The Buffalo Bills got a big win at home on Sunday, beating the Jets 35-8 in what could be the final game at Highmark Stadium. The win closes the regular season for the Bills and leaves them with a 12-5 record, second place in the AFC East, and the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.
One of the big storylines for the Bills in this game, beyond playoff seeding and the stadium, was RB James Cook. Entering Sunday’s action, Cook had a small lead in a tight chase for the 2025 NFL rushing title, locked into a battle with Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and Ravens RB Derrick Henry. Now that both the Bills and the Colts have concluded their regular seasons, Cook beat Taylor by 47 yards — however, Henry is still lurking, and the Ravens play on Sunday Night Football.
Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott on RB James Cook’s Playing Time Amid Chase
GettyKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 26: James Cook #4 of the Buffalo Bills dives for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Bills got up early on the Jets and never looked back, cruising to an easy win. Star QB Josh Allen played just the first snap of the game before he was replaced by backup Mitch Trubisky, and many of Buffalo’s starters either didn’t play or played sparingly.
Cook ended up taking just two carries for 15 yards. It was enough to secure his place past Taylor, who also wasn’t terribly productive on Sunday for the Colts, but it remains to be seen what Henry will do.
“I mean I’m sure if he got hurt, people would make me walk home,” McDermott said in his post-game press conference with a smile in his dry sense of humor. “Or burn my car, I don’t know. That’s the give and take of the week, of, ‘okay, how long do we go [with the starters]?’ I gave him a quarter, I told [Bills OC Joe Brady] during the week, I was like, ‘all right, he’s going to have a quarter and no more.’”
Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott on RB James Cook’s Rushing Title Hunt
“As I got closer and closer to the game, I’m like, ‘ah, a quarter’s too much,’” McDermott continued, drawing laughter from the assembled media members. “So I’m probably not a great gambler in the casinos, but it helped when we knew what Jonathan Taylor [did], and the afternoon he had. But we also wanted to know where, in terms of tonight’s game, where that could go.”
“And I still feel like it was — I pray he wins it, he deserves it. [We] felt like we could get him to 150 [yards], 150 in terms of the spread between him and Derrick Henry. And we’ll see. We did the best we could, and we’re trying to be fair to James, and yet take care of him and be fair to the team as well.”
The Bills have secured the No. 6 seed in the AFC and will take on the Jaguars in the wildcard round of the playoffs, but they’ll have to do it on the road. It’s the first time Buffalo hasn’t won the AFC East since 2019, Tom Brady’s final year in New England.
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