NFL: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Bold predictions are a little like throwing a deep ball into double coverage: if you’re terrified of the interception, you never give yourself a chance at the damn touchdown. The safe plays are easy to find on any NFL slate. This column is supposed to live a few yards beyond comfortable.
This week leans on three very different paths. One back gets a suddenly cleaner runway because the depth chart has thinned behind him. One quarterback can wreck a defense when a pass play turns into backyard football. And one runner gets an offensive line capable of creating daylight before he ever has to manufacture it himself.
MORE: NFL power rankings entering Week 3: All 32 teams ranked worst to first
James Cook rushes for 125 yards against the Chargers
Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs for a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Cook’s 135-yard game against Detroit looked explosive on the stat sheet, but the more interesting part was how little Buffalo asked him to fight through garbage. The Bills’ offensive line kept getting him to daylight, and that has been the backbone of this rushing game for more than a year.
Cook has 192 yards on 34 carries through two weeks while essentially owning the running-back rushing work. This isn’t a prediction that he breaks nine tackles and drags half the Chargers defense downfield. It’s that Buffalo keeps handing a fast back the ball with space already forming in front of him.
Los Angeles has defended the run better than its 0-2 record suggests, which keeps 125 firmly in play. But the front may not arrive in Buffalo at full strength. Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson has missed both practices with a hamstring injury, while Tuli Tuipulotu has been limited twice with another hamstring issue. Buffalo is already averaging 38.5 points and just over seven yards per play.
If the Bills spend Sunday playing from ahead, Cook doesn’t need absurd efficiency. He needs the same blocking, another 20-plus-carry afternoon, and enough daylight to make one safety very unhappy.
David Montgomery has 120 total yards, 2 touchdowns against the Colts
NFL: Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back David Montgomery (32) runs with the ball during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
David Montgomery is in a great spot to bounce back in Week 3. Indianapolis has allowed 177 rushing yards per game through two weeks, the second-highest mark in the NFL, while also allowing 5.4 yards per carry. Both Derrick Henry and Kenneth Walker have had massive days against them so far this season.
Montgomery has already scored multiple touchdowns in a game this season, including a three-touchdown Week 1 performance when Houston got its running game going.
He struggled to find a rhythm in Week 2, finishing with just eight touches, but the matchup should give Houston a reason to involve him more. Woody Marks is likely going to get some touches in this game, but the Texans brought Montgomery in to be their lead back, and they will feed him like one this week.
Getting to 120 total yards and two touchdowns is certainly asking a lot, but Montgomery has the opportunity and matchup to make it happen.
Quinshon Judkins rushes for 100 yards against the Panthers
Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Judkins has 54 rushing yards this season. Not per game. Total. The Browns have started stripping away the committee around him, and Dylan Sampson landing on injured reserve matters a hell of a lot more than Judkins averaging 2.3 yards per carry through two weeks.
His snap share jumped sharply in Week 2; he has handled Cleveland’s red-zone rushing work, and now he gets a Carolina defense that has had trouble ending runs cleanly. This isn’t hoping that the first two games didn’t happen. It’s planting a flag that his Week 3 job looks different than his Week 1 job.
The Browns still have to block somebody. Teven Jenkins missed practice again Thursday with a back issue, although right tackle Tytus Howard progressed to full participation. Judkins himself was limited for a personal, non-injury reason.
Carolina linebacker Devin Lloyd, meanwhile, has missed both practices with a calf injury. Judkins doesn’t need Cleveland suddenly turning into the 1990s Cowboys. He needs 18-ish real carries, a defense that lets him reach the second level a few times, and one run that finally gets loose.