The regular season ended for the Bills with a 35-8 win over the Jets at Highmark. But as much as the scoreboard felt comfortable, the decisions behind it were anything but easy for head coach Sean McDermott. Especially when it came to star running back James Cook. One decision had the head coach later admitting he was praying that he hadn’t just jeopardized Cook’s historic opportunity.

“I was watching the game last night, and I’m praying that we made the right decision,” said McDermott in the Monday presser. “And I tell you what, it’s not easy. You expose him too long, and he gets hurt, and you’re not loving it. So you try to do your best to keep him healthy. But also get him to a spot where he can reap the fruits of his labor, and that was good to see.”

Those ‘fruits of his labor’ were nothing small. Cook ended the year as the NFL rushing champion with 1,621 yards on the ground. Yet in that Jets game, he was limited to just 2 carries for 15 yards. That light usage turned what could have been a comfortable march to the rushing title into a tense three-way race between Cook, Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, and Ravens’ Derrick Henry.

However, McDermott has been firm that the decision came from a place of protection. He focused on keeping his Pro Bowler running back safe and sound for the postseason fight ahead. That is part of why Cook’s rushing crown means so much to the franchise and its fanbase. 

The last time the Bills had the rushing leader was in 1976, when Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson piled up 1,503 rushing yards. Now, with Cook’s 1,621 yards, that history has a modern chapter. And the symmetry around the stadium only makes the achievement even more special. 

Cook sealed his rushing title in what will be remembered as the Bills’ final game at Highmark before they move into a brand-new stadium across the street. But for McDermott and his staff, the achievement did not make the game-day decision any easier as they wrestled with how much to let Cook play without putting the postseason at risk. 

Sean McDermott jokes Bills fans might burn his car

The Bills have wrapped up the regular season at 12-5 and secured the No. 6 seed in the AFC. With the playoffs set and a road through the AFC that will be anything but easy, protecting his stars mattered as much as preserving milestones. 

“I’m sure if he [James Cook] got hurt, people would make me walk home,” McDermott said in his post-game presser. “Or burn my car, I don’t know. That’s the give and take of the week, of ‘Okay, how long do we go [with the starters]?’ I gave him a quarter. I told [Bills OC Joe Brady] during the week, I was like, ‘All right, he’s going to have a quarter and no more.’”

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In the end, McDermott stuck to that plan. And it forced Cook to sweat out the rushing race from the sidelines. But from the player’s perspective, getting those snaps still mattered because he wanted to finish what he had started all season, even in a limited role. 

His final total of 1,621 rushing yards was just enough to edge out Henry (1,595 yards) and Taylor (1,585 yards). Taylor’s regular season had already wrapped up before Cook took the field against the Jets. But Henry still had a chance to make a late charge in the Ravens vs. Steelers matchup.

When the dust settled and the numbers locked in, Cook’s name stood at the top of the leaderboard. Now, the Bills will head on the road to face the Jaguars at EverBank in the Wild Card round this Sunday.