ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — All is not well in Buffalo, though James Cook’s career day will, perhaps, serve as another reminder to coordinator Joe Brady of how the Bills’ offense thrives when the running back gets the ball.
After under-utilizing Cook during Buffalo’s two-game skid before the team’s bye week, Brady stuck with the ground game in a 40-9 win over Carolina on Sunday.
Cook rushed for 216 yards — the sixth most in team history — and two touchdowns.
While Cook's big game highlighted the fourth-year player's game-breaking abilities, it also exposed deficiencies in the Bills' offense ahead of a showdown with Kansas City this weekend.
The Bills have issues with their defense, too. Coach Sean McDermott said Monday that tackle Ed Oliver needs surgery to repair a torn left biceps and is out indefinitely. Buffalo (5-2) is already without tackle DaQuan Jones, who has missed two games with a calf injury.
On offense, the Bills' passing attack led by Josh Allen continues misfiring and struggling to complete throws beyond 10 yards.
If not for Cook gaining 153 yards in the first half alone, and A.J. Epenesa’s interception that set up Allen’s 1-yard TD run a play later, the struggles of last season's MVP would have been a bigger story.
Though he finished 12 of 19 for 163 yards and a touchdown, Allen looked lost during the first half, when he completed 6 of 13 attempts for 66 yards and was sacked twice. Allen blamed himself, saying he wasn’t trusting his feet and forced a few throws.
On the bright side, Allen was turnover-free after a three-game stretch in which he threw four interceptions and lost a fumble.
Meanwhile, Buffalo's receivers are having difficulty getting open downfield.
Allen entered Week 8 ranking 20th in the NFL with 1,560 yards passing. Per Next Gen Stats, he ranked 14th yards per completion at 5.6, without taking into account yards after the catch.
That's a significant drop from 2022, when Allen ranked second, with his completions traveling an average of 7.4 yards. Notable changes since then: Brady took over midway through 2023, and top receiver Stefon Diggs departed after that season.
Buffalo lacks a proven deep threat unless general manager Brandon Beane uses what little room he has left under the salary cap to acquire one before next week's trade deadline.
Though Brady has implemented a balanced attack, the question is whether Allen can win games with his arm if opponents focus on containing Cook. Buffalo did so when it overcame a 15-point deficit in season-opening win over Baltimore, but failed in losses to New England and Atlanta.
Beating the Panthers (3-4) is one thing. The win over Carolina was Buffalo’s first against an opponent this season that had at least one win entering the game. New England and Atlanta were both 2-2 when they played the Bills.
If the Bills want to reach the Super Bowl, they face more daunting tests ahead. And it begins with rival Kansas City coming to town in what’s become an annual showdown.
Though the Bills have won their four regular-season meetings with the Chiefs since 2021, they’re 0-4 in playoff matchups since the 2020 season, including a 32-29 loss in the AFC championship game in January.
Cook is looking forward to facing the Chiefs.
“It could be real special,” he said.
A running game that generated four TDs and 245 yards. Buffalo improved to 26-7 when topping 100 yards rushing since the start of 2023.
Throw out Khalil Shakir’s 54-yard catch-and-run, and Buffalo's receivers combined for 78 yards on nine catches.
Edge rusher Michael Hoecht. The offseason free-agent addition was in on three tackles and had 1 1/2 sacks in his Bills debut. He missed the first six games while serving a suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers.
WR Curtis Samuel. The ninth-year player was not targeted on 19 offensive snaps. He was supposed to be Buffalo's deep threat with Joshua Palmer sidelined by an ankle injury.
LB Terrel Bernard did not play due to an ankle injury, while fellow starter Matt Milano (pectoral) has missed four of five games.
11 — The number of TDs the Bills have scored this season on their game-opening or second-half-opening possession. Buffalo settled for a field goal to open against Carolina, and Shakir scored to open the second half for a 26-3 lead.
Scout the Chiefs, who hosted Washington on Monday night, before returning to practice on Wednesday.
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