Buffalo Bills, James Cook stare down Steelers' leaky run defense

With passing unlikely to work for Buffalo, can Cook carry the Bills on his back on Sunday?

Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs against Houston Texans linebacker Henry To'oTo'o (39) in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills are looking to lick their Houston wounds, and Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers would be one they would like to rely on Josh Allen for, but due to several reasons, they may have to put the onus on his backfield mate.

With both Buffalo offensive tackles out, likely terrible field conditions and an outside chance of precipitation, James Cook and the Bills' running game will presumably be the focal point of their attack.

Pittsburgh's run defense is very leaky, as shown in the past few weeks. They allowed Kimani Vidal and Chase Brown to run for 95 and 99 yards, respectively, in Weeks 10 and 11, and Cook is a better talent than those two.

Bills running back James Cook, after getting the hand off, turns towards an opening to run through 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

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Even if the Bills are banged up at tackle, they can take advantage of a key injury in the middle of the defense. Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon won't play due to a neck injury, and he's been critical in improving Pittsburgh's run defense.

Harmon missed the season's first two games with a knee injury, and the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks ran for 182 and 117 yards, respectively, both more than Pittsburgh's average of 105.7 allowed per game.

With the combination of Harmon's injury and recent success of running backs, things are setting up for Cook to have another strong outing for the Bills as they look to stay in the AFC playoff chase.

Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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