EJ Manuel to Start in Place of Injured Tyrod Taylor for Bills vs. Bengals
With quarterback Tyrod Taylor nursing a sprained MCL he suffered in the Buffalo Bills' Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans, EJ Manuel is expected to start for the team when it hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The news was initially reported on Saturday by ESPN's Bob Holtzman, who relayed that Taylor was unable to convince Bills head coach Rex Ryan and the rest of the staff he was healthy enough to play. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported prior to kickoff that while Manuel will start, Taylor is "expected to dress today, [and] has a good chance to play next week [against the Jacksonville Jaguars]."
Albert Breer of NFL.com reported the Bills have planned to start Manuel the whole week, and after taking the majority of first-team reps, he was expected to "be the guy." Furthermore, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Manuel "has a chance to go a long way to winning the job [Sunday]. If he plays well enough, it reopens the battle."
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com initially reported that Taylor could miss multiple games, but the quarterback practiced in a limited capacity throughout the week and did everything possible to put himself in position to suit up.
Taylor has enjoyed a strong start to the season, with nearly 1,300 total yards, 11 touchdowns (nine passing), four interceptions and a completion percentage of 70.1 percent to go along with a 3-2 record.
Manuel entered the league with much more fanfare than Taylor, however, as Buffalo selected him with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.
Following an up-and-down rookie season that saw him start 10 games, Manuel was replaced by Kyle Orton just four contests into the 2014 campaign.
The former Florida State standout was in danger of not even making the roster in 2015, but a great preseason performance landed him the backup job over Matt Cassel, whom the Bills subsequently traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
Manuel has thrown for 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and has 14 career starts to go along with a completion percentage of just 58.6 percent. Despite the quarterback's struggles, wide receiver Sammy Watkins expects big things out of him against the Bengals, according to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:
Tyler Dunne @TyDunneWatkins on EJ Manuel: "I think this game he's going to come in and light it up. ... He's going to have a monster game."
10/14/2015, 7:09:00 PM
Also, Manuel expressed his excitement regarding a potential start while taking first-team practice reps over the course of the week, per Chris Brown of the team's official site.
"Very eager to see what happens for Sunday," he said. "I definitely feel confident in what I can do. I think my teammates feel the same way. Obviously Tyrod is going to try his best to go out there and play, but if he doesn't, just go out there and help our team win."
Manuel will have an extremely tough test in his return to the lineup, as he will face a 5-0 Bengals team that is allowing just 20.2 points per game this season.
Help is on the way, however, as running back LeSean McCoy is probable after missing two games with a hamstring injury. Also, Watkins could return from a calf ailment that cost him two contests.
Playing Cincinnati without Taylor's services is far from ideal from Buffalo's perspective, but if McCoy can help establish the running game and the Bills' super-talented defense holds Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in check, then Buffalo has a legitimate shot to pull off the upset.
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