Several Buffalo Bills players have had seasons to remember in 2025. It's been a team effort to arrive at their 11-5 record and seventh consecutive playoff berth ahead of Week 18.
Plenty of players are the reasons behind the league's best passing defense (allow 163 passing yards per game) and sixth best points per game average (28 points per game) on offense.
These are the five players who have put up numbers that rank amongst the best in the league.
Bills' Most Valuable Player: Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen may not win NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season but he has undoubtedly been the Bills' MVP this season and could make an NFL All-Pro team for the third time in his career.
Going into the final week, Allen ranks second in the NFL with 39 total TDs and is the only player in the NFL with 3,000+ passing yards & 500+ rushing yards. He ranks third in the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns and leads all QBs in that stat.
In 2025, Allen has a 4-1 record in which the opposing team has scored 30+ points. While maintaining his status as one of the best QBs in the NFL, Allen has been at his best in the fourth quarter.
He leads all QBs in the fourth quarter in EPA (55.95), passing yards (1,216), rushing yards (231), yards per attempt (8.9), completions of 25+ yards (14) and rushes of 10+ yards (7).
Here are just a few of Allen's accomplishments this season:
- Week 1 vs. Ravens: Became the first player in NFL history to have 250+ passing yards & 2+ rushing TDs in any single quarter of any single game. His 251 fourth quarter passing yards marked the most by a QB in a win since 1996.
- Week 9 vs. Chiefs: Established a new franchise record (88.5%) for completion percentage in a game.
- Week 11 vs. Buccaneers: First player in NFL history with 3+ passing & 3 + rushing TDs in multiple career games. Also tied Cam Newton (75) for the most rushing TDs by a QB all-time (regular season only).
- Week 14 vs. Bengals: Recorded his 50th career game with 1+ passing & 1+ rushing TDs, extending his NFL record.
- Week 17 vs. Eagles: Recorded his 300th career total touchdown, becoming the fastest player in NFL history to reach the mark (127 games).
"Everyone's going to vote how they want to vote. But there is absolutely no question in my mind who the MVP of this league is," Bills head coach Sean McDermott told Albert Breer earlier this season.
Bills' Best Offensive Player: James Cook
After receiving a contract extension this summer, running back James Cook III did the opposite of taking his foot off the gas. Cook put his foot on the throttle and ran past defense after defense.
Cook's fourth season has been a career year. He has the best vision of any current running back, a wealth of knowledge when it comes to NFL offenses and packs a punch when breaking tackles.
Heading into Week 18, Cook leads the NFL with 1,606 rushing yards. It's the most by a Bills running back since O.J. Simpson had over 1,800 in 1976. Cook has now passed 1,000 rushing yards in three straight seasons becoming the third Bill to do so (Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson).
Quarterback Josh Allen says Cook is the engine behind it all.
"He's the best back in football," Allen said. "…He should be in the running for every award. He's an absolute stud. We love having him. He makes our offense go."
Cook is close to the 2,000-yard-mark in scrimmage yards with 1,897 through 17 weeks of play. His most impactful game was Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers where Cook rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-9 win. It was the most rushing yards in a game by a Bill since 1976 (Simpson – 273 yards).
His teammates and coaches, as well as the entire NFL have noticed a huge jump in production this season.
"The look in his eye each week, the intensity that he shows up with, it's really been influential on our whole football team," head coach Sean McDermott said of Cook. "Guys see that. That's kind of a little bit unique for a running back position player to have that type of impact on the whole team…Very few people work harder than him."
Cook's work speaks for itself. With the help of Buffalo's offensive line, Cook has racked up nine games of at least 100 rushing yards and 12 games of at least 100 scrimmage yards. The Bills are 11-1 when Cook has 100 scrimmage yards. Both are the most in the league.
Cook has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season and 14 total. His eight consecutive games with a rushing touchdown this season set a new team record. Cook is also the fourth NFL player since 1990 to begin a season with three games of at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
At 5'10, 190, Cook is breaking the stereotype that has been set for smaller running backs. The RB has done so by showcasing his power in various situations.
"A lot of the things that he does so well, at times people think he can't do that. He's so powerful when he runs, and he doesn't get the credit for the way that he runs because of the size, right?" Offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. "…When you see him hit the hole in some of those duos, he packs a punch, and he has such a great understanding of the run schemes and what we're asking him to do now. And it's unique to find a ball carrier that can kind of do a little bit of everything."
That's one of the many reasons why Cook is elite. He can do everything—juke out a defender, plow through for tough first down on 4th & 2, act as a wide receiver as quarterback Josh Allen finds him down the sideline to score.
Cook doesn't just elevate Buffalo's offense. He's made it what it is. It's so hard to defend a running back like Cook—he's a big reason behind their 11-win season. So yes, Cook has been cooking all season.
Bills' Best Defensive Player: Christian Benford
Similar to Cook, a new deal didn't stop cornerback Christian Benford from wanting to prove why he's one of the best corners in the league. Defenses don't want to throw his way because when they do, it usually goes incomplete or is picked off.
Benford is a technician. He's committed to perfecting the tiny details during the week so he can produce on game days. It's hard to find someone more dedicated to their craft than Benford. His standard of being one of the first on the practice field and the last to leave has earned him some game-changing plays in 2025.
The cornerback has a knack for finding the ball and scoring. He's the first player in Bills history and the only in the NFL this season with defensive touchdowns in consecutive games (Weeks 13-14). He's also the only player with at least two interceptions, two sacks and two defensive touchdowns in the NFL this year.
"He is very, very committed to the process," head coach Sean McDermott said of his CB. "…It's been really a joy to watch him get more comfortable in this position in terms of how we use him as a corner and what he does week to week for us. And not just the pass game but the run game as well."
The cornerback doesn't back down from a matchup. He outwardly asks to go against a team's No. 1 receiver. He loves the challenge and has done an incredible job against the best.
Benford matched up with the opposing team's top-targeted receiver on 45.4% of his coverage matchups from Weeks 8-16, the highest rate among 98 cornerbacks with at least 100 total matchups during that span according to Next Gen Stats.
During those weeks, Benford logged double-digit matchups in coverage against Tetairoa McMillan (18 matchups), Ja'Marr Chase (16), DK Metcalf (13), Nico Collins (13), and Emeka Egbuka (10). He managed to allow just four receptions for 60 yards across nine targets faced in those 70 combined matchups, while only allowing receptions to McMillan (2) and Collins (2).
From Weeks 13-16, Benford has held opposing No. 1 wide receivers to fewer than 45 yards and no touchdowns. Metcalf was held to three catches for 32 yards on five targets in Week 13. Chase was held to just five receptions for 44 yards on eight targets in Week 14. In Week 16, Jerry Jeudy was held to only three catches for 12 yards on four targets.
"He's a pro and wants to be really good," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said of Benford. "He works at it, and it's just who CB is. If you were to tell me, 'Hey…he's gonna have a couple defensive touchdowns.' (It) wouldn't shock me."
From Weeks 6-16, Benford also allowed the lowest passer rating in coverage at 17.9 according to Next Gen Stats (minimum 50 coverage snaps). He allowed just 21 targets, eight receptions, 119 receiving yards and zero touchdowns during that time span.
Bills' Best Special Teams Player: Ray Davis
Running back Ray Davis embraced his role on special teams with open arms, proving to be an essential piece to the Bills' kickoff return game and making the most of his opportunities. He leads the league in kickoff return average (30.7).
"He's been a pro," McDermott said in Week 6. "You get one opportunity, you take advantage of it and you make that the Super Bowl rep for yourself. That's the tape when you're doing things right."
The second-year player has 27 kickoff returns for 837 yards and one touchdown over 15 games. Against the Texans in Week 12 just before halftime, he caught the ball at the Bills' three-yard-line. After a successful spin move, getting to the outside, Davis was off to the races and took the ball all the way into the end zone for a 97-yard touchdown.
Davis continues putting the Bills in ideal field position. In 2025, he has two games where he put up three returns of 35-plus yards.
At the end of the second quarter at New England in Week 15, Davis returned a 60-yard kick 38 yards to Buffalo's 43-yard-line. The Bills took advantage of the near-midfield position, scoring their first touchdown of the game. Also in that game, Davis had a 58-yard return into Patriots territory, another kickoff return that Allen and the offense capitalized on with a trip to the end zone. Davis had a 164-yard performance on special teams over four returns in that matchup.
In Week 11 against Tampa Bay, Davis had four returns for 158 yards. Catching one kickoff at Buffalo's five-yard-line, he had a 44-yard return, placing the offense near midfield once again. He also had a 41-yard return during the third quarter. Another 44-yard return also in that quarter put the Bills in Buccaneers territory, eventually turning into a field goal by the end of the offensive drive.
"Really explosive. Very impressed. That was the vision," McDermott said in Week 11. "Davis stepped in and certainly did his part, which I really appreciate, being a good team player."
Bills' Unsung Hero: Reggie Gilliam
Fullback Reggie Gilliam might not be a frequent name on the stat sheet, but his impact is undeniable for Buffalo's offense.
"[Gilliam] does so much for our football team without the ball. In my opinion, Gilliam should be an All-Pro fullback," Brady said in Week 16. "Fullbacks don't get a lot of love … they don't catch touchdowns, they don't get a lot of yards … [but] he approaches practice whether he has two plays in the game plan or whether he has 20, he's rolling and ready to go."
The Bills don't call him "Sledge" for nothing. Gilliam is a main blocker in the run game for Cook, Davis and Ty Johnson. Buffalo leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 29 through Week 17. It also has the second-ranked rushing offense in the NFL with 156.4 rushing yards per game and average yards per rush with 5.0. He's also the driver behind Buffalo's tush push plays.
"Not many guys can play in a tight end room, understand what the tight ends have to do, play the fullback position and put his hand in the dirt and block a tight end position and play the fullback," Brady said. "So many things that he does … he's playing at an All-Pro level this year."
Gilliam might not be the guy making plays with the ball in his hands, but he's the guy making those plays happen. Through Week 17, he played 220 offensive snaps, 20.8 percent of the team's total.
"Some of the MVPs are not, maybe, household names," McDermott said in Week 17. "But we wouldn't be where we are year to year without some of those people."
