No Quick Fix in Sight for Buffalo Bills QB Situation

The Buffalo Bills have not made the postseason since 1999. Whether it's Kyle Orton or EJ Manuel at quarterback, it looks like that streak will continue.

Will that streak end next year? That may very much depend on whether or not the Bills can find a way to fix or upgrade the quarterback position. Right now, it doesn't look good.

Aside from a few free-agent options, the Bills do not have a lot to choose from this offseason on the open market. The quarterbacks available in free agency would be comparable to Orton, not an upgrade. And thanks to the trade that landed them wide receiver Sammy Watkins, they no longer have a 2015 first-round draft choice to pick the next face of the franchise.

Now and until the Bills can upgrade the quarterback position, the rest of the team must play well enough to mask their deficiency at quarterback. Their lack of a dynamic quarterback narrows the margin for error in other areas.

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Orton was viewed as the answer after the Bills suffered a road loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4. He proved the Bills right for a time, with some late-game heroics that lent credence to the idea that Orton could at least serve as a short-term fix and guide the Bills to the playoffs.

The magic wore off quickly, though, and the Bills have now lost two straight games. Orton has been more a part of the problem than the solution, with a 58.6 percent completion rate and a 74.5 passer rating in those two games combined. The Bills have gone 21 straight possessions without a touchdown on offense.

At 5-5, the Bills are on the ground looking up at 10 teams with better records than them in their conference. They also face a brutal schedule that features three teams that currently lead their division ( Browns, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots) and another ( Green Bay Packers) that has the same record as the division leader.

Yet with a tough road behind and ahead, the Bills are sticking with the veteran.

' Right now, I'm planning on sticking with Kyle,' said head coach Doug . 'Again, what I believe with every player is [we play] who gives us the best chance to win. That's the way I'm headed this week.'

Has there been any thought about replacing Orton with Manuel to give the young gun another chance?

'No, right now that thought hasn't crossed my mind,' said after the loss to the Miami Dolphins.

That's not terribly surprising. Once a team makes that kind of move, there's usually no turning back.

So the @Bills benched EJ Manuel so Kyle Orton can lead his team to FG's and safeties? #Brutal #TNF

- Tony Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) November 14, 2014

But the Bills are in a situation unlike most others in the NFL. Their roster is strong at nearly every position except quarterback. They are loaded at the skill positions; although injuries to Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller have depleted their running back stable, the Bills still boast talented pass-catchers in Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Chris Hogan at receiver and Scott Chandler at tight end.

Their defense is without question one of the best in the league, thanks to the strength of their defensive line that generates pressure at a fierce rate (39 sacks and a 9.8 percent sack rate are each the highest in the NFL), and a ball-hawking secondary that can capitalize on that pressure (12 interceptions ranks sixth in the NFL).

With this kind of supporting cast, a quarterback needs to be little more than a game manager. But neither Manuel nor Orton can be relied upon to consistently provide that level of play.

That being said, the only way Manuel will get the Bills to the postseason is if he has made significant improvements since he was benched after Week 4. Unless he's been lighting it up in practice, there's no reason to believe Manuel has improved by not playing on Sundays.

With such a difficult road ahead of them, it would be a risk to make the switch to Manuel. Given the way Orton has played, though, there may be an equal risk to keeping him at the helm.

Whatever the Bills decide to do this season, their long-term future remains the same.

It's been 15 years since the Bills made the playoffs, and while it may be painful to hear, the quarterback who might break the streak probably isn't on the roster.

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