3 — Leaning into the ground game
On a night in which Allen was held to a season-low in passing yards, it was the Buffalo running game that came to life and gave them a chance to win.
Outside of James Cook’s fumble to open the game and the bad handoff in the third quarter, the Bills running backs had a great showing, combining for 189 scrimmage yards.
Cook was kept off the field for 16 plays following his fumble, giving way to Latavius Murray who had 32 rushing yards in the first quarter. Cook returned in the second quarter, still with the belief from the coaching staff that he could bounce back.
“I told him I believe in him, I can tell you that. Whether that was play 15 or whatever, I told him I believe in him and I thought he came out and ran the ball better,” McDermott said.
Murray, who had the game-tying TD run against his former team, said Cook’s ability to bounce back kept the Bills in contention for a victory. Together, Cook and Murray averaged 8.4 yards per carry.
“He was a big reason why we had a chance to win the game at the end,” Murray said of his backfield mate.
RB Ty Johnson also got his first touch of the season, a two-yard carry.
Buffalo gained 192 yards on the ground, its highest total in any game this season.
