James Cook claims AFC honor after powering Buffalo Bills to 4-0 start

The Bills running back has totaled 401 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns rushing through Buffalo's first four victories of the 2025 campaign.

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) reacts after rushing the ball for a touchdown against the New York Jets | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

James Cook is getting his due.

On Thursday, the NFL announced its list of Players of the Month for September, with the Buffalo Bills running back being selected as the AFC Offensive Player of the Month after a torrid start to the 2025 season.

Cook leads the league in touchdowns rushing with five, while he is second in the NFL with 401 yards rushing through the first four weeks of the year, trailing only Indianapolis Colts' former All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor. The fourth-year pro has recorded three consecutive games with 100-plus yards rushing, a career-high, and set a franchise record with at least one rushing touchdown in his eighth straight game this past week against the New Orleans Saints.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook avoids the reaching hands of New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis during first half action of the Bills home game against the New Orleans Saints in Orchard Park on Sept. 28, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Cook handling a heavy work load, the Bills lead the league in rushing, averaging 163.5 yards per game.

“When you got a guy that dynamic, you want him on the field because of the plays that he continuously makes,” said Head Coach Sean McDermott on Cook on Wednesday. “We love having him out in the field because you never know when he gets the ball, if he's going to score.”

Cook is just the sixth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in his team’s first four games of the year, while he became the first Bill to surpass 100-plus scrimmage yards in the first four games of a season since O.J. Simpson did so in 1975. He is the second running back in Bills' franchise history to win Offensive Player of the Month, joining Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas, who earned the award in November of the 1991 season, the same season he was honored as NFL MVP.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook runs with the ball during second half action of the Bills home game against the New Orleans Saints in Orchard Park on Sept. 28, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The efforts of quarterback Josh Allen have paced the Bills’ offense the past several seasons. But with the emergence of Cook in recent years, Buffalo’s attack has reached another level of consistency that has elevated it into the upper echelon of the league’s top offensive units.

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With as steady a one-two punch as there is in the NFL, the Bills continue to prove why they are a Super Bowl favorite. And as the weeks pass, Cook is becoming a favorite to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors at season's end.

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