After a day off for everyone to celebrate the holidays, the Bills were back at work preparing for the season finale at Foxboro against the 11-4 New England Patriots.
The Bills have an opportunity to be the only team in the AFC East with a winning record against division foes with a victory on Sunday, as they would be 4-2 with a win against New England. However, who will be under center to try to defeat the Patriots, who are undefeated at home so far this season, remains unclear.
Head coach Doug Marrone said that both rookie E.J. Manuel, who is 4-6 as the starter this season, and Thaddeus Lewis, who is 2-2 with both wins coming against the Miami Dolphins, participated in the team portion of practice. Lewis was a full participant with a left shoulder injury, while Marrone said that Manuel worked with the first team offense, but was a limited participant with the sprained knee he suffered in Week 15 against the Jaguars.
“E.J. looked improved today and we’re still in the process of making a decision on how we’re going to move forward,” said Marrone.
Marrone did not give any timetable as to when he would make a decision on the quarterback. Regardless of who is leading the offense, Marrone knows from past experience (offensive line coach with the 2002 New York Jets) that a great performance is needed to beat New England.
“You see a team that plays extremely hard,” said Marrone said on Tuesday. “They’ve been that way since when I was even in New York. They’re extremely sound. They never beat themselves and they force you when you play them, and my first year in New York we won up there, they force you when you play them to beat them.”
“Not only beat them, but to make play. You’re going to have to make a play. They’ve been doing that for a long period of time and I think that I tip my hats to them and the job that they’ve all done. They’re a difficult team to beat, especially at home.”
Wide receiver Stevie Johnson is still in California after the death of his mother two weekends ago the day before the game against the Jaguars. Marrone said on Thursday he had not had any recent contact with Johnson. Safety Aaron Williams also didn’t participate in practice due to a rib injury, with Marrone stating that Williams is “close” to being ruled out.
Running back Fred Jackson, who also has a rib injury, was limited in practice as well, but when asked if he thought Jackson would be good, Marrone said “Yeah. He’s on his normal routine.”
Jackson became the third back in franchise history to surpass 5,000 yards rushing on Sunday, joining Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson, and leads the Bills in rushing with 836 yards, 9 touchdowns (C.J. Spiller has 822 yards and 2 touchdowns), and is 38 yards from doubling his total from last season (437).
Full participants in practice from the injury report included rookie receiver Marquise Goodwin, who injured his knee in Week 15, and defensive tackle Kyle Williams with an Achilles injury. Goodwin’s presence will likely be key with or without Johnson, as his speed could test a Patriots defense that is stout, but has allowed 50 pass plays of over 20 yards, tied for 15th most in the NFL.
On the defensive side of the ball, Buffalo’s league-leading 56 sacks is due to the Bills trio of Mario Williams (13), Kyle Williams (10.5), and Jerry Hughes (10). This year is only the second time in franchise history that Buffalo has three players with double-digit sacks, and the first time in the league since the 2000 Saints.
Marcell Dareus has 7.5 sacks, so the Bills have an opportunity for a quartet if Dareus can dominate inside. The Patriots’ offensive line has been ravaged from injuries, with right tackle Sebastian Vollmer already out for the season, Vollmer’s replacement, Marcus Cannon, listed as limited today with an ankle issue, and left tackle Nate Solder listed as limited today with a concussion. If Solder misses the game, it will force Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to play left tackle, a position he is capable of, but it will maybe allow Dareus and Williams to get a better match-up.
But the pass-rusher that has been the most dangerous lately, yet has been unheralded, is Hughes. After being traded from the Colts to the Bills for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, Hughes made up for only two sacks in his first seven games with eight in the past eight. Hughes has definitely impressed his head coach, who as a former offensive lineman knows how tough it is to block against multiple pass rushers.
“Jerry’s production has been outstanding, it really has,” said Marrone. “We’ve asked him to do a lot and I think that we’ve settled in to more of a role with Nickel and being able to use those traits more and more as the years goes on. Early on he was in there on the normal downs and still producing. I think Jerry is excited about the job that he’s done, we as an organization are excited that he’s here.”
“Who knows now what the future holds for him because of his production. I think that there’s a point where, and this is what can help us, when people start saying, ‘Ok wait a minute now, on third down you have Mario (Williams), you have Marcell (Dareus), You have Kyle (Williams) and then all of the sudden wait a minute now we’ve got this Jerry Hughes kid on the other side.’ It reminds me of teams we faced that I always had a difficult time playing when you have two very good productive defensive ends.”
More stories you might like
