National Football League

How have Bills clawed back into playoff contention? By changing their identity

Published Dec. 17, 2023 8:17 p.m. ET

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Josh Allen threw for 94 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

And the Buffalo Bills scored 31 points.

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?

"I felt like the kid that didn't do anything in the class project and got an A," Allen said postgame.

Allen's passing yards equate to points — and wins — from what we've seen from Buffalo this year (and last year and basically every dang year). And yet the Bills beat the Cowboys 31-10 in Buffalo on Sunday. They did it by centering their offense around running backs James Cook and Ty Johnson.

The shift is due, in large part, to the transition from offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, fired in November, to interim OC Joe Brady. Dorsey focused his offense around Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs, and if those two weren't clicking, the whole thing crumbled. Under Brady, Diggs has not eclipsed 75 receiving yards. Diggs led the team in receiving yards (48) against Dallas, but as mentioned, the Bills didn't need to throw the ball a whole lot.

Cook, instead, had 25 carries for 179 yards and a touchdown. Johnson added nine carries for 55 yards. Even Allen got in on the fun, with eight carries for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown. The quarterback did throw a passing touchdown. But you can guess who it went to.

Yup. James Cook.

"Once his energy gets on, Cook really becomes chef," offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said.

James Cook has 221 total yards with two TDs as Bills thrash Cowboys

The Bills were in such rare form that they looked like they were playing beach volleyball at the line of scrimmage. They were dead set on running the ball. It was just a question of which direction they wanted to go. So in the second half, Allen pointed behind his back to indicate to Johnson in which direction he'd be getting his chunk gain.

But, hey, I respect it. Keep it simple.

That's one thing that exasperated Bills fans about Dorsey. He'd overthink playcalling in the red zone, often using shotgun and running back draws. (Why not just get under center and let Cook or Johnson or Latavius Murray hammer in for a touchdown?) The Bills had talent on their offense from Diggs to Cook to tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Buffalo just couldn't seem to get one foot in front of the other — they'd sooner shoot themselves in the foot.

But that was the old Bills, the ones we no longer know. Out with the old. Brady has brought a refreshing, no-nonsense approach. In with the new.

It's easy to imagine Cook staying heavily involved in both the rushing game and the passing game. And perhaps it's time that he ends up being the centerpiece of this offense, shifting the focus off Diggs.

There might be some question about what Diggs thinks of his limited usage. His diminished target totals started before Brady took over. But now that Buffalo is winning, it's easy to imagine the lack of targets and catches and yards are sitting just fine with the star wideout, who is — occasionally — mercurial. But his discontent with Buffalo stems from the team's shortcomings in a pursuit for a Super Bowl, not necessarily his lack of involvement of the offense, as he has explained and as his trainer Myron Flowers once explained to me.

"When you run the football, it’s not just the offensive line and the running backs," coach Sean McDermott said postgame. "It’s the tight end. It’s the wide receivers. And it takes an unselfish approach, especially for receivers to not get as many balls in a game like this."

If the Bills keep winning, they'll all be happy. Even Allen, who was extremely tight with Dorsey, can't argue with the team's results since Buffalo parted ways with him.

And the excellent work on offense has helped the Bills defense. They're fighting from better field position, particularly with Allen keeping his turnovers at a minimum. And perhaps McDermott, a defensive coach, has more time to focus on his defense now that Brady is taking better care of the offense. Because it became clear at the end of Dorsey's run that McDermott was dipping into the work on offense to lend a hand.

Whatever the reasons, McDermott put together a tremendous performance Sunday. After losing Pro Bowl candidates Matt Milano and Tre'Davious White to injuries, McDermott has gotten the backups playing at an elite level, whether it's linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Terrel Bernard or cornerbacks Dane Jackson and Rasul Douglas (a player the team traded for at the deadline and quickly acclimated). While the team manages Von Miller's return from an ACL injury, edge Leonard Floyd has 10.5 sacks, tying his career-high.

We saw Buffalo hold Dallas — first in points per game (32.4) going into this week — without a touchdown until garbage time. The Cowboys converted just 5 of 13 third downs. Dak Prescott, previously considered an MVP candidate, managed just 2.9 yards per pass. He had an interception and his offensive line allowed three sacks, all on the money down (third down).

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.