Bills RB James Cook earns national recognition for stellar Week 2 outing

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2.

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Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his stellar three-touchdown outing in the team’s Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.

James Cook has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/QP9V4gS5qn

— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) September 18, 2024

Cook was electric in the 31-10 win, averaging 7.1 yards per carry as he picked up 78 yards on just 11 carries; he also caught one pass, a 17-yard reception that he took to the house to kick off Buffalo’s scoring frenzy. His next touchdown was a second-quarter goalline walk-in, and he took his very next carry 49 yards to the house to put the game firmly in the Bills’ control; the 49-yard rush was Cook’s longest of the day.

His Week 2 proficiency was a continuation of his Week 1 excellence, as he rushed for 71 yards and picked up another 32 through the air in Buffalo’s season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals. This fantastic start comes off the back of the third-year ballcarrier’s breakout sophomore campaign in which he finished fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,122) and sixth in scrimmage yards (1,567).

Related: NFL analyst says Bills ‘remain as dangerous as they have been’ in 2024 season

Cook has been an integral part of the Bills’ offense since Joe Brady took over as the team’s interim offensive coordinator in Week 11 of last season, with this trend carrying over into this year thus far. This is the second time in the running back’s young career that he’s earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, per Bills PR, the first being his 221-total-yard outing against the Dallas Cowboys last season.

This is the second consecutive week in which a Buffalo player has earned either AFC Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week honors, as Greg Rousseau was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his three-sack outing against the Cardinals.

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