Everything went right for the Buffalo Bills in their win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, as they made everything look easy on both sides of the ball.
The loss was devastating for the Cowboys, who seemed to be getting into an effective offensive rhythm coming in only to see the Bills completely shut them down in all aspects.
Running back James Cook led the dominant Buffalo run game and outperformed the Cowboys team as a whole.
James Cook Dominates Dallas Cowboys’ Defense
Cook put up phenomenal numbers in the 31-10 win. He was seemingly unstoppable as he put up 179 rushing yards on 25 carries and 221 total yards. In contrast, the Cowboys generated 195 total yards and only crossed the 50-yard line three times over the entire game.
The running back out of Georgia made explosive plays throughout the game, averaging over eight yards per touch. This was his fourth consecutive game with 100 or more scrimmage yards.
Cook’s previous career high in scrimmage yards was 159 against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2. Additionally, 221 scrimmage yards is the most by a Bill since Fred Jackson put up 227 against the Colts in 2009.
The Bills dominated the first half, taking a 21-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Of the Bills’ 210 first-half yards, 146 came on the ground. Cook had 15 carries for 104 yards, Ty Johnson four for 25 and Josh Allen five for 15. The Cowboys had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season.
The Cowboys had only 89 total yards at the half. Entering the contest as the highest-scoring offense in the NFL averaging 32.4 points per game, it was a different story this afternoon as Dallas was completely shut down and its five-game win streak was snapped.
The scoring started with Latavius Murray running for a two-yard touchdown. Dallas managed a field goal, and Allen then tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Cook, who was also the team’s leading receiver at the half with 42 yards on two catches.
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Allen punched it in from a yard out to increase the lead to 21-3. After a third-quarter field goal, Cook found the end zone again on a 24-yard rushing touchdown.
Allen threw for just 94 passing yards and a touchdown in the matchup, although he attempted only 15 throws as the Bills’ offense was able to lean on Cook throughout the game.
Dak Prescott struggled to deal with Buffalo’s defensive line pressure, throwing for a season-low 134 yards. He also failed to record a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 1 and threw an interception in the fourth quarter.
Buffalo totaled 266 yards rushing in the matchup, the most for a Sean McDermott-coached team.
The Cowboys clinched a playoff berth earlier in the day when the Carolina Panthers upset the Atlanta Falcons, but the Philadelphia Eagles can now regain control of the NFC East after Dallas fell to 10-4 on the season.
Buffalo increased their playoff chances with the win and moved to 8-6. The Bills will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they travel to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Chargers next week.
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