The Buffalo Bills proved Sunday they are still bullies.
Not the bully who abuses weaklings, but backs down from a real fight. No, they are the mean, nasty bully always looking for one.
And they punked the Carolina Panthers in front of the entire class.
The Panthers entered with a top-10 overall defense and NFL’s eighth-ranked run defense, but didn’t generate much of a pass rush and were weak in the middle of the secondary.
Seemed like a recipe for the Bills to throw, right?
Wrong.
After two games in which coach Sean McDermott made it known he wanted a more physical, downhill offensive approach, play-caller Joe Brady didn’t overthink it.
Running back James Cook rattled off a 12-yard run on Buffalo’s first offensive play and they kept giving it to him. There were no trick plays or gimmicks. Just old-fashioned, hard-nosed football.
“When you’ve got James Cook, just let him cook,” quarterback Josh Allen said.
A Panthers defense that gave up 131 yards rushing the last three games total were gashed for 245 (on 35 carries) and Cook was their nightmare. Cook ran for a career-high 214 yards (on 19 carries) and two touchdowns on 11.4 yards per carry and the Bills snapped a two-game skid in a 40-9 beat-down.
It was a sorely needed win that reaffirmed who the Bills are. They have won 11 consecutive coming off their bye.
“I know the value of being a two-dimensional offense,” said McDermott, who improved to 9-0 after the bye. “I love the run game. … I do value physical football and it starts up front, whether you’re throwing it or running it. I love physical football.”
The Panthers don’t just possess a talented front four with 300-pound monsters Derrick Brown and A’Shawn Robinson in the middle, but they are active. They like to stunt and twist on early downs, taking away Buffalo’s favorite play – “Duo,” which is a gap scheme that creates double-teams at the point of attack and allows Cook to pick a hole.
Instead the Bills used more outside zone runs, toss plays, counters and traps to make the Panthers pay for their aggressiveness. It wasn’t a flashy game plan but it was the correct one and Brady deserves credit after being panned for Cook only getting 32 touches the previous two games.
But the rest of the credit goes to Cook, who made it clear, if it wasn’t already, that he is one of the NFL’s stars and best running backs in the NFL. Those who scoffed about his public demand for a $15 million-per-year extension have to admit early returns on his four-year, $46 million deal look like a bargain.
Cook has patience, quickness and elite vision to find cut-back running lanes. He’s also the offense’s lone consistent breakaway threat, showcased on his 64-yard second-quarter run after the offense floundered on two early drives that led to field goals.
He had seven runs of at least 10 yards and three of over 20, including his second touchdown. So good was Cook that he joined an elite company.
Cook became the seventh player in franchise history to run for 200 yards and he had the most since Thurman Thomas ran for 216 against the Jets in 1990. And Cook also became the fifth player to average over 11 yards per carry (on a minimum of 10 attempts) — Wray Carlton, O.J. Simpson, Thomas and C.J. Spiller — and, again, the first to do it since Thomas in 1990.
The Bills are now 5-0 this season when Cook has 100 scrimmage yards. And he is not only their top offensive weapon, but he’s been their best player through the first seven games of the season.
“Smooth,” Cook said of his running style. “Just being patient. Just seeing it and hitting it.”
As good as Cook has been, part of the reason for being Buffalo’s best player is a lackluster passing game, which remained mostly uninspiring against the Panthers. Allen was just 12 of 19 for 163 yards and it felt disjointed throughout the game.
Often, Allen dropped back to pass and none of his receivers were open, some through talent and some through scheme. But Allen still had early issues deciphering where pressure was coming from and other times he simply had happy feet, unnecessarily leaving the pocket.
For all of Allen’s greatness when he leaves the pocket and scrambles to extend plays, it can also lead to poor footwork and mechanics when he throws. Allen’s best throw of the game was a simple play in which he was unbothered by the blitz, stepped up in the pocket and threw a 4-yard hitch to Khalil Shakir, who turned it into a 54-yard touchdown.
At some point the Bills will have to win games with Allen’s arm and it may come next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, who suddenly look like the Chiefs again. The Bills have won three games with Allen throwing for under 200 yards and that’s not going to be a legitimate concoction to reach the Super Bowl.
“If it’s a three-step (drop-back) or a five-step, just trusting it,” Allen said of his early struggles. “Being a little more settled early on. First game back since the bye, just not trusting my feet a little bit and getting off things a little too quickly. Just getting back into the swing of things.”
Trading for a top-end receiver might help at times, but it’s not going to be a cure-all if Brady doesn’t put them in the right positions and Allen doesn’t see the field consistently. And it’s not something the can flipped on and off like a bedroom light.