Bills coach Doug Marrone left the door open Monday for E.J. Manuel (knee) to miss Week 17 against the Patriots.

One week after claiming he was "110 percent confident" Manuel would start Buffalo's season finale, Marrone has made a reversal. Winning games likely isn't foremost on the Bills' mind at this point in the year, but Thad Lewis did help engineer a 19-0 win over Miami on Sunday. Manuel has suffered three knee injuries during his rookie season. He'd start if he was deemed fully healthy.

Coach Doug Marrone said he's "110 percent confident" E.J. Manuel (knee) will start in Week 17.

E.J. Manuel (knee) has been ruled out for Week 16, and Thad Lewis will make the start against the Dolphins.

Manuel sprained his left knee last Sunday against the Jaguars. He practiced on Wednesday, but there's too much swelling on the knee. Coach Doug Marrone believes Lewis gives the Bills their best chance to win this week. Marrone thinks Manuel will be back to start against the Patriots in Week 17. Jeff Tuel will back Lewis up. Obviously, the Dolphins defense becomes and even more enticing defense for fantasy Super Bowl week. Stevie Johnson also will not play.

E.J. Manuel (knee) is practicing Wednesday.

Manuel sustained a little sprain during the win at Jacksonville and has had a few knee issues during his rookie year, but will be fine for Week 16. It would be a surprise if the Bills didn't show well at the Ralph against a Dolphins team primed for a letdown following consecutive wins over the Jets, Steelers and Patriots.

Bills coach Doug Marrone revealed that E.J. Manuel suffered a sprained left knee in Sunday's Week 15 win over Jacksonville.

The Bills expect Manuel to be fine -- he didn't miss any snaps against the Jags -- but it's quietly the third knee injury of Manuel's rookie season. Manuel's on-field performance has been thoroughly up and down in 2013, and his health has also been shaky. The Bills will definitely throw support behind Manuel for 2014, but it's very questionable whether he's a franchise quarterback. He has not been as good as Mike Glennon in Tampa.

E.J. Manuel completed 17-of-24 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in Buffalo's Week 15, 27-20 win over Jacksonville.

Manuel pitched in 37 yards and one more touchdown on ten rushing attempts. He averaged a healthy 8.0 YPA and hooked up with each of Robert Woods, Chris Gragg, and Scott Chandler for 20-plus-yard gains. It wasn't all roses for Manuel. He took four sacks and made some questionable decisions. It's been an up-and-down rookie season for Manuel. He'll be a back-end QB2 next week against the Dolphins.

Following Sunday's loss at Tampa, coach Doug Marrone said the Bills will "probably cut down what we're doing" with E.J. Manuel.

Manuel was a disaster on Sunday, completing 18-of-33 passes for 184 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions in an ugly 27-6 loss. The Bills seem to realize they've put too much on their raw rookie's plate. That should mean a more conservative plan that highlights the run game and short play-action passes. Regardless, Manuel won't even be a good two-quarterback league option against Jacksonville's improving defense in Week 15.

E.J. Manuel completed 18-of-32 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown and added a 1-yard touchdown run in Sunday's Week 13 loss to the Falcons.

Considering Manuel was in a dome and facing a very weak Falcons defense, it's a disappointing performance. He was especially dull with his accuracy, consistently missing receivers as his season-long completion percentage sunk to a miserable 58.2 percent. We also wouldn't bank on Manuel consistently getting more points with his legs as he came into this one with just 34 carries for 117 yards and no scores on the season. The raw rookie will be a weak QB2 against the Bucs in Week 14.

The Bills want E.J. Manuel to "just throw it, let it loose."

"We've been saying to get back there and throw it," coach Doug Marrone said. "Just throw it, let it loose, let it loose." OC Nathaniel Hackett chimed in, saying, "'Look man, throw it. Just throw it as hard as you can and don't think about anything else and believe in what you see. You got exactly what you wanted. Just go.'" Obviously the Bills want Manuel to be cautious, but they also want him to play confidently and trust his teammates. He did that last week. Now, Manuel has a juicy matchup with a Falcons defense that appears lifeless. He's on the QB2 radar for Week 13 and will have a fully healthy receiving corps.

E.J. Manuel completed 20-of-28 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for nine yards in the Bills' Week 11 win over the Jets.

Manuel looked rusty to be kind in his Week 10 return from a knee injury and was totally ineffective in the Bills' Week 3 loss to the Jets, so this one came as a pretty big surprise on a day full of them around the league. Manuel was sharp in the short to intermediate passing games and hit T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin on bombs for his touchdown passes. Manuel should emerge from the Bills' Week 12 bye as a two-quarterback-league option.

As of Sunday morning, the forecast for Jets-Bills is calling for 20-25 MPH winds.

Wind should be the only issue. The rain isn't expected to make it to Western New York until around 4 PM ET, when the AFC East tilt should be coming to a close. The strong winds shouldn't affect the Jets' West-Coast, quick-hitting offense. E.J. Manuel, however, has a couple burners at his disposal on the outside in T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin, so the blustery conditions could pose problems for the deep ball. Expect a heavy running game from both offenses.

E.J. Manuel completed 22-of-39 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and an interception and rushed twice for 17 yards in Buffalo's Week 10 loss to Pittsburgh.

Manuel was brutally ineffective in his first game back from a six-week knee injury, missing receivers high and wide and often looking tentative in the pocket against a poor Steelers defense. Pittsburgh wound up sacking Manuel three times. Manuel will be a low-end QB2 option when the Bills face the Jets in Week 11. Rex Ryan's defense sacked him eight times in their early-season meeting.

E.J. Manuel (knee) is active and starting Sunday's Week 10 game against the Steelers, as expected.

It's Manuel's first game since sustaining a sprained LCL in Week 5. But he won't have Robert Woods (ankle) and the Bills figure to use a run-heavy approach to take advantage of the Steelers' weak middle. Owners should be able to do better at the QB2 spot.

Bills coach Doug Marrone confirmed Thursday that E.J. Manuel (knee) will start against the Steelers.

That's "barring setbacks." Manuel is highly unlikely to suffer one between now and Sunday. Marrone also confirmed that Manuel will be backed up by Thad Lewis, who missed Week 9 with a rib ailment. Sidelined since Week 5, Manuel will be a borderline QB2.

E.J. Manuel (knee) is expected to start Sunday's game against the Steelers.

E.J. Manuel (knee) has been cleared to practice.

The decision on when Manuel will return to game action will now fall on head coach Doug Marrone -- not doctors. Manuel appears to believe that if he practices well this week, he could play in the Week 10 game against the Steelers. There's still a chance the Bills will exercise caution with their franchise quarterback and hold him out until Week 11. In the four full games before spraining his LCL, Manuel averaged 214.0 passing yards with five touchdowns against the three interceptions. He's still raw, but is a monster upgrade on fill-ins Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel.

FOX Sports' Alex Marvez reports E.J. Manuel's (knee) rehab is "going well with no setbacks," and he's expected back "in a couple of weeks."

CBS' Dan Dierdorf stated on Sunday's telecast that Manuel is expected to start in Week 10, although Marvez's report indicates Week 11 is a more realistic target date. The Bills' bye falls in Week 12. Jeff Tuel got the start against Kansas City on Sunday. Thad Lewis is inactive with a rib injury.

E.J. Manuel (knee) is listed as out for Week 9.

Manuel's return to individual drills this week suggests he's nearing a return, probably in Week 10 or 11. Buffalo's bye is not until Week 12.

Bills QB E.J. Manuel (knee) got in his second straight limited practice Thursday.

Manuel is participating in individual drills, but isn't a candidate to start Sunday's game against the Chiefs. However, there's now an outside chance he returns for Week 10 against the Steelers. Week 11 remains his first realistic return date.

E.J. Manuel (knee) is practicing Wednesday.

Manuel was able to return to practice for the first time in three weeks, but was limited to individual drills and is not expected to be available for Sunday's game against the Chiefs. Manuel is unlikely to return before Week 11, and could be sidelined until Week 13.