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LeSean McCoy Injury Update: Buffalo Bills Running Back Could Miss Key Matchup Against Patriots After Re-Injuring Hamstring

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 15:51 PST, Oct 23, 2016

LeSean McCoy injured his already ailing hamstring in Sunday’s game, and now the Buffalo Bills’ running back could end up missing a key matchup ahead for the team.

McCoy had initially tweaked his hamstring in practice this week and it looked at one point as if he would miss Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills were able to keep McCoy in the lineup, though he wasn’t very effective. McCoy struggled against the Dolphins’ defense in the 28-25 loss, and then left in the third quarter after re-injuring the hamstring.

LeSean McCoy gave an update on the injury on Sunday night, saying it wasn’t “major” and that he hoped to be ready for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, Pro Football Talk reported.

But that could still be up in the air. As McCoy’s status in Sunday’s game showed, the injury is clearly a sensitive one and it may be difficult for McCoy and the team to determine the full extent of the injury until later in the week. It wasn’t until Sunday morning that the team’s beat reporters noted the Bills were sure McCoy could be in the lineup for the Dolphins game.

Losing McCoy for next Sunday’s game could be devastating for the Buffalo Bills. The team has already been playing shorthanded on offense, with Sammy Watkins on injured reserve with the possibility of returning and No. 2 receiver Robert Woods also missing Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. Marquise Goodwin, who entered Sunday as the team’s top receiver, also went down with an injury and his status for next week is unclear.

They will be facing a New England Patriots team looking for revenge after the Bills handed them a 16-0 shutout, New England’s only loss on the season. But that win was against third-stringer Jacoby Brissett, and on Sunday the Bills will face Tom Brady.

If LeSean McCoy now does miss time for the re-injured hamstring, it could be a major mark against Ryan. For his two seasons in Buffalo, LeSean McCoy has been the most important cog in an offense that is tilted heavily toward the run. While quarterback Tyrod Taylor and wide receiver Sammy Watkins have also played key roles, the team lives and dies by McCoy’s runs and it was his string of strong performances that pushed the team’s four-game winning streak.

And the criticism has already started, with many NFL writers questioning why Ryan would have McCoy in the game at all with such a sensitive injury.

While there has been plenty of second-guessing of Rex Ryan’s decision to insert McCoy in Sunday’s game, the injury actually appeared to be fully healed by game time. Reports had indicated that the Bills would have McCoy on a snap count, keeping him in the game only between 25 and 35 plays, but even with that, the injury didn’t seem to bother him.

McCoy said as much after the game.

“I felt fine,” McCoy said, via the team’s website. “Every day step by step I slowly progressed and things calmed down. It was a day to day decision. I felt great going into my cuts, warming up, running, cutting, I felt good. That was the only reason I would play if I was 100 percent.”

It will likely take at least a few more days before a concrete update on LeSean McCoy’s injury will be available. The Buffalo Bills running back is expected to be evaluated again early in the week, but Rex Ryan may not make a determination until close to game time, just as he did this week against the Dolphins.

[Featured Image by Lynne Sladky/AP Images]

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