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'When something's not broke, don't fix it' | Bills rushing attack leads the way in Week 2 win over Jets

Sep 15, 2025 at 08:17 AM

Patrick Warren

Contributing Correspondent

There was blood and sweat, but no tears as the Bills surged to a 30-10 victory over the New York Jets to start the season with a 2-0 record.

The blood came late in the first quarter, when quarterback Josh Allen's helmet came down hard on his nose on a run for no gain. Allen quickly jogged off the field, leaving those in the stands and on their couches in shock as the reigning MVP checked himself out of the game without going down on the field to initiate an injury timeout.

"I don't know what hit me, if it was a knee, if it was a hand, but my helmet just kind of came down on the bridge of my nose and just started leaking," Allen said after the game.

Fortunately for Allen and the Bills, the injury was a relatively minor one as Allen came back into the game two plays later – with a plugged-up nose. During his brief absence, however, backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky handled the offense with poise despite having to rush onto the field before the play clock expired.

New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills, Regular Season, September 14, 2025 at Metlife Stadium.

"It's tough, because you should go down there to give Mitch a chance to kind of catch his bearings to be able to come out there. But obviously, gushing blood, I just wanted to try to get off the field and stop it," Allen said. "For him to come off the bench like that with no warm up, no nothing, to be ready, I think that's the true embodiment of the character and the man that he is."

Trubisky inherited a 3rd-and-7 situation from the Buffalo 23-yard line. Instead of calling a running play, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady called a shot play for the eight-year veteran, who found wide receiver Joshua Palmer deep for a 32-yard reception and a first down on a drive that led to a field goal.

"Love how Mitch came in there, kind of like a shift change in hockey or something. Josh runs off the field and Mitch goes out … and throws a seed in there, throws a dime. And that's hard to do with no warmup, so credit Mitch for being ready again," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.

Trubisky's 32-yard completion was the Bills' longest passing play of the game. It was not, however, their longest play from scrimmage, which belonged to running back James Cook.

Cook, who is in his fourth season as a pro, finished with 132 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns – including a 44-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to extend the Bills' lead to 20 points.

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Cook, who signed a four-year contract extension over the offseason, took the handoff from Allen, wiggled his way out of the arms of Jets linebacker Quincy Williams and swiftly changed directions on his downfield sprint to the end zone.

"When I cut back, when I made the jump and cut back to the right, I knew I just needed to beat the first man and that's what I did," Cook said.

The Bills' 224 total rushing yards was their highest rushing total since Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 season, where Cook had a similarly dominant performance.

Cook and the Bills had a solid day on the ground last week against the Ravens with 108 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, but it was the passing game that kept them alive in the fourth quarter. On Sunday against the Jets, it was the rushing attack that led the Bills to victory, as Allen and Trubisky combined for just 179 passing yards.

"It just shows that you can do it in multiple ways," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "We have a good team, we have a great team and every week, they're showing up. They're showing different cards that we can play with on the poker table so I'm thankful. I'm thankful to be a part of it."

Dawkins and the Bills offensive line were a major factor in creating lanes for Cook, Allen and the rest of the Bills rushing attack to run through. In addition to Cook's 44-yard carry, Allen had a 40-yarder of his own, taking off on the third play of the game for the third-longest run of his career in the regular season.

Because of the rushing success, Allen said there was never a need for the Bills to become overly reliant on the passing game.

"I was just trusting our guys up front," Allen said. "I thought James was doing a great job of getting onto the second level. He had a heck of a game. When something's not broke, don't fix it. And, you know, we kept going back to it."

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