James cooks, aging stars come up big, rapid reaction to Bills Week 16 win over Browns

The cardiac kids.

After the Buffalo Bills pulled off two straight comeback wins the past two weeks, they were forced to hold on for dear life while their Week 16 opponent stormed back and came within a whisker of earning an unlikely come-from-behind victory.

But in another game in which they displayed a flare for the dramatic, the Bills again came away on top, securing a 23-20 win, their fourth straight victory to improve to 11-4 on the season and keep their hopes of claiming a sixth straight AFC East title alive.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t easy. But a win is a win as the Bills will now await the results of the Houston Texans Week 16 matchup to determine whether or not they have clinched a playoff spot by the time the day is through. Buffalo is now a half-game back of the New England Patriots for the division lead. New England faces off with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

Let’s take a deeper look at what went down on Sunday afternoon, as the Bills beat the Browns (3-12) in Cleveland.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) scrambles with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Rushin'

Finally, Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau came through with a significant effort against the Browns, providing the performance the fan base has been waiting for since he signed a lucrative contract extension this offseason. Rousseau finished Sunday's game with 2.5 sacks, increasing his season total to six, along with seven quarterback hits and two tackles for loss while making a number of key plays down the stretch to help put the nail in the Browns' coffin. He now has 3.5 sacks over the last two weeks.

Bills fans have been waiting for a breakout performance from the team's highly-paid defensive player and he came through in big moments time and again during the Week 16 win.

Not good enough

Once again, the Bills’ defense began Sunday’s game by allowing their opponent to get off to a hot start during the first half.

On Cleveland’s first offensive possession, Shedeur Sanders helped engineer an eight-play, 69-yard drive that spanned the first 4 minutes 18 seconds of the game and ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from the Browns’ rookie quarterback to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Sanders finished the impressive scoring drive 5 of 5 passing for 58 yards and the scoring strike and furthered his rhythm on his team’s next drive.

Sanders and the Cleveland attack became the latest opposing offense to strike quickly on the Bills’ defense, which has allowed 55 first-half points over the last three weeks. Fortunately, Buffalo has been able to storm back and win all three recent matchups in which they’ve dealt with a first-half deficit. But they may not be able to continue to absorb these slow starts once the playoffs roll around.

Last week against the Bears, Sanders and the Browns totaled 192 total yards. This week against the Bills, Cleveland amassed 294 total yards, outgaining Buffalo (259) on the day. The Browns also finished an impressive 8 for 14 on third-down opportunities.

That’s just not good enough from a Bills’ defense that had appeared to figure some things out in recent weeks.

MORE: James Cook rallies Bills again while topping Thurman Thomas rushing record

Cookin' up an OPOY

It didn’t take the Bills long to rebound from the defense stumbling out of the gate, as James Cook quickly made his presence felt and allowed Buffalo to gain control early on.

Cook capped the Bills’ first drive of the game with a 44-yard touchdown run, slithering his way to the second level before turning on the after burners and escaping to the end zone.

Christmas Cookin'. 😁

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/vsh5i5R1Y4
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 21, 2025

The long scoring scamper placed Cook in the league lead with 1,482 yards rushing, surpassing Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who enter Week 16 with 1,443 yards rushing. Cook finished the game with just seven carries for 17 yards during the second half, which increased his season total to 56 yards more than the Colts’ RB. Taylor and the Colts play on Monday night.

Cook later scored his second touchdown of the first half on a three-yard run with 2 minutes 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter, which pushed the lead to 20-10 before halftime. He finished the half with 100 yards rushing and the two scores on nine carries, making it his ninth game this season with 100-plus yards rushing. That equals Thurman Thomas' mark for the second-most such performances recorded in a single season in team history.

It’s been widely discussed this season how Josh Allen is the Bills’ only chance of advancing when the playoffs roll around. Well, don’t forget about Cook, who could be in line to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors by season’s end.

Allen finished Sunday's game just 12 of 19 for 130 yards during a forgettable day for the Buffalo passing game. Without Cook's first-half effort, the Bills would have lost to the lowly Browns.

Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano (58) reacts after a sack against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Aging leaders

For the second straight week, Bills’ veteran defensive players were at the forefront of an effort that helped battle through a slow start.

After Milano recorded a couple of sacks and White came away with an interception last week against the New England Patriots, Jordan Poyer led the way in Week 16.

Poyer recorded an interception for the second straight week to thwart the Browns’ second possession of the game that appeared destined for the end zone. He was in the right place at the right time when a pass from Sanders bounced off the body of running back Quinshon Judkins and high into the air, eventually falling into the hands of the Bills’ safety to turn the ball over to the Buffalo offense.

Interception Jordan Poyer. 😁

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/AHWSbfXW4G
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 21, 2025

On Cleveland’s next drive following the Poyer takeaway, White recorded his team-leading ninth pass defensed of the season to deny the Browns a potential touchdown, knocking the ball free from the grasp of tight end Brenden Bates. The incompletion helped force a field goal attempt.

Teamwork makes the dream work 😂@jbbigbear x @RiDQulous_98

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/EDfXRqwshO
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 21, 2025

Later, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones recorded the first interception of his career on a batted ball off the hand of edge rusher Joey Bosa. Additionally, Milano was all over the field, recording nine tackles, which was second most for the Bills on the afternoon. He did commit a costly tripping penalty that wound up costing Buffalo seven points. Still, he had a good day overall.

The Bills’ defense was not perfect by any means on Sunday. Their tackling was subpar, they struggled to get off the field on third down, and other issues plagued the Buffalo resistance throughout the game. But once again, Bills defenders made plays when the team needed them most, helping propel the victory.

MORE: Josh Allen injured, heads to locker room early during Bills Week 16 game vs. Browns

Allen injured

Allen sustained what appeared to be a worrisome foot injury late in the first half when he was sacked for a 22-yard loss. But it was later determined that he avoided a serious ailment after he underwent X-rays at halftime.

What was initially a frightening sight for Bills fans was eventually proved to be no problem for the Buffalo quarterback, who remains as tough as they come.

BADgley

Matt Prater was declared out for Sunday's game due to a quad injury, and his replacement, Michael Badgley, was, in a word, bad against the Browns. He missed an extra point in the first half, which, for a while, looked like it would cost the Bills dearly when Cleveland mounted its comeback during the second half.

It wasn't a promising debut for Badgley, who was released by the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year after missing three extra points. After missing his fourth on Sunday, his stint in Buffalo may be short-lived.

Kitchen closed

Brandin Cooks has been a big swing and miss since he was signed by the Bills midseason.

The veteran wide receiver suffered from a big drop for a second consecutive week, failing to haul in a well-thrown ball from Allen on a second-and-nine midway through the fourth quarter. On the next play, Allen was sacked, and the Bills then punted the ball back to the Browns, leading just 23-20 with 7 minutes remaining in the game.

Keon Coleman and Gabe Davis were both healthy inactives for the Bills on Sunday, but that should change next week. Cooks has done nothing to deserve his jersey on game days early during his Bills tenure.

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