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James Cook Carries Buffalo 31 Times and Breaks the Vikings Late in a 23-6 Monday Night Win

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2026

James Cook warms up before a Buffalo Bills game. Photo by WuTang94, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

James Cook kept taking the handoff, and by the fourth quarter the best defense in football had nothing left. Cook carried the ball 31 times for 107 yards and scored the touchdown that put the game away, leading the Buffalo Bills to a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The 31 carries were the most by any running back in the NFL this season, and they came the hard way. Minnesota entered the night allowing the fewest points in the league, and at halftime Cook had just 33 yards on 15 carries with Buffalo clinging to a 10-6 lead. The Bills stayed with him anyway. In the fourth quarter, holding a 13-6 lead, Buffalo marched 84 yards on 15 plays and took 8 minutes and 32 seconds off the clock. Cook carried nine times on that drive alone, piling up 47 yards, and he finished it by slipping through the middle for a 5-yard touchdown with 6:17 remaining.

“We stuck with it, stuck with it, and eventually we broke it,” Cook said. “We knew what type of game it was going to be, a bloody game.”

The night carried history with it. Cook passed 5,000 rushing yards for his career, reaching 5,073, and he has now rushed for a touchdown and at least 75 yards in seven straight games. That is the longest streak in Bills history and the longest by any NFL player since LaDainian Tomlinson put together eight straight in 2006. Asked afterward how his body felt after 31 carries, Cook said he felt “excellent” and added, “Feel like I didn’t play a game.”

Buffalo’s defense gave Cook the stage. The Bills held Minnesota to 178 total yards, forced three turnovers and did not allow a single third-down conversion, while Josh Allen threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Bass closed the scoring with a 52-yard field goal. Buffalo is 7-1 and alone on top of the AFC, while the Vikings fell to 6-2 with a second straight loss.

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Ravens Say Lamar Jackson’s Broken, Dislocated Thumb Typically Takes 6-10 Weeks to Heal

The Baltimore Ravens said Friday that Lamar Jackson’s broken and dislocated throwing thumb required surgery and that injuries like it typically take about six to 10 weeks to heal.

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2026

We Speak Media

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on the sideline (Baltimore Ravens)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. (Baltimore Ravens)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is recovering from a broken and dislocated thumb that required surgery, and injuries of that kind typically take about six to 10 weeks to heal, head coach Jesse Minter said in a statement released by the team on Friday.

“Lamar is doing well as he recovers from the broken and dislocated thumb injury he suffered in Week 8,” Minter said. “Recovery timelines are challenging to predict, but injuries like this that require surgery typically take about 6-10 weeks to heal. He is doing everything he can to get back, and we will let his progress guide the timing of his return. We are committed to playing our best football over the second half of the season.”

Friday’s statement is the team’s first official diagnosis and timeline for the injury, which Jackson suffered on the Ravens’ first offensive play at Buffalo on Nov. 1 in his return from a three-game ankle absence. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 1 and has not played since. ESPN reported that Jackson has undergone the surgery.

Backup Tyler Huntley was also ruled out for the Ravens’ Nov. 5 game against Jacksonville with turf toe, and Baltimore has turned to Jacoby Brissett, acquired from Arizona, at quarterback. The Ravens are 4-5 after Thursday’s 33-10 loss to the Jaguars.

Lamar Jackson to Undergo Thumb Surgery, Headed to Injured Reserve

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