James Cook — Week 6: 26-Yard Catch, Then the Go-Ahead TD
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Oct 19
Cook ran 22 times for 95 yards and a touchdown and caught all 3 targets for 58 yards against the Raiders in a 33-30 win in Las Vegas.
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James Cook decided the game against the Raiders with back-to-back snaps late in the fourth quarter. He ran 22 times for 95 yards and a touchdown, and caught all 3 of his targets for 58 yards and +5.0 expected points added (EPA). EPA is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position.
The sequence came with the game tied 23-23 and 4:56 left. Third and 3 at the Las Vegas 29: Josh Allen threw short to the left and Cook was pushed out at the 3 after 26 yards, +2.7 EPA and +14.8 points of win probability, the biggest swing of the game for Buffalo. On the next snap he went in behind left guard from 3 yards out for a 30-23 lead, +10.1 points of win probability.
The catches were the story. In the second quarter he turned a first and 15 at the Las Vegas 36 into a 23-yard gain to the 13, and the drive ended in Khalil Shakir's touchdown. His 58 receiving yards were more than the 31 he had through Week 5 on 11 targets.
The running was steady but not efficient: 0.0 EPA on his carries and a 41% success rate, with runs of 13, 11 and 11 yards. Through Week 5 he had 95 carries for 532 yards, 5 touchdowns, +5.9 EPA and a 53% success rate. He has a rushing touchdown in five of his six games.
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_Data via nflverse._
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