The Bills will be going into another week of football without one of their offensive stars.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered an MCL injury last week and will be kept out of Sunday's game against the Bengals, a source familiar with the injury tells NFL Media. Taylor will be re-evaluated next week, but he will not be able to play by Sunday.
The Bills plan to start EJ Manuel in Taylor's place. Buffalo also signed quarterback Josh Johnson on Tuesday as insurance.
The Bills' quarterback dilemma dominated headlines in the offseason as Taylor, Manuel and Matt Cassel all battled it out for the starting job. Though the three quarterbacks were all considered to be mediocre options at first, Taylor quickly pulled ahead and earned the job in the final weeks of the preseason. Buffalo later traded Cassel for draft picks, who is now a viable backup for the Cowboys.
This news adds insult to injury as the Buffalo offense hasn't had a healthy starting lineup since the first two weeks of the season. Offseason acquisitions LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin have struggled to reach the field with hamstring and hip injuries, respectively; wide receiver Sammy Watkins has missed the last two games with a calf injury; and standout running back Karlos Williams sat out last week's win with a concussion.
Rex Ryan can't seem to catch a break. Going into another important matchup against a highly-touted AFC foe, his offense is undermanned and potentially unfit to play up to the caliber of the opponent. Manuel has played meaningful games for the Bills before, but never under Greg Roman's offense, which has turned Taylor into a household name and has earned him comparisons to other elusive quarterbacks.
Against a Bengals front that has frustrated Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Philip Rivers already this year, Manuel and the Bills will need to establish the run early and grind some clock, or else they will be in for one rough afternoon at home.