Bills to go with Thad Lewis for regular season finale against the Patriots
By Peter Smith
The Buffalo Bills have announced that Thad Lewis will be the quarterback against the New England Patriots in Foxboro this week when the Bills wrap up their season. The plan was to have E.J. Manuel, their first round rookie to play the finale but the team said that he had not made enough progress in his recovery with his knee to play in this game. Lewis was able to lead the Bills’ offense as the team won against the Miami Dolphins 19-0.
The Bills are protecting their investment in Manuel by not having him play this week and hoping to get him back to 100% health in the offseason and getting him ready for next season where he can be more confident and effective when they begin the season. Meanwhile, Lewis gets another opportunity to showcase his ability either to earn him a longer stay in Buffalo or get a contract with a team elsewhere.
Lewis and the Bills will be facing a Patriots team posturing for position within the AFC Playoff seeding and could potentially be fighting for a first round bye week in the first round. The Bills have the opportunity to play spoiler and while the Patriots will still make the playoffs, their path back to the Super Bowl would require an extra game.