Per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, LeSean McCoy is expected to miss the Bills’ upcoming game on the road against the Dolphins, and could miss even more time moving forward.
I'm told #Bills RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring) is not playing this Sunday and could miss more time thereafter, depending on healing.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 20, 2016
Typically, a “mild-to-moderate” hamstring injury (as it was termed by WGR’s Sal Capaccio) could take anywhere from a week to a month to properly heal. Obviously, the Bills are hoping for the former, but since the Bills can’t have nice things it’ll probably be the latter.
With Shady on the bench, the bulk of the work from the backfield will fall on Mike Gillislee. The third-year back out of Florida has 17 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns this season, including a 44-yard scamper to close out the scoring of the blowout over the 49ers last Sunday. Reggie Bush could see more involvement with the offense after a few carries over the last two games, and rookie fifth-rounder Jonathan Williams could also see his workload spike. The Bills could even add another body to the mix (cough Karlos Williams cough).
Of course, whoever is running the ball might not have the benefit of fullback Jerome Felton in front of him. Felton missed practice today with a back injury, something he’s been dealing with for the last few weeks. Wide receiver Robert Woods was also in a walking boot after injuring his foot against the 49ers. Both could miss the upcoming divisional matchup.
Let’s all take a deep breath and step back for a moment. This is a winnable game against Miami, with or without Shady. If the pass rush can disrupt Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins offense will probably struggle to do much of anything. A 7-3 win is still a win.
Of course, if McCoy isn’t ready to go for the all-important Patriots matchup, or the following week’s trip to Seattle to play the Seahawks...
One week at a time, next man up, and all that jazz. Step back from the ledge; the season isn’t over yet.