MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Anthony Lynn, now the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator, served as running backs coach last season, when LeSean McCoy tried to play through a hamstring injury against the Miami Dolphins, was ineffective and then missed his team's next two games.

That experience as McCoy's position coach influenced Lynn's thinking last week, when McCoy, on the heels of an MVP-caliber performance against the San Francisco 49ers, tweaked his hamstring in Wednesday's practice.

"I don’t want to do what we did last year," Lynn told reporters on Thursday. "I don’t want him playing 85 percent, reinjuring the hamstring, and then this thing lingers all year."

As much as Lynn wanted to avoid the situation, history is repeating itself. McCoy tried to play through his hamstring injury during Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Dolphins, was ineffective and decided to sit out the final 20 minutes of game action after he felt "a little pain" in the muscle.

Now, with or without McCoy, the Bills have perhaps their most important game of the season looming. Sunday's meeting with the New England Patriots, who are 6-1 after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, has big implications for the AFC East and the Bills' playoff chances.

If Buffalo can take advantage of the home crowd at New Era Field and slow Tom Brady, whose 466 yards in the venue last season were the most by any quarterback against the Bills in their history, the Bills still stand a chance in the division. They would remain a game behind the Patriots in the standings, but with their first season sweep over New England since 1999, they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Even if the AFC East proves out of reach for the Bills, who are now 4-3 after their collapse in Miami, Sunday's game against New England still has implications for their wild-card chances. The Bills have a 1-3 record in the AFC because of early losses to the Ravens and Jets and Sunday's defeat. As promising as the Bills' wins over NFC opponents Arizona, Los Angeles and San Francisco might be, those victories will do Buffalo little good in late December, when tiebreakers -- most notably conference record -- could determine AFC wild-card spots.

McCoy isn't the linchpin to the Bills' chances to beat the Patriots or make the playoffs, but he's close to it. Before Sunday, he was playing at a level that would have put him in the discussion to be NFL MVP, and not having McCoy against the Patriots could make a huge difference. With that in mind, the smartest move for the Bills would have been to sit McCoy against the Dolphins and hope to have him fully ready for the Patriots.

"You might be right for the team," McCoy said after the game. "Seriously, you might be right. For the team, that might have been the best thing. It’s hard to say that, and as a player if you feel good, there’s no reason you shouldn’t play."

Lynn made his thoughts on the matter known in Thursday's news conference, but clearly, the offensive coordinator's belief that McCoy should be fully healthy before playing wasn't shared by everyone -- including the star running back.

"I passed all my tests, all the tests they gave me," McCoy said. "I felt amazing."