Buffalo Bills Notebook: 3 Takeaways After Crushing Dallas Cowboys
While quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys won't soon be booking return visits to western New York, the Buffalo Bills partied through heavy ran with over 70,000 fans in attendance at Highmark Sunday in a 31-10 win.
For the second game in a row, the Bills defeated a Super Bowl contender, with a commanding victory over the Cowboys following up a win at Arrowhead Stadium against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs a week ago.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills leaned on running back James Cook in a Week 15 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Jamie Germano/USA Today
But it wasn't just that the Bills beat the Cowboys in Week 15, it was how they earned their eighth win of the season that was so impressive.
1. They Let James Cook
It's becoming increasingly clear that if the Bills are going to 1) make the playoffs and 2) go on a Super Bowl run, it will be in part because of the emergence of running back James Cook.
Dalvin's younger brother is emerging as a star in his second NFL season, and turned in a career-best performance Sunday afternoon against the Cowboys. Cook carried the ball 25 times for 179 yards against Dallas, while adding two receptions for 42 yards. Cook combined for two total touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
“I just let it rip when I get my opportunity,” Cook said after the game. “My O-linemen, they were opening it up and I was hitting it. Finding that rhythm.”
Interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady got some advice from quarterback Josh Allen post game that he would be wise to heed: "Let James cook," Allen said to FOX's Erin Andrews after the win.
2. Josh Allen, for Once, Didn’t Have To Be Superman
Speaking of Allen, an argument can be made that he's the most physically-gifted quarterback the NFL has ever seen. That doesn't mean he's the best, but he's 6-5, 237 pounds with a rocket arm and the ability to either run through you or run by you. Players with that skillset don't come along often.
However, there's a case to be made that Buffalo is too reliant on Allen to always make magic. Sunday was a rare instance where Allen was able to play on cruise control while one of his other teammates led the team to a quality win.
Allen completed just seven of his 15 pass attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown. He did add a rushing touchdown as well, but all things considered, it was a relatively pedestrian game for Allen. Typically when he appears mortal -- specifically against quality opponents -- the Bills lose. Sunday, though, they won by three touchdowns.
“I felt like the kid that didn’t do anything in a class project but got an A,” Allen said jokingly in his postgame press conference. “But I’ll do this 10 times out of 10 times, man. Like, keep going.”
3. Has Sean McDermott Done Enough To Squash Firing Speculation?
No one is suggesting that if the Bills waste another year of Allen's peak without hoisting a Lombardi Trophy it will be seen as a success. But after an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, it felt entirely possible that not only would the Bills miss the playoffs, but they might finish with a losing record.
When you add in a three-part series by Tyler Dunne of Go Long TD that painted McDermott in an extremely unflattering manner -- at least some of which he seemingly deserved -- it felt like McDermott's seat was getting pretty hot just 10 days ago.
If the Bills lose out against the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, things will get hot again for McDermott. But the Bills are now 8-6. The Chiefs and Cowboys have scored a combined 27 points off of McDermott's defense over the last two weeks. They may or may not make the playoffs, but they'll probably finish with a winning record in 2023, following up five postseason appearances in six years for McDermott's squad. With wins in each of the last two weeks, it's become much easier to write 2023 off as just a bump in the road during an otherwise very successful period for the franchise, even if the Bills don't make a Super Bowl run.
There's a case to be made that McDermott has taken the Bills as far as he will, and Buffalo should find a coach with an offensive background to maximize the remainder of Allen's peak. Can you imagine what Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson -- who has been vital in reviving the career of quarterback Jared Goff -- could do with Allen at his disposal? Even if Buffalo isn't a vacation destination, coaches would be lined up for the opportunity to succeed McDermott if the Bills made a change.
The guess here, though, is that right or wrong, McDermott has done enough that he'll probably be brought back for another year, barring a late-season collapse.
