Bills vs. Chiefs 2013: Thad Lewis expected to start, per report

After the crazy news on Wednesday that the Buffalo Bills might have to start either Jeff Tuel or Matt Flynn at quarterback in Week 9, a ray of hope surfaced last night in the form of a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A league source tells Rapoport that Thaddeus Lewis, termed "50-50" to play due to a rib injury by head coach Doug Marrone, is indeed expected to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The big question for Lewis right now is how soon he'll be able to return to the practice field, knowing that he's dealing not only with the rib injury, but with a flu-like illness. Rapoport's source only mentioned the rib injury in diagnosing Lewis' chances for Sunday, but if the illness keeps Lewis off the practice field through the week, Marrone may be forced to start Tuel or Flynn regardless of the status of the rib injury.

That said, it's certainly noteworthy that the rib issue isn't expected to keep Lewis off the practice field for long. The Bills will practice on Thursday in the early afternoon, and if Lewis is on the field for that one, Bills fans will likely breathe a sigh of relief.