Let James Cook!
For the longest time, the Buffalo Bills were labeled as a team that couldn’t run the ball outside of Josh Allen. While Allen has shown that he is a dual-threat in this league with both a strong arm and ability to make plays with his legs, the Bills needed to address the run-game sooner than later. In 2022, the Bills drafted running back James Cook out of Georgia and after a year of learning the game, Cook has established himself as one of the best backs in football.
Coming into Week 8, Cook had 341 yards on the ground along with five rushing touchdowns. His five rushing touchdowns this season is more than what he had the last two seasons. Pairing him with a rookie like Ray Davis has helped Buffalo establish the run and keep some of the attention off of Allen and the passing attack.
The Bills have done a great job showing the NFL that Allen isn’t the only one that can pound the rock in Buffalo. Coming out of Week 8, the Bills earned themselves a phenomenal 31-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks where they dominated from start to finish. Part of the reason why the Bills were able to crush the Seahawks was because of Cook.
James Cook shined in the Week 8 victory for Buffalo Bills
Cook would finish his Week 8 production with 17 carries for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 3 catches for 22 yards.
His star quarterback gave him some praise in a postgame conference, specifically about how Cook is a hard runner and how it was demonstrated today, per AJ Feldman.
Even though Cook is not the most physical running back in the league, he shows that he is not afraid of contact and can pick up an easy eight-yards on a rushing attempt. With the weather getting colder in Buffalo each day, Cook is going to need to keep up this productivity and keep showing the Bills that he can continue to carry the rock and fight for those extra yards in crucial moments.