ABuffalo Bills running back won the NFL rushing title for the first time in a half-century, and his coaches “couldn’t be happier for him.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady offered high praise of James Cook after he rushed for 1,621 yards and held off Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor for the most yards on the ground this year.
Despite logging only two carries for 15 yards Sunday in a blowout win over the New York Jets, Cook became the first Bills back to lead the NFL in rushing since O.J. Simpson in 1975. He posted the third-most rushing yards in a single season in franchise history, trailing only Simpson’s 1,817 yards that season and his 2,003 yards in 1973.
Led by Cook, and likely NFL MVP finalist Josh Allen, the Bills are back in the playoffs for the seventh straight year. They will take on the AFC South champion and No. 3 seeded Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Joe Brady: James Cook ‘Put On An Incredible Performance This Year’
Members of Bills Mafia would be forgiven if they don’t remember the training-camp questions about potentially trading away their now-franchise running back while he held out over a new contract.
But Brady hasn’t forgotten, and he was excited to see both sides vindicated for not breaking up over Cook’s insistence on collecting his worth.
“If you think back to training camp, and we’re sitting up in these press conferences and talking about James Cook and ‘is he a diva? He doesn’t want to be part of [the Bills]. Why would you pay a running back?'” Brady said. “All he’s done is just shown up to work and absolutely put on an incredible performance this year.”
To Brady’s point, Cook was set to enter the final year of his rookie deal off a 1,009-yard season where he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16). Some wondered if the Bills would be better off trading Cook and handing their rushing attack to Ray Davis and Ty Johnson or trading for Brian Robinson Jr. before he ultimately was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers.
Instead, the Bills paid Cook like one of the best RBs in the NFL with a four-year, $46 million contract. He rewarded the organization by, again, playing like one of the league’s top backs, since he finished fourth in yards from scrimmage (1,912) and scored 12 touchdowns.
Plus, Cook finished with the most yards — and held off Henry and Taylor — despite logging just two snaps in Buffalo’s 35-8 win in the finale at Highmark Stadium.
“Not often do guys get paid and then take their games up to another level,” Brady said, “and to [win the rushing title] with one less game I think was really impressive, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
The Bills Are The Favorites To Win The AFC
If ever there were a year for the Bills to reach the Super Bowl it’s this one.
There’s no Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow blocking the path, and even the longtime nemesis Baltimore Ravens were eliminated from postseason contention Sunday night.
So even though the Bills are the No. 6 seed and will likely need to be road warriors each round to get to Super Bowl LX, they should be considered the favorites to represent the AFC at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8.
Bills OC Joe Brady Sends Strong Message on James Cook After Rushing Title Win