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Bills WATCH: Anthony Richardson Pick Sets Up James Cook TD

The Buffalo Bills defense silenced the Anthony Richardson hype early on in Saturday's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Zach Dimmitt

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The Buffalo Bills wasted little time getting their fix of big plays during Saturday's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium.

The Bills deferred the opening kickoff, as coach Sean McDermott's defense took the field first against Colts rookie quarterback and No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson.

But the Buffalo defense silenced the Richardson hype early. As Richardson rolled to his right on the first drive, he side-armed a pass into traffic that went straight into the arms of Bills cornerback Dane Jackson, who returned it to the Indy 13-yard line to set up the Buffalo offense.

Take a look at the pick:

The Bills offense took the field without Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, but most of the other offense starters got action early. This included second-year running back James Cook, who only need two carries before walking in toward the left pylon for an easy eight-yard touchdown to give the Bills a 7-0 lead.

The Bills appear to be showing that Cook is the clear-cut starter ahead of the regular season. He's already been showing the confidence in this possibility anyways.

On the surface, a running back-by-committee approach seems to be the more-obvious plan for a team that hasn't had 1,000-yard rusher since 2017. But Cook has other ideas.

"Obviously RB1," Cook said on "The Rich Eisen Show" when asked what he thinks his role will be next season.

But regardless of what his role will entail, he's ready to "change the game" for a Super Bowl-hungry Bills team.

“Just try come in and do what I do," Cook said. "Change the game with my versatility,” Cook said. "Catching the ball out of the backfield. Pass blocking. Just try to do what I can do to help the team win games and ultimately win the Super Bowl."

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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