3 winners (and 2 losers) from Bills' big Week 4 win against Saints

In the NFL, you never apologize for how you get a victory. A win is a win is a win. The Buffalo Bills got a victory at home against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and even when you look at the final score, you'd probably think, there's nothing to see here.

However, the Bills hold themselves to an extremely high standard, so while you celebrate the win, there are also some glaring issues that need to be addressed if this team is going to maintain "Super Bowl contender" status.

Who were the biggest winners (and most unfortunate losers) following the Bills' Week 4 victory against the New Orleans Saints?

James Cook tops winners, defense tops losers in Bills' Week 4 win

Bills winner: James Cook, running back

What more can be said about James Cook at this point? The guy is an absolute superstar. He's not only scored in every single game so far this season, but Cook has also run for over 100 yards in each of the last three games, including a brilliant performance against the Saints.

Cook has been instant offense all season long for the Bills. It feels like we haven't seen quite as much involvement from him in the passing game just yet, but that'll come when it's needed. The Bills are really able to lean on Cook every single week, and obviously made plays when the Bills desperately needed them to turn the tide in their favor.

It's clear at this point that Cook's extension was worth every penny for Buffalo.

Bills loser: Bobby Babich, defensive coordinator

Alright, Bobby -- what's going on?

All the talk after the first half (and then some) regarding the Bills and Saints game was about how wild it was that the Saints were hanging around and trading some punching with Buffalo. Spencer Rattler looked pretty good at times in this game.

The Saints might be 0-4 after losing this game, but they didn't look like a winless team coming into Buffalo. The reason the Saints were able to stick around in this game was the fact that they ran for 189 yards and a whopping 14 first downs on the ground alone.

Bobby Babich should be ashamed of the way his defense played, and they'll have some soul searching to do after giving up 22 first downs in this game. That was more than Buffalo's 20 first downs offensively, and the Bills were lucky the Saints didn't score a touchdown on a throw from Rattler to Brandin Cooks that ended up getting overturned on a review.

Bills winner: Cole Bishop, safety

As much as you want to be mad at the defense after this game against the Saints, you've got to tip your cap to safety Cole Bishop.

He made one of the most ridiculous plays of the game, creating a turnover that could not have come at a more perfect time. With the Saints driving down the field, facing a third-and-goal, Bishop jumped an ill-advised toss-up by Saints receiver Chris Olave on a trick play and made a beautiful one-handed interception.

If the Saints had been able to get a touchdown here, it would have been an absolute disaster and momentum shifter.

Bills loser: Tre'Davious White, cornerback

The return of Tre'Davious White is not going according to plan, but it might be going about as well as anyone realistically expected.

Although the Bills held out hope that White could somehow return to the form we saw from him a few years back, he's been far too inconsistent. At one point, Dorian Strong even entered the game for White, who was called for multiple defensive holding penalties.

The Bills might have to call up the Seahawks and ask about the price to trade for Tariq Woolen, who is apparently going to be available at this year's deadline.

Bills winner: Deone Walker, defensive lineman

Once again, the defense needs to play better, but there were still some positive standouts individually on that side of the ball. And one bright spot for the Buffalo Bills continues to be Day 3 pick Deone Walker, an absolute unit from Kentucky.

There is still really no good explanation for why Walker ended up lasting as long as he did during the 2025 NFL Draft after being projected as a 1st-round player almost the entire college season. At this stage, Walker might undeniably be the best rookie the Bills have.

He had three tackles against the Saints, and just continues to impress week after week. The Bills got themselves a steal.