Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills Prop Pick: Can James Cook Impress in AFC Wild Card Round?
The Pittsburgh Steelers head into Highmark Stadium today to take on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. Can James Cook impress in this game? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - January 15, 2024, 2:13 PM EST
5 minPittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills Prop Pick: Can James Cook Impress in AFC Wild Card Round?
The Pittsburgh Steelers head into Highmark Stadium today to take on the Buffalo Bills. the Steelers finished third place in the AFC North this season with a record of 10–7, but it was still a good enough record to earn a spot in the playoffs on wildcard weekend. As the lowest seed in the AFC, the Steelers play the Buffalo Bills, who won the AFC East on a late surge, winning their last five games of the season to finish 11–6. This game has the highest spread of wildcard weekend, as the Bills are 10-point favorites today. What should we expect in this game?
Steelers vs. Bills Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 15, 2024
- Game Time: 4:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills Prediction
I am going to look at James Cook in this game. Running back James Cook has had a monster season, finishing with 1,122 rushing yards, good for fourth amongst running backs in the NFL. The Bills have relied on him heavily, as he has had 237 rushing attempts this season. Although he finished the season with a few quiet games, finishing with just 36 rushing yards against the Dolphins and 48 rushing yards against the Patriots, he has an excellent matchup today against the Pittsburgh Steelers team.
While the Steelers boast a good defense, they are much stronger in the secondary than they are upfront. The Steelers are allowing 4.3 yards per rush to opponents, which is 21st in the NFL. Overall, they are giving up 115 rushing yards per game, which is 19th in the NFL. Adding to that, star defensive end TJ Watt is out for this game, which is a massive blow to the Steeler's defensive line, as Watt is one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. Being weaker on the line will play more into Buffalo's rushing attack.
Josh Allen has been excellent this year but he has struggled with turnovers. He has 18 interceptions on the season, which is one of the lowest marks among starting quarterbacks who played the whole season. Given Allen's struggle with turnovers, I think the Bills will want to keep it on the ground as much as possible against this run-funnel defense the Steelers have.
Also, I don’t think the Bills need to have a big day through the air to beat the Steelers. They are better on the line of scrimmage and have a big edge with TJ Watt out. This game should be one that sees Cook get close to 20 carries, and if he does, passing his line of just 62.5 rushing yards is not a tall order for him.
The game script also plays a factor here. The Bills are better in almost every aspect of this game, which is why there are such heavy favorites today. When the Bills are leading by two possessions in this game, they will hand the ball off to Cook a lot to keep the clock running and keep the ball out of the Steelers' hands. on top of that, the weather is a factor, as it is going to be extremely cold and windy in Buffalo, even with the snow being less of a factor now. All the signs point to James Cook having a good game today, and I think 62.5 rushing yards is easily doable for him.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills Prop Pick
Pick: James Cook Over 62.5 Rushing Yards -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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