It’s been a fun 2024 season for the Buffalo Bills, and they are guaranteed atleast two more games. This Sunday, they are heading out to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots for a meaningless game. Win or lose, the Bills won’t move up or down in the playoff standings. Meanwhile for New England, if they lose this game then they are officially on the NFL Draft clock with the No. 1 overall pick.
While the Bills are looking for their 14th win and a sweep of the entire AFC East, they have bigger goals. They are looking to make a deep run into the playoffs and win the whole thing in New Orleans that ends with them raising the Lombardi trophy. They are in a much better position than a lot of teams, especially in their own division.
The Bills were projected to take a step back this season, but instead, they have solidified themselves as the ruler of the AFC East for many years to come. The Patriots have little to no talent and the Jets are a complete dumpster fire. With the Dolphins, they have turned their season around slowly but it is always “Miami’s a good team when Tua Tagovailoa is healthy”. It’s never that they are just a good team, and they have only beaten the Bills twice since 2018.
As the new year kicks off, the Bills are looking to get through this coming weekend and get ready for the playoffs. Football in January is a lot of fun, but there are no room for mistakes. One simple mistake can cost a team and send them home earlier than expected. With the way Buffalo’s season has gone this year, it would be a major disappointment to see them exit early once again.
CBS Sports’ New Year’s resolution for Bills is the perfect goal
Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports put together a list of New Year’s resolutions for all 32 NFL teams and Benjamin listed the perfect one for the Bills; “Don’t be afraid to use James Cook”.
"Josh Allen playing Superman is usually what propels this team, but with a hurting left hand, he could benefit from even more usage of the team's speedy No. 1 back."Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
Cook is 19 yards away from his second consecutive 1,000 rushing yard season and he has scored a career high 17 total touchdowns. He’s averaging five yards per carry which makes life a lot easier for the offense. For the longest time, Josh Allen was the Bills’ rushing attack. They now have a dependable back beind Allen who get the hard yards and allow the pass game to open up.
Defenses have to respect Cook to the point where they have to focus in on him. That will allow Allen and the pass offense to beat one-on-one coverage and move the chains to get into the endzone.
When the Bills enter the playoffs, they must prioritize pounding the rock with Cook. Doing so will keep the pressure off the Bills and help them play Buffalo brand football.