Bills Notebook | Monday injury update, praise for James Cook’s rushing title and early preview of the Jaguars

Sean McDermott was just like a lot of us Sunday night of Week 18, sweating out the results of Sunday Night Football between the Ravens and Steelers.

Coming into the game, James Cook III had a 152-yard lead on RB Derrick Henry for the NFL rushing title. It appeared as if Henry was poised to pass the Bills RB with 112 yards in the first half.

“I knew the number, and I stayed up to do everything I could to make sure it was going to go the way it was going to go — not that I had any control at that point,” McDermott laughed.

Originally, the Bills had planned to play Cook for a full quarter against the Jets in hopes of boosting his chances to have the league’s most rushing yards. With the Bills resting many starters McDermott changed course and pulled Cook after he got two carries for 15 yards on the first two plays of the game.

“I was watching the (Ravens-Steelers) game, and you know, I’m praying that we made the right decision. And tell you what, it’s not easy. You expose him too long, and maybe 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 kind of reap the fruits of his labor,” McDermott said.

OC Joe Brady said he’s proud of the way Cook handled this entire season, from the summer negotiations surrounding his contract to now proving why he belongs in the conversation for the NFL’s top running back.

“All he’s done is just showed up to work and absolutely put on an incredible performance this year. I couldn’t be happier for him. Not often do guys get paid and then take their game up to another level,” Brady said.

Cook finished the regular season with 307 carries for 1,621 yards and 12 rushing TDs.