Steelers play unlikely role in James Cook’s rushing title moment

As most Pittsburgh Steelers fans were aware, on Sunday night, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry was playing with the NFL rushing title on the line. Henry needed 150 yards to surpass the 1,621 yards Buffalo Bills running back James Cook finished with earlier in the day.

Henry got off to a strong start, picking up 111 yards on the ground in the first half against the Steelers in the season finale. Of course, it didn’t last. The Steelers are in the playoffs, set to host the Houston Texans on Monday night.

Naturally, thanks were in order from the Bills’ franchise for giving the assist to Cook, who enjoyed a restful Sunday, carrying the rock just twice for 15 yards against the New York Jets in Week 18. His right tackle, Spencer Brown, chimed in on Wednesday to offer up his own gratitude for the Steelers’ efforts.

Bills OT Spencer Brown gives the Pittsburgh Steelers an awkward thank-you for helping James Cook win league rushing title

“That was awesome. I texted my group chat after the first half, ‘I really don’t love that Derrick Henry has 111 rushing yards, already, but shout out to the Steelers defense that slowed him down in the second half,” Brown said with a chuckle.

Of course, when Henry hit the century mark in the first quarter, many Bills fans likely conceded the rushing title to Henry and turned their focus to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After all, they saw what Cook did to the Steelers' defense back in Week 13. Cook rushed for 144 yards on 32 carries against the Steelers, as the Bills' offense set a single-game opponent rushing record at Acrisure Stadium with 249 yards, all while running the same play, Duo, upwards of 25 times.

Still, it’s no surprise that Bills head coach Sean McDermott put full confidence in his buddy Mike Tomlin to come through for him. After all, what would it say about McDermott’s confidence in his pal’s defense if he had played Cook for the entire first quarter as he originally planned, but with Josh Allen out of the game after the first snap? The Bills are going to need Cook just as badly as they do Allen, especially since the Bills' wide receiver group is actually less threatening than the Steelers’.

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Nonetheless, that 144-yard outing against the Steelers was part of the catalyst that allowed Cook the opportunity to grab a late lead on the rushing leaderboard in the first place. He followed it up with at least 74 yards in the next four games, going over 100 yards twice to give himself a lead that could only be challenged by Henry and Jonathan Taylor. Taylor finished just 10 yards behind Henry, who was 16 yards behind Cook.

Still, the Bills’ thanks towards the Steelers are well-earned, even if their catch-22 nature can sting the sensibilities a bit ahead of the postseason. At least the Texans’ 22nd-ranked rushing offense isn’t nearly as foreboding as that of the Bills and Ravens.