Early on in the Buffalo Bills AFC Wild Card game against the Denver Broncos, things looked off for Josh Allen. He was airmailing passes, missing open targets like Dawson Knox in the end zone or holding the ball for too long in the pocket - which, by the way, was extremely clean for most of the game.
Buffalo needed help on offense in order to support the amazing effort their defense was putting in against Bo Nix and the Broncos. They turned to their backfield, consisting of Ty Johnson and James Cook, for that help. And, they both delivered in quite amazing ways.
Bills rush for 212 yards, cementing importance of Cook and Johnson to winning
When the Bills begin their games off slow, they have been able to turn to Cook and Johnson consistently for yardage. In the Wild Card contest against Denver, Cook and Johnson combined for 164 total rushing yards of the 210 total that Buffalo picked up in the game. This just continued the trend of the Bills ability to run the ball just as efficiently as they have been able to pass.
Buffalo is going to be home next week against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional game, and there they'll be met with an offense that's also reliant on the production of their run game. Derrick Henry's ability to carve up opposing defenses is next to none, but more noise needs to be made about how well Cook and Johnson are able to do this, as well.
Cook has been electric all season for Buffalo, but seemed unstoppable on first and second down in the Wild Card game. He alone picked up 120 rushing yards and hit an average of 5.2 yards picked up per carry. As for Johnson, his ability to act as a receiver in the short field is hugely beneficial to Allen, who can always use Johnson as a bail out on 3rd and 4th downs.
Cook's rushing touchdown and Johnson's acrobatic touchdown catch in the contest are perfect examples of how quickly they can add energy to Buffalo's offense, even when Allen is struggling. Considering that this game was Cook's fifth postseason game and Johnson's third, you'd expect some jitters or hesitancy to play as freely as they did.
But, they came out on fire, and that's exactly what you want to see headed into a huge Divisional game against a Ravens defense that has just been getting better and better throughout the season, and one that allowed a league-low 1,361 yards in 2024. If they can share the rock and provide spark for Buffalo next week, then the Bills' Super Bowl aspirations may feel far more realistic.