BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Behind 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns from James Cook and three takeaways on defense, the Buffalo Bills get back in the win column in a lopsided 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1. James Cook is so freakin' good
I mean, what more is there to say? James Cook came into Sunday as the Bills ' second-best player on offense and definitely left it as the top performer of the day. At halftime, he had 158 yards rushing, on 12 carries and a massive 64-yard touchdown, the second-longest run of his career.
.@thegreat__4 on the moveeee for a 64-yd TD ‼️#BUFvsCAR on Fox pic.twitter.com/1HhMbBEMSf
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 26, 2025
When Cook wasn't on the field, the offense just looked lost. Josh Allen and his receivers struggled to get on the same page. Another game where separation and simply getting open were rare commodities. More on that below.
He picked up right where he left off in the second half, continuing to pace the Bills' offense, scoring another touchdown and tallying 216 total rushing yards on 19 carries.
Cook brings an element to this offense that keeps defenses guessing, and behind a good offensive line performance as well, he put together one of his best games as a Buffalo Bill. Getting him more involved in this offense is paramount.
2. The passing game remains inconsistent
Josh Allen, Joe Brady, and the entire offense are going to want to erase the passing game memories the 1st half brought them. Yet another half where Allen was scrambling for his life, just begging any pass catcher down the field to get open.
Allen, who had taken 12 sacks this season going into Sunday, took two in the first half, tying the mark for total sacks he took during all of the 2024-2025 regular season.
Khalil Shakir's 54-yard touchdown pass from Allen was a positive sign, but Shakir's ability to create YAC (yards after catch) was the driving force behind that touchdown.
It's a looming issue we keep having to talk about with this Bills offense, and the question now becomes, do they make a move by the trade deadline to alleviate some of these concerns in the passing game?
3. Defense had a nice rebound game
Marked by three takeaways, the Bills defense put together perhaps their best performance of the season. The defensive end pairing of Greg Rousseau, Aj Epenesa had some big splash plays that kept Carolina off the scoreboard.
Rousseau's strip of Andy Dalton in the first quarter, and AJ Epenesa's near pick-six towards the end of the first half allowed the team to keep control of the game and both times it resulted in points for Buffalo.
Rookie Deone Walker also had a fumble recovery in the third quarter, and together the Bills' defense came out of Charlotte with seven total sacks. A much-needed and improved outing from that unit.
4. Ed Oliver injury doesn't look good
Late in the second half, Ed Oliver came off the field and was being evaluated by trainers. Very shortly after he was ruled "Out" for the rest of the game with a bicpes injury and the speed at which he was ruled out usually means it was significant.
Below appears to be the play Oliver injured his bicep.
DT Ed Oliver (Left Biceps)Left arm gets caught behind him & extended as he comes through the line.Quickly ruled out, worry for a distal biceps injury due to where he was motioning to.Would be a huge loss. https://t.co/a4jzyryZWb pic.twitter.com/3zrPLYCFE7
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) October 26, 2025
Oliver, who has already missed a few games this season with an ankle injury, is such a crucial part of this defense, and with the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs on the docket next for this team, it represents a huge loss for the Bills if Oliver misses a longer period of time.
5. Sean McDermott improves to 9-0 after the bye-week as Bills head coach, Josh Allen 8-0 now after bye-week
Buffalo needed to get back in the win column and they found a way to do that emphatically. Their 31-point win over Carolina is the largest margin of victory for the team this season. Was everything perfect? No. But overall, this is the best game this team has put together in a few weeks.
Although he struggled a bit through the air until a long 54-yard touchdown pass to Shakir in the third quarter, Allen made history. Rushing for his 76th and 77th career rushing touchdowns and also passing Cam Newton for most games with one passing and one rushing touchdown in NFL History (46).
Buffalo now sits at 5-2 overall and remains in second in the AFC East with a tough test awaiting them next Sunday when Kansas City comes to Orchard Park.
