Following Sunday Night Football, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III officially earned the NFL's 2025 rushing title.
Cook finished the regular season with 307 carries for 1,621 yards, claiming the top spot in rushing yards in the league. He also had 12 rushing touchdowns over the season.
Though he wasn't 100 percent sure at the time after the Jets game if he won the title or not, Cook talked about how important a title like that is for all running backs across the league.
"It means a lot. Just something nobody in my family has done, just nothing somebody has done here [with the Bills] in a long time. So, it'd be special," Cook said. "As a running back, that's everybody's goal just to win the rushing title."
Just four years in, Cook has proven to be one of the league's best running backs. It's the first year a Bills running back has earned the title since O.J. Simpson did so in 1976.
Cook's 2025 campaign has been one to remember. 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.
With another year of four-figure rushing numbers, 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's most impactful game this season was Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers where the RB 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."
