Bills vs. Steelers, NFL preseason Week 3: first half live chat

EJ Manuel takes his last and best chance to leapfrog Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor for the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback job in about a half-hour, when he'll lead the Bills' first-team offense onto the field in their penultimate preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bills head coach Rex Ryan also plans on running Cassel and Taylor with the first-team offense, meaning that with three quarterbacks likely to play in the first two-plus quarters, Manuel's stint with the ones is not likely to last very long. Still, the level of play exhibited between these three competitors in a highly unusual circumstance in the NFL could play a critical role in helping Ryan determine his guy.

None of the quarterbacks playing will benefit from a full complement of skill players, as running backs LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams, and Boobie Dixon are not expected to play, nor are receivers Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Percy Harvin, and Chris Hogan. It's a similar circumstance that Taylor, who started last week's preseason game in Cleveland, had to play through.

This is your open thread for the first half of today's Bills-Steelers exhibition. Let's see what we see. Go Bills!

Note: I am out of town today and Matt Warren is otherwise occupied, so Mr. Dan Lavoie will be running the site on his own this evening. It's one of his very first solo acts, so please, treat him well - and if anything or anyone is out of hand in the comments section, do him a solid and flag it so that he doesn't have to keep his eyes everywhere at all times tonight. Thanks! - BG