Can the Bills Succeed With No Taylor?

The Buffalo Bills are off to a 3-2 start this season, and much of that can be attributed to the emergence of one Tyrod Taylor at Quarterback. 

When Rex Ryan took over the Bills, there was a huge question mark at Quarterback. Much like how it was in New York, he had a strong defense to build on, but it was unclear what kind of production he was going to get from the player running the huddle. 

Matt Cassel was brought in to compete for the starting job to go along with Taylor and former number one pick EJ Manuel.

After a few preseason games, Ryan believed he found the answer at Quarterback. The Former Virginia Tech stand out was given the keys to the Bills Offense. As a backup in Baltimore for a few years, Taylor finally got his shot.

So far in the young season, he has impressed, putting up very solid numbers in his first year as a full time starter. Taylor has a 70% completion percentage and has thrown 1,097 yards and 9 TDs. The 26-year old has been picked off four times and also fumbled the ball on three occasions, but even with his seven turnovers, he has still shown a uncanny playmaking ability.

Now the question is can the Bills afford Taylor missing any time? In last Sunday’s win against the Titans, it was revealed that the Quarterback had a sprained MCL. Rex Ryan still has not ruled him out for this Sunday’s matchup against the undefeated Bengals. 

“I know it’s been widely reported that Tyrod is not playing,” Ryan said. “That’s news to me. That may or may not be the case, but it’s certainly not official. He’s not going to be full go today. He’s certainly not going to be full go, 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 he’s not like he normally is. He’s got a little bit of a knee that happened on that one run. But we’ll see how he is.”

Everything points to Taylor at least missing a couple games. Normal recovery time from a MCL sprain is 2-4 weeks, and if that’s the case, EJ Manuel will be the starting quarterback. Facing a tough matchup, how will the Bills respond? Taylor has been great in the air and has been making plays with his legs. It would be a huge loss, but getting Lesean McCoy and Sammy Watkins back can help cushion the blow. 

Both might be active for Sunday’s game and that would give the team a much added boost. With the Jets firing on all cylinders and the Patriots doing what they do, the Bills cannot afford to lose Taylor for any stretch if they plan on ending the long standing playoff drought.

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