Orchard Park, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman polished off his preseason with a tidy performance against the Lions on Thursday night, completing 9 of his 11 passes for 81 yards on his way to leading a pair of scoring drive.

Peterman is drawing praise from all corners of the football universe. Jon Gruden compared him to Andy Dalton and said he will be starting in the league before long. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Peterman is better than he expected. Sean McDermott and other veteran players have praised his poise in the huddle and command of the offense.

Standing in the locker room after the Bills' 27-17 win in the preseason finale at New Era Field, Peterman shrugged off the compliments. If there's one person who isn't surprised, it's him.

"I think the biggest thing for a quarterback is confidence," Peterman said. "With how the draft went and all that stuff, I definitely had a chip on my shoulder. I've always had the same confidence in myself and believe what I can do. Then I just see what other people think about it."

People are starting to think a bit more of Peterman than they did back in the spring. He was a fifth-round pick and got off to a slow start in training camp. He finished off the preseason 43-for-79 passing for 453 yards and one touchdown this preseason. It wasn't dazzling, but it might have been just enough to ease concerns over Tyrod Taylor's availability for the season opener.

"I think it's bigger than that," McDermott said. "I think it's developing a young player. Regardless of what position it's developing a young player, bringing along, in this case, a quarterback. We wanted to get him out there and get a good look at a couple of series and I thought he did a good job. He was in command, moved the offense."

Just don't go thinking Peterman is pushing for the starting job. If all goes well, this will be the last time Peterman sees the field in 2017.

Tyrod's our starter, number one," McDermott said. "The second part, is Nathan is a young player that is developing. It's important that we bring him along and do the right things by that process that needs to take place. I was proud of the way he handled the offense tonight in the game, and the situations he was in."