The Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime to conclude Week 5, but they escaped a close call that could have been avoided if their star running back took better care of the football. James Cook III fumbled twice in the 37-34 victory, and the second nearly cost the Bills the game. His ball security issues are an ongoing issue and one that seems to be wearing on coach Joe Brady, who threatened to reduce Cook's playing time if they persist.
The second of Cook's fumbles on Monday came on the opening possession of overtime. The Bills were within field goal range and threatening to begin the extra period with a touchdown after a 57-yard completion from Josh Allen to Khalil Shakir. On the ensuing play, Cook ran up the middle and lost the ball when Rams linebacker Nate Landman punched it loose and Aaron Donald fell on it.
All Los Angeles needed to win at that point was a field goal, but a blocked 48-yarder kept the Bills alive and led to an eventual game-winning field goal of their own. Cook's fumble marked the second of two Buffalo turnovers, as Allen previously threw an interception. "Right now, we're putting the ball in harm's way," Brady said on Tuesday.
"We know the way that we lose football games is we turn the ball over. Our two best players turned the ball over last night. James put the ball on the ground.
Look, he's doing so many good things running the football. I don't want to lose sight of how great he's running the ball right now. But we're putting the ball on the ground, and it's negating all the positive." Cook has been fantastic as a runner in 2026 with a blazing start to the season in which he averaged 106.4 yards per game over his first five outings.
That continues a hot streak which dates back to last season when he won the NFL rushing title with 1,621 yards and the season prior when he led the league with 16 touchdowns. Fumbles are a byproduct of his heavy workload, though. He is already up to four on the year, and he lost the ball six times a season ago.
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