James Cook has been impactful for the Buffalo Bills through four games, despite his numbers not being as high as they might be. He still has yet to rush for over 80+ yards in a game this season, yet he has shown that he can be the star of the game. Just ask the Miami Dolphins from Week 2 when Cook ran all over the Dolphins and had three total touchdowns.
Last week against the Baltimore Ravens, Cook was very quiet. To be fair, so was the rest of the offense. He had a season-low nine carries and rushed for 39 yards. He only added one reception for nine yards.
Heading into Week 5, the Buffalo Bills are facing a great amount of injuries on the defense. With this kind of setup, Bills fans may see a high-scoring affair in Houston. The “everybody eats” mentality may not apply for the Bills. It would not be surprising to see Buffalo’s offense having to be the reason why the Bills leave Houston with their fourth win of the season.
Even though the injuries are mainly on the defense, wide receiver Khalil Shakir was also ruled out for this game. This could open the door for Cook to be more impactful in the passing game than he has been.
When it comes to the Texans’ run-defense, they have given up 100+ rushing yards three of their last four games. They gave up 158 yards on the ground to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and almost gave Jacksonville their first win of the season. The way that Buffalo’s offense operates is that while Cook is the main back, they have a true committee with Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson.
It would not be surprising to see this rushing attack get established early on to avoid having to put all of the pressure on Josh Allen.
Predicting James Cook's Week 5 stats
If the Bills want to leave Houston with the win, Joe Brady needs to make the running game the main priority. Control the clock and keep C.J. Stroud off the field. Not to mention, establishing the run will set up the passing game that is already down Khalil Shakir. Assuming that Cook can get to the second level consistently, he should have a solid game and pick up crucial yards to keep the offense on the field.