Kellen Clemens may start for Los Angeles Chargers against the Buffalo Bills

The football gods may have given the Buffalo Bills a corrective nudge in the form of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers and his backup Kellen Clemens.

After consecutive beatdowns by the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, the Bills are off to the left coast to face the Chargers, and Bills fans hope that the team bounces back from the drubbings. It’s not an unreasonable hope in that the Bills have hit bottom so fast and so hard that the natural tendency for the corpse of Buffalo’s playoff hopes to bounce. Besides, it would fit with the whole ‘tease’ motif the team has going with a legion of Charlie Browns, certain that Lucy will eventually allow the football to be kicked.

True to form, the football gods have seen fit to give Bills fans a glimmer of hope in the appearance of Chargers franchise QB Phillip Rivers on the injury list with a concussion. Will he play? Probably. Why? Buffalo. For the moment, though, assume that former Bills interim head coach and current Chargers decision maker Anthony Lynn doesn’t have Rivers available.

Enter Kellen Clemens. He got his start with the Jets in 2006 and was with the team through 2010. His only significant action with his initial NFL team came in 2007 when he completed 130-of-250 for 1529 yards, 5 TDs, 10 INTs and a dismal 60.9 rating. The only comparable experience during his stint in St Louis with the Rams came in 2013 when he was 142-of-242 with 1673 yards, 8 TDs, 7 INTs, and a better rating of 78.8. Since then he has completed six of his 10 passes for 73 yards. His record in games he started is 8 wins and 13 losses.

In short, Kellen Clemens ain’t Phillip Rivers. Should Clemens start the Bills should, in theory, be able to clamp down on the Chargers’ offense. If the defense decides to put in an appearance this month, it shouldn’t matter if Tyrod Taylor is throwing underneath passes to Tolbert on third and long. The Bills should leave California with a victory.

And that should be enough to raise spirits until Buffalo visits Arrowhead Stadium.