Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - It has been a very stressful season for fans of the Buffalo Bills.
All of us really deserved what happened at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
The Bills annihilated the Dallas Cowboys, 31-10, and now have back-to-back wins for the first time since September. Buffalo dominated in every aspect of the game - offense, defense, special teams and coaching.
There are a number of significant points that should be made, as the Bills closed out the NFC portion of their schedule with a 4-1 record.
We already knew the offense was back, but now we know the Bills can win a game and beat a good team without having to rely solely on the passing game.
Josh Allen was just 7-of-15 for 94 yards and one touchdown on Sunday, but the offense was humming thanks to James Cook and the ground game.
The Bills ran for 266 yards, the most in a game under head coach Sean McDermott.
Cook was outstanding in this matchup, so much so that I thought it was No. 34 in a Bills jersey and not No. 4. Cook brought back memories of watching Thurman Thomas, who had games like this on a weekly basis in his career.
The 24-year-old has emerged as a top weapon in this offense. All of his attributes were on display like his patience, vision, ability to make defenders miss, cut-back runs, and speed to the edge. Cook also doesn't get enough credit as a physical runner, a guy who can break tackles and get yards after initial contact.
Cook finished with 179 yards rushing in a game where most of the starters on offense were pulled with 10-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter. It's the most rushing yards by a Bills running back since Fred Jackson ran for 212 yards in a 2010 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
In all, Cook finished with 221 total yards from scrimmage, the most for a Bills back since Jackson in 2009. Cook also became the first Bills back to catch a touchdown pass in back-to-back games since Thomas did it in 1995.
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Cook couldn't have accomplished all of that without help. The offensive line pushed the Dallas defense all over the field at Highmark Stadium.
But the blocking didn't end there.
The wide receivers and tight ends contributed key blocks on numerous Cook explosive runs. I lost track of the number of Cook runs to the edge and there were no Cowboy defenders out there.
While the offense was doing its thing, the defense was shutting down a Cowboys offense that came into the game as the top scoring unit in the NFL. Dallas had averaged 40 points a game, while winning its previous five games. Quarterback Dak Prescott was also in the discussion for NFL MVP honors.
Just how dominant was the Bills defense?
Through three quarters (before garbage time), the Cowboys had managed just three points in seven drives. 42 plays produced a grand total of 115 net yards, or an average of 2.7 yards per-play. Dallas had just eight first downs over those seven drives, and Prescott had thrown for 98 yards and one interception.
By the way, the defense played without safety Micah Hyde and pass rusher A.J. Epenesa, on top of the ongoing injury-related absences of Tre'Davious White, Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones.
From front-to-back, the defense played a near-perfect game.
Perhaps we are watching a Bills defensive group that has turned the corner. That unit is why the Bills are on the outside looking in, as far as the current playoff picture is concerned, because of its inability to close out games with a lead inside the final two minutes.
However, they were able to do just that in Kansas City against the Chiefs, and the unit followed that up with its best performance of the season by far, when you take into account the opponent and the injury-depleted lineup.
Now let's talk big picture.
The Bills have won three of their last four games, and finally look like the team we thought the 2023 Bills would be. They only moved up from 11th to ninth in the AFC standings, but their playoff chances improved to 71%, according to the New York Times Playoff Machine.
The AFC East is also in play, and looks like it will come down to the Week 18 Bills-Dolphins showdown in Miami.
The Dolphins currently have a two-game lead on the Bills, but their next two games are against the 10-4 (and hopefully very angry) Cowboys in Miami, and then in Baltimore against the 11-3 Ravens.
Meanwhile, the Bills visit the 5-9 Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, and then host the 3-11 New England Patriots.
If the Bills do as expected and beat the Chargers and Patriots, all that has to happen is for Miami to lose one of their next two games, and that final regular season matchup will determine the division winner.
