The Buffalo Bills turned in a tremendous performance on Thursday night, defeating the Miami Dolphins 31-10 in a blowout from the beginning. The Bills dominated on both sides of the ball, with the defense allowing 225 yards and one passing touchdown, including three interceptions on Tua Tagovailoa. The offense finished with 139 passing yards, and 108 rushing yards, along with three total touchdowns. There was plenty to like about this game, and some to dislike about the game as well. But in this article, let’s dive into the two best players from their Week 2 victory.
Running back James Cook
I feel like this one is pretty obvious. James Cook had a career-best performance on Thursday, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 11 rushing attempts, while also totaling 17 yards and one touchdown through the air. Cook finished last year strong and needed a big performance like this to keep his momentum. The Dolphins focused all their assets into the secondary this off-season and didn’t replace Christian Wilkins, who left for the Las Vegas Raiders. That allowed Buffalo, and James Cook, to attack the interior of their defensive line.
While Josh Allen’s hand is still injured, the Bills will continue to rely heavily on James Cook and the run game. This was big for the development of this new look offense, one that included a Khalil Shakir rushing attempt, and two snaps with Curtis Samuel in the backfield. The new rushing attack, outside of James Cook, may take some time before we see it at its best. They’ve been trying new plays and different looks since training camp began, and we saw it on Thursday.
Edge rusher Von Miller
We all know Miller had a lackluster season in 2023, so coming out with two strong performances these last two weeks is exactly what he and the Bills needed. Miller totaled four pressures, and turned in one sack and two tackles, giving him a sack in each of the Bills' first two games of 2024. This means Von Miller may just be all the way back, and it's been a tremendous thing to witness.
Von returning to pre-injury form has been a nice treat, as he and Greg Rousseau figure to be a big part of this pass-rush unit. Both of them have combined for five sacks so far, and we haven’t even seen the best of AJ Epenesa yet either. This pass-rush unit is going to be special, and it has been a long time coming for the Bills and their fanbase. The Bills knew this was a make-or-break year for Von Miller, who restructured his deal to remain in Buffalo. Now, if he keeps up this play, the Bills may keep him around past this season.