Thad Lewis Injury: Buffalo Bills QB listed doubtful

Buffalo Bills quarterback Thad Lewis (9) throws against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The prevailing thought was that if Buffalo Bills quarterback Thad Lewis was able to practice today, then he would be able to avoid missing this week’s clash with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. While Lewis was able to put in a limited practice, Doug Marrone has officially listed Lewis as doubtful for this week’s game. Marrone stated earlier today that he would evaluate Lewis’s readiness for this week’s game at practice, and it sounds like he is either far off from playing or Marrone is trying to smokescreen the Chiefs extremely hard. Players listed doubtful almost never play, so that’s definitely a bad sign for Lewis.

If Lewis is indeed unable to go, then the best pass defense in the NFL will either face Matt Flynn or UDFA rookie Jeff Tuel. My money is on Tuel, at this point, but both are clearly downgrades on Lewis, who has been serviceable over the past three games starting for E.J. Manuel, who is still out with a knee injury.

According to the Bills official Twitter feed, Doug Marrone will have further discussions with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett regarding Lewis’s playing status, and Lewis could also have more workouts in the near future to see if he can beat the “doubtful” tag and play. The Bills aren’t giving up yet, but that doubtful tag is definitely a strong one.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe. Be sure to like us on Facebook here and follow our site on Twitter as well.