James Cook did a lot to help the Buffalo Bills beat the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. He also came one blocked field goal away from costing them the game, and that part shouldn’t get lost in a 37-34 overtime win.
Cook ran 25 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including the 5-yard score that put Buffalo up 34-27 with 1:39 left in regulation. A week after he was one of the few winners in the loss to New England, he looked like the engine of the offense again. Then, one play after Khalil Shakir’s 57-yard catch-and-run put the Bills at the Rams’ 22 to open overtime, Cook fumbled. Nate Landman forced it, and Aaron Donald recovered at the 20.
The fumbles are becoming a pattern
Michael Owens/Getty Images
It was Cook’s second fumble of the night, and he has four fumbles this season with two lost, according to NFL.com. The other lost fumble came on Buffalo’s opening snap against the Chargers in Week 3.
That’s too many for a back who touches the ball as much as Cook does. He has 95 carries through five games, and the Bills have built their offense around him. We asked earlier this month whether Buffalo had found a way to make its offense close to unstoppable with Cook carrying the load, and the answer is still yes when he holds onto the ball.
Why it matters more for this team
Buffalo’s defense can’t cover for giveaways right now. It ranks 28th in EPA per play allowed, according to Sumer Sports, and it spent 82 snaps on the field Monday trying to slow down Matthew Stafford. After Cook’s fumble, the Rams drove from their 20 to the Buffalo 30 before Greg Rousseau blocked Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard try.
Without that block, the fumble is the story of the Bills’ night, and the Rams get a 48-yard kick to win it.
Cook’s own grade reflected an uneven night. He finished with a 56.6 overall grade and a 57.6 rushing grade, according to PFF, well below the 68.1 rushing grade he carried through the first four games.
What Joe Brady should do about it
Benching Cook isn’t the answer. He has 532 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, and the Bills ran 37 times Monday because that’s who they are. Our case for leaning on Cook to protect Josh Allen against this Rams front held up, and it will again.
Brady, who earned a B grade from us for the 3-1 start, has built a lot of that success on Cook. But ball security has to become a weekly point of emphasis, and Brady should be willing to manage Cook’s late-game touches when the problem shows up again. Ray Davis carried twice Monday, and Ty Johnson caught four passes for 72 yards. There are other hands in the backfield for the snaps where one mistake decides the game.
The Bills are 4-1 and headed to Las Vegas on Sunday. They won’t get a blocked field goal every time Cook puts the ball on the ground, and the next fumble could be the one they can’t overcome.
