The Sports Xchange

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals come to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, and the Buffalo Bills may have to play one of the league’s hottest and best teams without starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

In a roundabout way, coach Rex Ryan confirmed Wednesday that Taylor has a sprained MCL in his left knee, and he would not be a “full go” in practice, at least not on Wednesday.

Of course, Ryan, perhaps in an effort to keep the Bengals guessing, would not rule Taylor out for the game, even though during the portion of practice that the media is allowed to watch, Taylor was not working with the other quarterbacks.

“The report that he won’t play is news to me,” Ryan said in reference to a story that said Taylor could be out ‘multiple’ games. “He’s not going to be full go today, but he’ll be able to do a few things out there. He’s beat up, he’s still got a little pep in his step, but not how he normally is. He has a little bit of a knee that happened on that one run, but we’ll see how he is.”

EJ Manuel would be the starting quarterback if Taylor can’t play.

Taylor, who was already playing with an ankle injury that Ryan said he’s had going back to training camp, hurt the knee on his game-changing 24-yard scramble in Tennessee. He was horse-collar tackled by Titans linebacker Zach Brown and twisted the knee. He left the game for one play, then came back and led the Bills to the winning touchdown.

“He finished the game, made some plays at the end of the game, so I think can he play with it, he’s already proven that,” said Ryan. “We’ve got to make sure that (Taylor’s) ready to roll and we feel good about it and he’s not going to do anything that could damage him and make it a more long-term issue.”

The Bills’ management is coming under a bit of fire over its decision to trade veteran backup Matt Cassel to Dallas a few weeks ago for a mere fifth-round draft pick in 2017. However, Ryan said he does not regret that decision at all because the organization believes Manuel is up to the task of taking over for Taylor.

“I think EJ did a tremendous job for us in the preseason,” said Ryan. “I know there’s a lot of criticism out there that we moved Cassel, but we moved Cassel because of EJ and his development. So we’ll see. If he has to play, we’re very comfortable and confident that he’ll do a great job for us.”

Manuel does not give the Bills the same dynamic that Taylor can provide in terms of mobility and running ability. Taylor rushed for a quarterback team-record 76 yards against the Titans, winning that game almost exclusively with his legs. Manuel would have to play more from the pocket, and that may alter how offensive coordinator Greg Roman calls the offense.

One thing that could certainly help Roman, though, is the potential return of wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the lineup. Watkins has missed the last two-plus games with a calf injury, but Ryan said he feels pretty good about Watkins returning for the Cincinnati game. Without Watkins, the Bills’ passing game has suffered.

As for running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams, it’s not looking good for either to return. McCoy will very likely be held out due to his hamstring injury, even though he was doing some work at practice Wednesday. Williams, who has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol for more than a week, was not at practice Wednesday.

It’s not a good week for the Bills to be so depleted on offense, not against a Bengals team that has been lighting it up on offense ranking fourth in scoring and second in yards in winning its first five games.

“This is going to be a heck of a game; we’re going to have to be at our very best,” said Ryan. “We’re going to be challenged in every phase of the game, including special teams. There’s a reason this team is 5-0. After this game, we’re definitely going to see where we stack up.”

SERIES HISTORY: 27th regular-season meeting. Bills lead 15-11. Since losing the AFC Championship Game in 1988, Buffalo won 10 games in a row before losing the last two to the Bengals in 2011 and 2013. The teams have met twice in the postseason and the Bengals won both.

GAME PLAN: Regardless of who starts for the Bills, the passing game has to become more productive, especially given the dearth of talent at running back right now. It looks as if LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams will again be out, so the Bills have just Boobie Dixon and Boom Herron in the backfield, meaning they will have to lean more on the passing game.

The good news is that Sammy Watkins should be able to play, but the bad news is that EJ Manuel may be pressed into starting duty for the first time since Week 4 of the 2014 season. In a game where the Bills are going to need to score, this is a vexing problem.

On defense, the Bills have played much better in the last six quarters, but they will be facing a stiff challenge from one of the NFL’s best offense. Now, with safety Aaron Williams going on IR, the Bills may have to go with Duke Williams against an offense triggered by rejuvenated Andy Dalton throwing to weapons such as A.J. Green, Tyler Eiefert, Muhammad Sanu, and Marvin Jones.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Bills LBs Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham vs. Bengals RBs Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill. If the Bengals get their running game going, it could be a long day for the Bills because it will open up the entirety of Cincinnati’s potent offense. If the Bills can shut down the run, they may be able to unleash their pass rush against Andy Dalton, who likes to stand in the pocket and throw downfield.

–Bills WR Sammy Watkins vs. Bengals CBs Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones. Assuming Watkins returns to action, he will be the key to the Bills attack because if he can win his battles, he’ll make big plays, and even if he doesn’t, his presence should allow more room for Robert Woods, Percy Harvin, and Charles Clay to operate.