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Veteran Bills' WR turns back clock in Week 17 vs. Eagles

Buffalo may have found another reliable target for Josh Allen heading into the postseason
Khari Demos|
Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Brandin Cooks (18).
Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Brandin Cooks (18). | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Brandin Cooks experience has not been steady with the Buffalo Bills. But he had his best showing yet in the Bills' heartbreaking loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Although Buffalo fell short, as a gimpy Josh Allen missed Khalil Shakir on a two-point conversion play, Cooks' heroics helped the Bills have a chance in the end. Buffalo fought back again, this time facing a 13-point deficit, but it was to no avail, dropping the Bills to 11-5.

MORE: 6 takeaways as Bills' offense invisible while defense stands tall during loss to Eagles

But it was no fault of Cooks', who hauled in four receptions for 101 yards. Not only was it his first 100-yard game in Buffalo, it was his first since the 2023 season.

Cooks' signature speed throughout his career was on display against the defending Super Bowl champions. The 12-year NFL veteran got things going with a 50-yard bomb from Allen in the first quarter, and he was able to slip by the Philly defense again in the fourth quarter on a leaping catch that went for 32 yards.

Allen even missed Cooks on a crucial fourth-down play that ended up costing the team in the end.

But Cooks' success is also an indictment of the state of the Buffalo receiving corps. No other Bills' receiver in the game went over 36 yards in the game. And although the Eagles' pass defense is one of the best in football, their prowess was really put on display against a rather lackluster group of wideouts across from them.

RELATED: Josh Allen's 'faith' aside, Bills should end WR experiment with former first-rounder

Again, it's great to see Cooks' step forward Sunday. Especially doing it against an All-Pro candidate in Quinyon Mitchell. And as the playoffs draw near, it's great to see that Allen has a potentially reliable weapon outside of James Cook and the oft-injured Dalton Kincaid.

But if Buffalo is expecting to go deep into the playoffs with a 32-year-old WR who joined the team in November to be its top target, it may want to kiss its Super Bowl hopes goodbye.

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Khari Demos
KHARI DEMOS

Khari Demos is an award-winning sports media creator and is a contributor for Bills On SI. He has written sports betting article covering the NFL for The Athletic and has written pieces about the NBA, MLB, college football and basketball, and more, throughout his career.