Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Playoff hopes for the Buffalo Bills remain alive and well following a 31-10 win on Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills turned to the run game against the Cowboys, as James Cook led the way with 179 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Cook also accounted for 42 yards in the passing game, totaling 221 yards from scrimmage and an additional receiving touchdown.
The Bills received the opening kickoff to start, and turned their first drive of the game into a touchdown.
After finding some success early on the ground with Cook, the Bills capped off their opening 12-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run from veteran Latavius Murray.
Dallas' first drive of the game saw the Cowboys get into Buffalo territory, but a holding penalty and a third down sack by Leonard Floyd forced an early punt.
With time running out in the first quarter, the Bills punted the ball away once again, but managed to get a fresh set of downs when Dallas was flagged for roughing the kicker.
As Buffalo's drive bled into the second quarter, the offense found the end zone once again, as quarterback Josh Allen took to the air with an 18-yard strike to cook.
Down by 14, Dallas manages to get into the red zone with a big play from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb for 16 yards. However, the Bills forced an incompletion on third down, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 32-yard field goal from kicker Brandon Aubrey.
On the following Buffalo drive, it was Cook dominating on the ground and through the air once again. After Cook eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark on the drive to help get Buffalo inside the five-yard line, Allen finished the drive himself with a one-yard rushing touchdown to up the Bills' lead to 21-3.
Now down by 18 and just about 90 seconds remaining in the half, Dallas was hoping to get any points before halftime, but couldn't do anything with their last drive before halftime and punted back to Buffalo.
The Bills elected to kneel out the clock and head to the locker room with the lead.
The Cowboys opened the second half with the football, but once again, were stymied by the Buffalo defense. Dallas only advanced to their own 39-yard line before Prescott was sacked by Tyrel Dodson and Greg Rousseau on a 3rd-and-1.
On the Bills' first drive of the second half, the running game continued to dominate the Cowboys thanks to Cook and Ty Johnson. However, the Bills ended up coming short of the end zone, but still added another three points on the board with a 23-yard field goal from Tyles Bass.
With time running out in the third quarter and Dallas needing to get something going offensively, the Bills defense forced a three-and-out of the Cowboys after defensive tackle Jordan Phillips gets to Prescott on another third down sack.
It didn't take the Bills too long to go 67 yards and find the end zone once again. Just one play after a stellar one-handed catch from Stefon Diggs for 17 yards, Cook capped of the drive with a 24-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 31-3 game.
With less than 11 minutes to go in the game and the Cowboys facing a 4th-and-5 on their side of midfield, Prescott fired a pass looking for Brandin Cooks, but Bills cornerback Christian Benford was there to pick up his first interception of the season.
With the game essentially out of reach for the Cowboys, the Bills then turned to backup quarterback Kyle Allen to replace Josh Allen. Buffalo didn't get much going with Kyle Allen under center and ended up punting back to Dallas with 8:18 to go.
Trying to get points on the board in garbage time, Dallas finally gets back into the Buffalo red zone and ended up finding the end zone for the first time thanks to a Lamb three-yard touchdown run.
From there, the Bills were able to run the clock out to secure another victory and improve to 8-6 on the season.
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GAME RECAP:
First Quarter:
- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (8:06) - Latavius Murray punches in a two-yard rushing touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:54
Second Quarter:
- 14-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (12:52) - Josh Allen connects with James Cook for an 18-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 11 plays, 86 yards, 4:44
- 14-3 BUFFALO: Cowboys field goal (7:13) - Brandon Aubrey's 32-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 11 plays, 61 yards, 5:39
- 21-3 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (1:36) - Josh Allen keeps it himself for a 1-yard rushing touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Third Quarter:
- 24-3 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (2:36) - Tyler Bass' 23-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 15 plays, 65 yards, 8:22
Fourth Quarter:
- 31-3 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (12:30) - James Cook breaks free for a 24-yard touchdown trun. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 67 yards, 3:05
- 31-10 BUFFALO: Cowboys touchdown (2:48) - CeeDee Lamb finds the edge for a 3-yard touchdown run. (Brandon Aubrey's extra point attempt is good)
Drive Info: 15 plays, 80 Yards, 5:30
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills head back on the road to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. EST on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.