Bills head coach Dick Jauron said how Marshawn Lynch's ankle responded to his first day of practice Wednesday would be an indication as to his chances of playing Sunday. Lynch not only practiced a second straight day, but took the majority of first team reps.
"He was limited, but only really by definition," said Jauron. "Normally he'd get more reps. Before he got hurt he got more reps than he got today, but he was in the normal rotation pretty much. He just didn't get as many (reps) as he normally gets."
Still he took more first team reps than Fred Jackson. As a result Jauron feels good about Lynch's chances of returning to the lineup for the first time in a month.
"He looked good," Jauron said. "He tolerated yesterday's practice pretty well, so we're optimistic."
Lynch has always been optimistic saying he would have tried to play, if given the opportunity, two weeks ago. Waking up Thursday morning a day after practicing on it Lynch feels his ankle has made progress.
"It's still sore, but it's better than it was yesterday," Lynch told Buffalobills.com.
"He still gets treatment on it, but he said it felt pretty good," said Jauron.
If Lynch can play Sunday it remains to be seen how extensive his workload will be, knowing he's probably not pain free. Perhaps that's why Buffalo's head coach was still reserving judgment in terms of how much of a difference he'll make for an offense that has struggled to score points.
"If he's out there we'll find out," said Jauron. "He played last time against them and it was a very tough game. We've just got to perform well, but it's good to have him back. He's a real good football player."
