Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month after a strong September, during which he posted three consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and one touchdown. Cook currently leads the NFL with five rushing touchdowns and ranks second in rushing yards with 401. He is now one touchdown away from tying Antowain Smith for eighth place on the Bills’ all-time rushing touchdown list.
Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins expressed support for Cook, stating, “We love him. We help him get there…And he leans on us just like we lean on him. When he’s running the ball, we want to get that guy in the end zone…Cook is cooking, and we’re thankful to have him.”
The Bills are set to face the New England Patriots in Week 5. The team has started the season 2-0 against AFC East opponents, with only the Patriots left to play within their division so far this year. The Patriots feature quarterback Drake Maye, who leads the league in completion percentage at 74% and has thrown nine touchdowns, ranking third in that category. Their defense also holds opponents to under 80 rushing yards per game.
Dawkins highlighted the significance of divisional matchups: “Learning the importance of a divisional game is the biggest thing in football to get to the next level of the regular season,” he said. “…Handle your divisional games, you’ll probably have a great shot of making it to the playoffs. McDermott has preached that…it’s we won’t lose at home mindset and handle our division. The intensity is always high because we know how much it means to him and now because of how much it meant to him, how much it means to us.”
A win over New England would make Buffalo 3-0 within their division and give them a fourth straight home victory against the Patriots.
Statistically, Buffalo’s offense leads the NFL by averaging 163.5 rushing yards per game and ranks second overall with an average of 33.25 points per game. Defensively, they allow just 125.8 passing yards per game—the lowest mark in the league—and defensive end Joey Bosa leads all players with four forced fumbles.
Quarterback Josh Allen holds a career record of 30-12 against AFC East teams, which is third-best since 1970 among quarterbacks with at least 30 starts versus those opponents.
If Buffalo wins this week, they will be 5-0 for the first time since 1991 and tie their franchise record for consecutive home regular season victories at fifteen (set between 1990-91). Additionally, if Allen records both a passing and rushing touchdown during Sunday’s game, he will surpass Cam Newton for most games with both types of scores in NFL history (46). If Cook adds another rushing touchdown, he will move into eighth place on Buffalo’s all-time list.
