Josh Allen said what Bills fans already thought about James Cook

As the 2025 NFL regular season continues to wind toward its end, it’s becoming more and more obvious just how much the Buffalo Bills need their potent rushing attack, fueled by James Cook. Cook tore through the Cleveland Browns' defense early, hitting the century mark in rushing with two touchdowns before halftime on just nine carries.

Of course, quarterback Josh Allen has gotten a lot of the love from the talking heads around the league for his heroic efforts in recent weeks to will the team to victory. While the 23-20 win over Cleveland was a bit close for comfort, it wasn’t Allen putting on the cape for the win this week. It was Cook putting in the heavy work early.

Still, the production of the offense in the first half was not matched in the second, leaving many Bills fans scratching their heads after another inconsistent outing on offense.

Buffalo Bills offense flows through James Cook despite second-half drop-off

Cook had such an explosive first half, but was held to just 17 yards on seven carries in the second half. After the game, Allen explained what changed in the second half.

“They were making plays. You know, they found something that was working for them,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, though, last drive, knew we were running it, we had to run it, and we did, and we got the first.”

To be fair, that run was Allen himself, not Cook. Of course, the Bills’ rushing attack includes Allen, who had 17 yards on seven carries.

But the quiet second half didn’t take too much away from Cook, nonetheless. It was his ninth 100-yard game of the season, tying Thurman Thomas’s 1992 mark and putting him behind O.J. Simpson’s 11 100-yard games in 1973.

“It’s unbelievable. He’s the best back in football. I don’t know how the awards shake out, but he should be in the running for every award. He’s an absolute stud. We love having him and he makes our offense go.

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Cook will still be in the running to lead the NFL in yards, contending with Indianapolis Colts star tailback Jonathan Taylor for the honor. Bills fans will already be keeping an eye on the Colts when they play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. A Colts loss will clinch a playoff spot for the Bills (if Houston doesn’t inexplicably lose to Las Vegas before that).

Cook’s strong start against Cleveland helped reverse one of the bigger negative trends the Bills have faced on offense, that being the slow starts. But it is concerning it didn’t carry over to the second half, especially when the offense is struggling to get much of anything out of its wide receivers.

While Allen does a lot of the heavy lifting in clutch moments, Cook carries the efficiency of the offense throughout the game, and teams are taking notice with the postseason on the horizon. For Buffalo to take advantage of the seemingly favorable playoff landscape in the AFC, the league’s top rushing attack by volume is going to need more consistency from the opening kick to the final whistle in the final weeks.