Veteran running back Fred Jackson remains sidelined with a broken hand but Marshawn Lynch could return to action Saturday when the Bills host the Cincinnati Bengals at Ralph Wilson Stadium in their third exhibition outing.

Lynch injured his ankle in a loss to Washington on Aug. 13 and sat out last week's 34-21 victory over Indianapolis in Toronto. But Lynch is back running and working on gaining more confidence in his hard cuts.

If he continues to progress and suffers no setbacks during the week, Lynch could be in the lineup against the Bengals, something the troubled star would surely welcome, particularly after the sensational performance by rookie first-round pick C.J. Spiller against the Colts.

Spiller scored on a 31-yard run when he beat three Colts defenders with ankle-breaking moves. He finished with 54 yards on 10 carries.

Meanwhile, rookie free agent Joique Bell contributed 80 yards on 11 carries, showing nice power, speed and decision making.

Spiller and Bell, two of the most productive running backs in college football history, are making a statement that they could form a productive 1-2 backfield punch. For now, the plan of using Jackson, Lynch and Spiller in some combination has been put on hold until Jackson and Lynch can get themselves back on the field.

Jackson is shooting for the Sept. 12 regular-season opener against Miami. Until then, Buffalo's offensive thinkers are working on mostly one-back looks.

"I want to get back as soon as I can," Jackson said. "My thoughts are that I definitely want to be back by the opener. That's what I'm shooting for."

For now, the Bills are treating the injuries to Jackson and Lynch as a chance to get a better look at their young bloods. Spiller missed some valuable time early in camp as his contract was worked on.

"I think you can see ... why we drafted C.J.," coach Chan Gailey said of Spiller, the ninth overall pick out of Clemson. "Obviously, running the ball is what he does best. And he made an unbelievable run on that touchdown."

--Is it possible to win a starting job in the NFL with one play? When it involves a quarterback displaying the necessary toughness to play the position, the answer is a definite "yes." In last week's preseason win over Indianapolis in Toronto, Trent Edwards resembled a hockey player after losing his helmet and chipping a tooth when slammed to the ground by defensive end Robert Mathis on a third-and-10 play in the first quarter. But a short time later, Edwards hooked up with Lee Evans on a 70-yard touchdown play, shaking off the cobwebs and impressing new coach Chan Gailey. "You've got to have moxie to play quarterback in this league. I was impressed with that, really impressed with it," Gailey said of Edwards. "I asked after he got hit 'Are you OK?' He didn't even flinch. ... I think he's a tough guy."

--Brian Brohm, who played extensively against the Colts' second team, acquitted himself well by completing 14 of 21 passes for 125 yards with no interceptions. Gailey said he was pleased with Brohm's effort but would not say if it was enough to earn the start in Saturday's game against Cincinnati. Normally, the third preseason game is when a starting unit is in place and it can play together for about a half. If Edwards starts against the Bengals, it means the starting job is his even if Gailey isn't ready to announce it. Brohm gave himself a passing grade against the Colts but said he needed to get his team into the end zone and he didn't. "For me it was good first action out there, but obviously I want to get in the end zone, I want to score touchdowns," Brohm said. "I felt like we moved the ball and got yards. But the object of the game is to put points on the board, and I needed to put more points on the board when I was in there."

--Coach Chan Gailey had no problems lathering on the hype for last week's preseason game against the Colts at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Buffalo's new boss has quickly grasped the importance of the Canadian market for his team (and his paycheck). "It's pretty unique. It will go in the book," Gailey said prior to his team's 34-21 victory over the Colts. "When you write your memoirs, this is one of those special things you get to write about. Toronto is a great city." The Bills will be back in Toronto on Nov. 7 to play the Chicago Bears, part of a $78-million, eight-game package of playing games north of the border. Enthusiasm for the Bills in Toronto series remains lukewarm. Attendance for the Colts game was 39,583 -- about 14,000 below capacity.

--How boring has Buffalo's offense been in preseason play? Spiller's 31-yard touchdown run against the Colts snapped a string of 20 straight preseason possessions without a touchdown for the first-team offense.

--CB Terrence McGee still has it. Slowed by injuries in recent years, McGee intercepted a tipped Peyton Manning pass against the Colts and raced 78 yards for a touchdown. In a preseason game against the Colts in 2008, McGee returned a fumble 68 yards for a score. "Basically, Drayton Florence tipped the ball and I was just in the right spot at the right time," McGee said. "I happened to catch the ball before it hit the ground. At first, I thought someone was going to tackle me so I just took off. My team did the blocking and got me to the end zone."

--Buffalo's secondary is looking forward to facing former WR Terrell Owens and his new running mate, Chad Ochocinco, Saturday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. SS Donte Whitner has already exchanged a few good-natured words with T.O. via Twitter. "It's all a lot of fun, but when we go out there on the football field we expect to go out there and have a great showing against those guys," Whitner said. "We feel like we're one of the top secondaries in the National Football League and we have to go out and show it each and every Sunday."

--With injuries mounting at running back and wide receiver, the Bills made a couple roster moves to replenish their depth. Signed were RB Andre Anderson and WR Aaron Rhea, both rookies. Anderson was a 1,000-yard rusher last fall for Tulane and spent the spring as an undrafted free agent with Oakland. Rhea played for Stephen F. Austin, catching 59 balls for 809 yards and 10 TDs as a senior. He was signed by Minnesota then waived in June. After a few days of cramming, Rhea caught two passes for 19 yards in last Thursday's 34-21 preseason win over Indianapolis.

--Many skeptics felt Aaron Schobel's refusal to take part in off-season workouts was a ploy to get out of Buffalo and traded to a contender. But the veteran defensive end's decision to retire at age 33 after nine NFL seasons rather than join the Houston Texans validated his claim that his heart just wasn't into the game anymore. Houston is just 70 miles from Schobel's home in Columbus, Texas. In the end, it wasn't about money or keeping his young family rooted in one place. It was just his time to say goodbye to the game. "I'm leaving on my terms and nobody else's," Schobel told the Houston Chronicle. "And I'm happy that I can walk away." Schobel retires as a Bill. He's the team's No. 2 career sack leader with 78.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We won the game, but we've got a lot of work to do. We can't injure our elbows patting ourselves on the back." -- Coach Chan Gailey after Buffalo's 34-21 preseason victory over Indianapolis, his first as Bills coach.

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