The Buffalo Bills struggled to move the ball in Monday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, scoring just two touchdowns and watching a series of second-half drives stall out — much of it with star running back James Cook on the sidelines.
Cook was on the field for a little more than half of the team’s offensive snaps in the 24-14 loss, leading to some criticism of head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The loss dropped the Bills out of sole possession of first place in the AFC East and into the bye week facing questions about their offensive approach.
Bills Keep James Cook Off the Field
As longtime Bills reporter and WGR 500 host Howard Simon noted, the Bills moved away from their star running back against an aggressive Falcons defense. That was especially true on third and fourth downs, where the Bills moved away from the smaller Cook against a blitz-heavy team.
“James Cook snap count last night was 52.6%. His 2nd lowest of the season,” Simon wrote in a post on X. “Lowest was in the blowout win over the Jets. As per ESPN, Cook was not on the field for any of the Bills 9 plays on 3rd down or their 1 play on 4th down. Thatâs inexcusable.”
Cook still finished with 87 rushing yards despite the low usage, which led to even more criticism as the Bills moved away from their most effective player. Facing a third-and-1 while trailing a touchdown late in the second half, the Bills called an ill-fated jet sweep to wide receiver Elijah Moore that was stopped when the receiver bobbled the ball.
Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino wrote that the team’s inability to keep Cook on the field was even more stark when compared to the way the Falcons utilized running back Bijan Robinson.
“Cook played about 60% of the snaps against the Falcons. It was a stark contrast to Robinson on Atlantaâs side, who was in the game for about 80% of the snaps,” Parrino wrote. “But aside from the sheer playing time, Robinsonâs usage could be something the Bills look at as a model.
“The Falcons line up Robinson in the formation on passing downs and send him in motion to try and hunt out matchups. The Bills seem to settle for Cookâs runs and thereâs been little creativity in how they try to deploy him.”
Bills Get Week Off to Regroup
The Bills now head into the bye week in a tie with the New England Patriots, who hold the tiebreaker after beating the Bills in Week 5. The Bills can use the time to address their mounting problems on offense while also getting healthier on defense.
The team has been awaiting the return of linebacker Matt Milano, who re-aggravated a pectoral injury. First-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston is also eligible to return from injured reserve, but the team has not yet opened his 21-day practice window.
Some analysts have suggested the Bills could get an early jump on the NFL trade deadline by finding more help for the offense, with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown named as a top potential target.
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