Bills Advance to 5-2 Headlined by Elite Rushing Attack and Suffocating Defense
The Buffalo Bills were in hot water after suffering a two-game losing streak going into the bye. Even more stress was put on this matchup against the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off a three-game winning streak. The Bills bounced back in a big way, trouncing the Panthers by a score of 40-9 to stay in a playoff spot in the AFC. Buffalo’s victory was headlined by an exceptional game of running the ball, as well as their defense finally having a dominant performance.
Cook Keeps Showing Why He Got Paid
The extension of James Cook’s contract keeps paying dividends this season. After offensive coordinator Joe Brady got criticized for not leaning on Cook in the 24-14 loss to the Falcons two weeks ago, Cook became the catalyst of the Bills' offense in Week Eight. With his 216 rushing yards, Cook rushed for the sixth-most yards in a single game in Bills history. Also, he joined Bills’ Wall of Fame members O.J. Simpson and Cookie Gilchrist as the only players in franchise history to rush for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a game. The former Georgia Bulldog is always expected to excel on the ground, but this performance was even more impressive given the fact that Carolina had the eighth-ranked run defense going into this game. The defense going from allowing just 131 rushing yards over the past three games to giving up 245 yards and four rushing touchdowns to the Bills is certainly a great accomplishment.
Average Game from Allen Still Broke Records
Reigning MVP Josh Allen attempted 19 passes, which equaled the number of rushing attempts that Cook had. This is a far cry from the days of offensive playcalling when Ken Dorsey, Brady’s predecessor, was here with Allen attempting 35.4 passes a game in 2022, while Devin Singletary, the team’s lead back in ‘22, attempted 11.1 carries per game. This balanced offense has made it easier for Allen to perform well, even with fewer times with the ball in his hands. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 163 yards and a passing touchdown to go along with two rushing touchdowns. In netting a 108.0 passer rating while not turning the ball over, the reigning NFL MVP was doing exactly what the coaches wanted out of him. With this victory, Allen advanced to 8-0 After the bye week, and became the first player to run and throw for a touchdown in 46 games, breaking a record previously held by Panthers’ legend Cam Newton. With his two rush TDs, Allen achieved 77 for his career and also tied Newton for the most all-time by a quarterback, including playoff games.
Bills Defense Terrorized Dalton
This game could’ve netted a different outcome if Bryce Young were playing in this game. Without Young, Andy Dalton stepped in to start his first game since October 20th, 2024. The pass rush got a much-needed pick-me-up with the backup QB in, sacking him seven times for a loss of 45 yards. Michael Hoecht netted 1.5 sacks in his first game with the Bills, while AJ Epenesa brought a sack of his own to go along with an interception. With a highly anticipated game versus the Kansas City Chiefs next week, the defense needed a game like this in preparation for the high-powered offense led by Patrick Mahomes.
