Tyrod Taylor is one of the best quarterbacks in Bills history. It’s weird to hear but it’s true. With a 22-20 starting record, you wouldn’t think it. However, after Taylor left, the Bills went under .500 at 4-5-1. It’s a sign that Taylor made this team better. His 22 wins ranks sixth all-time among Bills starting quarterbacks.

Taylor wasn’t elite as a passer, but he was efficient. He completed 62.6% of his passes while having a 92.5 quarterback rating as both rank second all-time. He finished Bills career with 8,857 passing yards and 51 touchdowns, both seventh all-time. His hesitancy to get aggressive throwing the ball is attributed to his efficiency but it worked.

Taylor’s threat to run and ability to make guys miss on the ground was arguably his most dangerous trait. He created a phenomenal rushing attack with LeSean McCoy as he ran for 1,575 yards and 14 touchdowns by himself. The ground game was what made the offense go, and Tyrod was the man at the wheel.

Summary

The last time the New York Giants played a football game in New York was against the Bills in Buffalo in 2015. The starting quarterbacks: Eli Manning and Tyrod Taylor. Although the Bills lost, Tyrod was just starting his story in Buffalo. He isn’t the best quarterback in Bills history, but he certainly is one of the most important. He helped change the culture and break the drought. For that alone, Bills Mafia should give him a standing ovation on Sunday.