The growing list of injuries to the Patriots' roster is becoming more concerning by the day, especially heading into this week's matchup with the Bills, as they were down defensive tackle Christian Barmore and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Because both play major roles on defense, Patriots fans expected the group would struggle in their absence. Without Barmore on the field, the run game was predicted to explode, with James Cook leading the way, and without Gonzalez, Josh Allen would presumably be able to air it out all game long.
Bills fans believed that would be true, as well, only to be sorely mistaken through four quarters.
Not only did Buffalo's receiving corps record fewer yards than the Patriots, who were without their No. 1 playmaker, A.J. Brown, but Cook was also far from his usual form, logging just 12 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown.
He still made an impact, but the Patriots' depleted defense managed to hold the running back to his fewest carries in a game (other than Week 18) since Week 16 of the 2024 season. That's quite a feat, considering Cook recorded 24 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown last week, and 21 carries for 135 yards and a score the week before.
Cook could have run away with this game for the Bills, securing the team's first win in their new stadium. But the Patriots' defense was ready and delivered an impressive, unexpected performance on Sunday afternoon.
James Cook didn't have the explosive game vs. the Patriots that most anticipated
Going into this week's matchup, it was clear the Patriots were in for a battle, mainly because of their defense, as they faced MVP frontrunner quarterback Josh Allen and the NFL's 3rd-ranked running offense, which Cook leads and Allen complements.
The Patriots ranked 19th in run defense before the game, so they didn't look like a threat to the Bills, yet they took on the challenge and accomplished something none of Buffalo's opponents have done over the last two years.
That's a testament to Nick Kuhr's preparation over the past week; they knew they had to shut down one of the league's best running backs, or the game could have gotten out of hand fairly quickly.
They did that with ease, even without someone as crucial as Barmore, which makes their upcoming matchup with the Raiders next week seem a bit easier. They have their own playmaking running back in Ashton Jeanty, so the Patriots will need to replicate their Sunday success next week, too.
That might be easier if they bring Barmore back into the lineup, but that's unclear right now. Fortunately, it doesn't look like they need him to do what they need to do, which is a great sign for a defense that's had a roller-coaster start to the year.
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