Bills’ James Cook TD puts Buffalo on the board vs

Alaina Getzenberg, ESPNNov 17, 2024, 04:41 PM ET

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills started their much-anticipated Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs with an absolute statement.

To start, safety Taylor Rapp picked off quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he was pressured by defensive tackle Ed Oliver. An unnecessary roughness penalty forced the Bills to start the following drive on the team’s own 35-yard line, but that was no problem.

Quarterback Josh Allen led Buffalo on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by running back James Cook, his ninth of the season. His previous high in a year was two rushing touchdowns.

James Cook starts the scoring in Buffalo!

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— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024

The drive was helped in a big way by a 30-yard dart from Allen to wide receiver Amari Cooper on third-and-6 from the Buffalo 39. Cooper caught the pass one-handed with his left hand despite missing the previous two games with a left wrist injury.

The early success gave the Bills a 6-0 lead after kicker Tyler Bass missed the PAT.

Cook added on to his day in the second quarter, finishing off a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a six-yard run into the end zone in part thanks to a significant running lane opened by the Bills’ offensive line.

The score marked his third game this season with multiple rushing touchdowns and he became the first Bills running back with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in a season since LeSean McCoy in 2016 (13).