Matt Barkley to Start for Bills vs. Jets With Josh Allen Ruled Out

Buffalo's newest quarterback Matt Barkley will make his first start for the Bills on Sunday as Josh Allen is ruled out once again.

Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets. Matt Barkley will start under center instead for Buffalo, the team announced Saturday.

The Bills (2-7) signed Barkley, 28, to a one-year deal on Oct. 31 in light of several injuries at the quarterback slot. Allen's elbow injury keeps him sidelined for a fifth straight game as backup Derek Anderson deals with a concussion. QB Nathan Peterman has struggled as Buffalo's signal caller last week against the Bears, prompting the decision to start Barkley, the second free-agent quarterback to sign with the Bills since the regular season began.

The six-year vet said he feels comfortable with this week’s plan for the Jets.

“I’m kind of surprised at how quickly I was able to pick this up because of how much carry over there is from other offenses I’ve run,” Barkley said. “This is the fifth or sixth system I’ve run, and I think in the end football is football just with window dressing or frosting on top. Getting the terminology down was a fairly simple process and the coaching staff has been unbelievable in helping me get up to speed with everything. I’d say my comfort level is pretty high.”

The Southern California product signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in March before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Barkley was released on Sept. 12 before the Bills picked him up in late October.