It was the Josh Allen show in the Buffalo Bills’ 41-31 win in primetime against the Detroit Lions. The superstar QB once again put on an epic MVP-like performance against the Lions in which he had 5 total touchdowns to go with 317 total yards. The Lions had no chance at stopping Allen once he got going.
There’s no doubt that he was the star of the game in the debut of the new Highmark Stadium, but he wasn’t the only one that shined for the offense in front of Bills Mafia.
Bills' offense established rushing attack with James Cook
Against a horrendous defense, the Bills weren’t just able to throw all over them, but Buffalo also got the run game going and they managed to rush for over 200 yards. James Cook had 135 yards off of 21 carries which included a 4th quarter touchdown, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. His longest rush of the night went for 35 yards, and there were plenty of times when the Bills would run right at edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
In Week 1 against the Houston Texans, the Bills only managed to rush for 86 yards, with Cook having just 57 yards off those yards off of 13 carries.
It was definitely a different approach against the Lions, with Joe Brady showing trust in Cook even despite a potential 4th quarter costly fumble in Week 1 against Houston. It also made it special that Cook had the night he did in the first ever game at the new Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen was fantastic in Week 2 (but so was James Cook)
Through Buffalo’s first two games, we have seen this offense explode and become nearly unstoppable. It’s been the Josh Allen show the last two games and it usually is (and there’s nothing wrong with it). However, we can’t ever count out Cook and his capabilities when it comes to what he does for this offense.
In 2024, Cook led the league in rushing touchdowns (16). Then last season, Cook led the league in rushing yards (1,621). I get it, you’ve got backs like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, and Derrick Henry. But there is no way that anyone can have a conversation about who the best running backs are and not include Cook.
Week 2 was just another example of what he brings to the offense to take pressure off of the unit. He now gets the chance for extra rest before a Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers back in Orchard Park.
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