James Cook — Week 5: Two TDs, Then a Fumble in OT
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Tuesday, Oct 13
Cook ran 25 times for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Rams, including the go-ahead score with 1:44 left, but lost a fumble at the Los Angeles 22 in overtime of a 37-34 Bills win on Monday night.
When James Cook's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full read
James Cook scored the Bills' go-ahead touchdown against the Rams and then nearly gave the game back: 25 carries, 111 yards, 2 touchdowns and a lost fumble, worth -3.2 expected points added (EPA) on the ground. EPA is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position.
The run that defined his night came in overtime. Tied 34-34 with 8:00 left, one snap after Khalil Shakir's 57-yard catch, Cook took a first-and-10 handoff at the Los Angeles 22 up the middle for no gain. Nate Landman forced the ball out and the Rams recovered at their 20: -5.8 EPA and -11.1 points of win probability.
He had already done the scoring that mattered. At 27-27 with 1:44 left, second and goal at the 5, he went up the middle for the touchdown that made it 34-27: +1.8 EPA and +11.0 points of win probability. In the second quarter, down 7-6, he ran 17 yards off right tackle for the score that put the Bills ahead.
The efficiency slipped as the workload peaked. 25 carries were a season high, after 13, 21, 24 and 12, but 48% of them gained positive EPA, against 54% in Weeks 1 through 4. He also lost 5 yards on first and goal at the 2 in the third quarter, and fumbled once more that quarter, recovered by the Bills at midfield. Through Week 4: 70 carries, 421 yards, 3 touchdowns, +9.2 EPA.
Follow James Cook on Muffed, and every episode lands in your weekly email.
_Data via nflverse._
When James Cook's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going