Rhamondre Stevenson and James Cook would be a dream pairing
The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will face off for the first time this season on Sunday.
Buffalo has talented players on both sides of the ball, as they are one of the most dominant teams in the AFC. Running back James Cook would be a perfect addition to the Patriots’ backfield, so he is my pick for this week’s Gimme Him player.
Yes, Rhamondre Stevenson is still a top back, even behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. This selection wouldn’t be replacing Stevenson. It would be pairing the two together. Antonio Gibson has done a nice job in the backfield for New England, but Cook would take things to another level.
The Georgia product has 171 carries for 828 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He is coming off a game against the Detroit Lions last Sunday, which saw him record 14 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Success is nothing new to Cook, who tallied 237 carries for 1,122 yards and two touchdowns in his first Pro Bowl season in 2023.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has shown a willingness to run the ball this season. This tracks with the offense he ran in Cleveland. Having Cook as a part of the backfield would do wonders for a run-heavy offense. It would also take some additional pressure off quarterback Drake Maye.
It’s tough to imagine this happening in real life. Nevertheless, Cook would give the Patriots offense an instant boost.
The Buffalo Bills held off a dangerous Detroit Lions team in Week 15 to win, 48-42, in what many considered a “Super Bowl preview”.
Quarterback Josh Allen and the offense continued their red-hot streak by scoring 48 points, their second straight 40-point game and eighth straight 30-point game. Meanwhile, the defense made a few game-altering plays to hold off a Lions offense that ranks first in the NFL.
The Bills improved to 11-3 on the year and currently sit in second place in the AFC.
In a game full of highlight-reel plays, relive the high-scoring showdown with a mini-movie from the Bills’ official YouTube channel:
While the NFL has banned certain tackles in the name of player safety — horse collar and hip-drop tackles, for example — grabbing a player’s hair is perfectly legal. The league has told players that if they choose to wear their hair out of the helmet, opposing players are free to grab them in a tackle attempt.
James Cook experienced that on Sunday, but there was no stopping him.
During Week 15’s huge matchup between the Bills and Lions, Cook found plenty of space on a second-down handoff and scampered into the secondary. In hopes of slowing down Cook, Kerby Joseph dove and grabbed hold of Cook’s hair. Yeah, it didn’t work.
Even though the Bills are favored, the Rams are one of the hotter teams in the NFL and are in a competitive race for the NFC West crown.
Buffalo will need to execute their game plan to pick up their eleventh win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 14:
Make them stop the run
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Last week, the Bills spammed the running game against the 49ers and it resulted in 220 rushing yards and 35 points on the board. It will be difficult to repeat that success again this week, but the Rams have shown they can be hurt on the ground.
Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley did whatever he pleased against them. He ran for 255 yards and two scores on 26 carries. And last week, the Saints’ Alvin Kamara put up 112 rushing yards on 23 carries.
The Bills are at their best when they are a threat both on the ground and through the air. With this game being played in a dome (SoFi Stadium), many will be looking for Josh Allen to put up numbers in the passing game after only 148 pass yards in last week’s snow game. But if the Bills are wise, they won’t abandon the run and they’ll make the Rams have to defend in the trenches on defense.
Contain Rams pass rush
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Despite the loss of Aaron Donald, the young defenders on the defensive line for the Rams have done a solid job in keeping their pass rush competitive. They have four d-linemen with at least 4.5 sacks: Jared Verse (4.5), Kobie Turner (5), Byron Young (6), Braden Fiske (6).
More specifically, Verse has shown improvement this year. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the 12th-most productive pass-rushing edge defender with a pass-rush grade of 82.4.
The Bills haven’t allowed a sack in either of their last two games against the Chiefs and 49ers. That was a big reason they were able to put up 30+ points against both Super Bowl representatives from last year. If the Bills offensive line continues its high level of play, Allen could be in for a big day.
Limit explosives from McVay’s offense
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It’s no secret that the Rams offense has the potential to go toe-to-toe with anyone on any given Sunday. Led by offensive-minded head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matt Stafford has a few premiere weapons to spread the ball around to.
Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are one of the league’s best wide receiver duos, so the Bills’ secondary will have their hands full. The duo both found the field healthy together for the first time in Week 8 after missing much of the season.
Stafford has thrown for eight touchdowns on downfield passes (10+ yards) since Week 8, which is the third-most in the NFL in the span, and he has averaged 11.3 yards per attempt on those throws. The entire team has been lifted since Kupp and Nacua became healthy.
The running game was also effective for them last week as Kyren Williams ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on 6.9 yards per carry. The offense can beat you in many ways much like the Bills’ offense. It will be another test for Sean McDermott, Bobby Babich, and the Bills defense to limit their explosive plays and keep them in check.
The Buffalo Bills will travel across the country to face the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 14.
For this cross-conference battle between Sean McDermott’s Bills (10-2) and Sean McVay’s Rams (6-6), it will be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.
Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Rams contest:
CB Taron Johnson vs. WR Cooper Kupp
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The battle in the slot will feature All-Pro caliber players who have been around the NFL for a while. Taron Johnson is in his eighth year and is coming off of his first-career All-Pro selection last year (second-team). Cooper Kupp is in his ninth year and has an All-Pro selection under his belt as well (first-team in 2021).
Kupp continues to see the majority of his snaps in the slot. According to Pro Football Focus, Kupp has seen 278 slot snaps and 151 wide snaps this year.
Johnson will have his hands full. Not only is Kupp still a reliable route runner and pass catcher, but he has the ultimate trust and chemistry with quarterback Matt Stafford. The two won a Super Bowl together in 2022 and connected for the go-ahead touchdown in that game. A few wins from either side of this matchup could make a big difference.
Bills offensive line vs. Rams defensive line
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Both the Bills offensive line and the Rams defensive line have had outstanding seasons to this point. Both have outperformed their expectations this year.
Heading into Week 14, both the Bills O-line and Rams D-line rank as the sixth-best unit on their respective side of the ball according to PFF.
Los Angeles has posted the league’s best quarterback pressure rate (39.8%) according to Next Gen Stats. Buffalo, on the other hand, has allowed the league’s fewest sacks this year (13), including zero over their last two games.
Something has to give. The battle in the trenches when the Bills have the ball will be one of the better matchups around the NFL and will play a big role in the outcome of the game.
RB James Cook vs. Rams front-seven
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If the Bills can get running back James Cook rolling on the ground like they did last week (107 yards on 7.6 yards per carry), then it will keep the Rams’ impressive pass rush honest. And, although the Rams can get after the quarterback, they have their holes in the run game.
They rank 21st in the NFL in defense rushing DVOA, while ranking 22nd in EPA/rush. On top of that, they allow the fifth-most yards after contact per rush (3.25), according to Next Gen Stats.
Buffalo and offensive coordinator Joe Brady have found a lot of success on the ground this year (4th in rush DVOA). If they can get going once again, it will be worrisome for Los Angeles.
Joe Brady’s ability to adapt led to Bills offense onslaught in snow
After the Buffalo Bills’ 35-10 beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, the team is now 16-3 since Joe Brady was promoted to interim offensive coordinator after Week 10 last year.
Brady has changed the Bills’ offense to put his own flare on things. In return, the game has slowed down and simplified for Josh Allen.
No more sitting in shotgun for the majority of the game and spreading out five wide. No more relying on Allen to make things happen every other play.
Allen’s passing yards per game (224.3) is at its lowest since 2019. His rushing yards per game (27.8) is at its lowest since 2020. But most importantly, the team is off to its best start in decades at 10-2.
Brady’s approach has a direct impact on the 10-2 record. His playcalling style, although limiting to Allen’s statistics, has Allen with only five interceptions to this point. It’s on pace to be a career-low.
In return, the Bills are scoring points at the second-highest clip in the NFL (29.6 ppg). And, they are elite on offense all while keeping it simple.
Brady has made life the easiest for Allen that he’s seen thus far in his career. He’s spamming run plays until the defense stops it. He’s using motion pre-snap to uncover the defense. He’s using a sixth offensive linemen to make running easier. He’s going under center and using play action. Above all, he’s been willing to adjust and beat a team in a plethora of ways.
The Bills offense can shapeshift. And that’s exactly what they did in the Sunday night win.
According to the Buffalo Bills Notebook, the Bills were in shotgun for their first six plays in Week 13, and those plays resulted in just 12 yards. Brady decided to mix things up early. Over the Bills’ next 50 plays, Allen was under center for 38 of them.
On adjusting early, Brady said, “We knew it was going to be a weather condition game, but until you’re out there, every snow game is a little bit different.”
Until the Bills got out there in Week 13, they didn’t know just how bad the footing would be on the playing surface. After an early three-and-out, Bills players and personnel got on the same page and adjusted the game plan.
The shift in the offensive identity early on resulted in a season-high 220 rushing yards on their way to 35 points scored. James Cook averaged 7.6 yards per carry while Ray Davis averaged 5.7 per pop. The adjustment to playing under center was so effective that Allen and the starters were able to hit the bench early in the fourth.
That’s exactly what you want to see in an offense and a playcaller. First, the players’ talent and ability to be able to be used in different ways, and second, a coordinator’s trust and awareness to change things after just one failed drive.
Bills vs. 49ers: James Cook caps off longest play of career with snow angel (video)
The Bills found the end zone in the snow against the 49ers thanks to the longest rush of James Cook’s career.
Cook put his team up 14-3 thanks to a 65-yard rush in the second quarter. The speedster left everyone on the 49ers in the dust and he celebrated in the right way.
In a snowy affair, Cook and some of his teammates slid down on the ground and did a few snow angels in the end zone at Highmark Stadium.
3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the 49ers in Week 13
The Buffalo Bills will play the San Francisco 49ers at home at Highmark Stadium on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 13.
The Bills (9-2) are looking to build on a six-game win streak, while the 49ers (5-6) have lost their last two.
Buffalo is favored to win by seven points on Sunday night. The two teams haven’t met since 2020, when the Bills won on the road, 34-24.
Even though the Bills are favored and the Niners have struggled lately, they were still the NFC champions last year for a reason and they are a well-rounded team even though the wins haven’t shown up consistently.
The Bills will need to execute their game plan to pick up their tenth win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 13:
Run the rock
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The 49ers have very few holes on their team, but if there is one area they need to improve upon it is their run defense. They rank 21st in the NFL in defense rushing DVOA.
The Bills are at their best when they have a balanced attack on offense, and I’d expect James Cook and company to get plenty of work. Last week, the Bills dominated the Chiefs in time of possession with quick passes and third-down conversions. This week, they should aim to do the same, but with more of a “pound the rock” approach.
Limit explosive runs
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While San Francisco ranks just 13th in the league in points per game (23.6), they rank an impressive fourth in the league in yards per game (384.5). A big reason why they rack up so many offensive yards is their ability to perform explosive plays in the run game.
The Niners’ offense ranks third in the NFL in 10+ yard runs, while the Bills’ defense allows the second-most 10+ yard runs. This will be a test for the Bills. If they can have sound tackling and limit big running lanes, it will help their chances immensely on Sunday night.
Move the chains on third down
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Last week, the Bills were 9-of-15 (60%) on third downs in the win over Kansas City. Their ability to extend drives is what led them to a win. On paper, they’ll have an opportunity to do the same this week.
Although the Niners rank in the top ten in both rushing and passing defense, they have been leaky on third downs. Their 43.7% third-down rate ranks 26th in the NFL. Josh Allen and the Bills offense, albeit with some injuries to pass catchers, should be able to move the sticks when necessary.
The contest that saw the teams’ final scores roughly on average for the season so far also had significant takeaways on and off the field.
But the biggest one belonged to Buffalo linebacker, Terrel Bernard.
With 1:07 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Bills’ defensive captain and play caller took away a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Kansas City tight end and MGMT “Electric Feel” fan Travis Kelce for an end-game interception.
The entire Buffalo defense ran down to celebrate with him in the end zone after getting in front of Kelce to grab the ball out of the air.
“The main thing is just having awareness of him, “ Bernard said about covering the Chiefs TE to WIVB. “Pre, post-snap, trying to get guys around him as much as possible, playing within our scheme and our system still but understanding he’s going to be one of the first options every pass play.”
It was the second interception for KC’s Mahomes, whose first and last throws in Sunday’s game were caught by Buffalo.
Bernard, who was out during the last meeting between the clubs in January’s divisional round of the playoffs, also had eight tackles and a sack on the day to go with the big-time turnover.
“I think having that awareness, [defensive coordinator] Bobby [Babich] did a great job in the gameplan, all the coaches did, putting him in our minds all week and knowing where he was at and where he was going to be, what he likes to do in certain spots. I think that was a huge factor, and everybody playing to the details of the defense.”
Everything has changed for Kelce since his last matchups against the Bills in which he seemed unstoppable.
He may just want to shake it off, knowing all too well that Bernard and the Bills defense held him to only two catches for eight yards receiving.
But with the win the Bills now have a better shot at a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, the Chiefs do as well although they are not out of the woods yet.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was complimentary of the Bills when asked what his takeaways off the field were from the loss.
“Things you can learn, the main thing is that they’re a good team and, if you have a few mistakes in there, they can capitalize on them,” Reid said.
The teams could face off again in the postseason, and time will tell which club will play host to the other if they do.
