James Cook has done what no Buffalo Bills running back has done in 50 years.
The Bills running back won the rushing title after a nail-biting final game, with Baltimore Ravens back Derrick Henry coming close to stealing it away.
The Bills took to social media to announce the big honor for Cook, who becomes the first Bills running back since O.J. Simpson to lead the league in rushing. Simpson led the league in 1976 and no other Bills running back — including Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas — won the rushing title until Cook this year.
James Cook Holds on For Title
Cook appeared to be in strong shape for the rushing title through the first two rounds of games on Sunday. Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor trailed Cook by 47 yards, but fell short in his team’s loss to the Houston Texans in the 1 p.m. window.
That left only Henry, who trailed Cook by 137 yards going into his team’s Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Henry nearly reached that mark by halftime, gouging the Steelers defense for 112 yards, but he had only 14 more yards in the second half to finish with 126.
Cook had a chance to add to his lead on Sunday, but the Bills decided to rest most of their starters and only kept him in for the first drive. Cook had two carries for 15 yards before leaving, allowing backup Ray Davis to rush for 151 yards.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he initially planned to play Cook for close to a quarter, but ended up taking him out after one drive.
âAs I got closer and closer to the game, Iâm like, âAh, a quarterâs too much,’â McDermott told reporters after the game. âSo Iâm probably not a great gambler in the casinos, but it helped when we knew what Jonathan Taylor [did], and the afternoon he had. But we also wanted to know where, in terms of tonightâs game, where that could go.â
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Make Historic James Cook Announcement After Season Finale appeared first on Heavy Sports.