This was a must-win game for the Buffalo Bills and they didn’t just win, but they dominated the Dallas Cowboys in a 31-10 blowout victory.
With this win, the Bills move to 8-6 on the season and find themselves in a position to make a true run to the playoffs and possibly even take back the AFC East from the Miami Dolphins. The Bills made this statement win with their next two games being the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots.
The Bills were up 21-3 at halftime and kept their foot on the gas pedal, not allowing the Cowboys to get back into the game. Things are looking up for the Bills, who have had a shaky season to say the least. However, the last month of football has looked like true Buffalo Bills football.
Here are five impressive takeaways from the Bills’ dominating win over the Cowboys.
5.) Buffalo defense contains CeeDee Lamb
One of the biggest x-factors for the Cowboys this season has been wideout CeeDee Lamb who is on his way to having a career year with the Cowboys. Lamb has visited the endzone in his last five games and was targeted 27 times by Dak Prescott going into this game against the Bills. With the way that the Bills’ secondary has performed this season, there was reason to believe that Lamb was going to be a big playmaker for the Cowboys. However, that was not the case in this game.
Lamb was targeted 10 times, bringing in just 7 catches for 53 yards. No touchdowns and no big plays for Lamb. It was because of great coverage in the secondary and Prescott facing the pressure all game long. Lamb only had five games where he had less than 55 receiving yards in a game going into this game, and now it is six games. The Bills showed up big against the Cowboys’ best weapon on the outside.
4.) Josh Allen was only sacked once
With how dominating the Cowboys’ defense has performed this season, the Bills’ offensive line needed to play almost perfect football to protect their franchise quarterback in Josh Allen. That is just what they did and the result was great for Buffalo. Despite Allen only throwing the ball 15 times, he was sacked just one time in this game against a defense that has players like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence who can create a ferocious pass rush. Dallas’ lone sack came from rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith, in which Allen didn’t go to the ground. He just stood up before the whistle blew the play dead.
The offensive line for the Bills has had all five starters healthy for every single game this season and the continuity has kept Allen upright and he has not faced a ton of pressure since Week 1 against the New York Jets. Allen has only been sacked 19 times this season.
3.) Cowboys’ offense didn’t score a touchdown until the 4th quarter
In their last five games, the Cowboys have been averaging over 40 points a game and they were going to take on a Bills defense that may not be a top unit, but they do play great situational football. The Bills’ defense made the Cowboys’ offense look like a joke right from the start and the story never changed. The Cowboys had just one touchdown in this game and it didn’t come until the fourth quarter off of a CeeDee Lamb rushing touchdown.
When a defense is able to get a powerful offense off the field, they create momentum for themselves and their offense. That is what the defense did for Allen and the Buffalo offense. As the game continued on, the Bills needed to keep their foot on the gas petal and not let Dallas crawl their way back into the game. They played shut down defense and ultimately dominated Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense.
2.) James Cook’s career day
No one should disagree with the fact that running back James Cook was the MVP for the Bills in this dominant win. He had more carries than Allen had passing attempts and every time he had the ball, he made magic out of nothing at some points during the game. Cook finished the win with 25 carries fro 179 yards on the ground with a touchdown. He also added 2 catches for 42 yards and a score through the air. This was his breakout game that Bills fans have been waiting for. His last big productive game took place in the home opener back in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders (17 carries for 123 yards).
Overall, the running game was the biggest contributor for the Bills which is something that usually does not happen (or even happen at all). Cook has burst onto the scene as a rising star in the last month of football since the Bills made the change from Ken Dorsey to Joe Brady for offensive play calling.
1.) Buffalo Bills gets their 5th 21+ point victory of the season
When the Bills get rolling early and don’t make careless mistakes, they are the best team in the NFL and it is not even close. They have only had three wins that were by no more than one score. Their other five wins have come in a blowout fashion by no less than 21 points. They beat the Raiders by 28, the Commanders by 35, the Dolphins by 28, the Jets by 26, and the Cowboys by 21. When you have an athletic quarterback like Allen, anything is possible with this offense and it helps when the defense plays takeaway football like they have in these victories.
The Bills have three games remaining on the schedule (Chargers, Patriots, Dolphins) and they will need to find a way to win out if they want a shot at the playoffs. If dominating these three teams is what it takes to get into the playoffs, then so be it. At the end of the day, the Bills still face the pressure down the stretch and do not control their own destiny. However, they still need to take care of business on their end.