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By James Brizuela
Contributing Writer
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The Buffalo Bills are looking for their fourth win of the season, and they are facing their divisional rivals, the New York Jets, in an important Monday Night Football matchup. Despite the Bills being one of the best teams in the NFL, they are heading into the game without their star running back.
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James Cook has been dealing with a toe injury this whole week and came into the MNF showdown with a "questionable" designation. Cook was hoping to work through his toe issue but is not healthy enough to take the field.
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To help with losing Cook, the Bills announced they have elevated rookie Frank Gore Jr. for the game.
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Losing Cook for the game is going to be tough to deal with, as he has been one of the glowing aspects of this Bills offense. Through five games, he has secured 309 yards, four touchdowns, and a 4.4 yards per carry average.
Backup running back Ty Johnson is expected to get the workload in terms of carries. The Bills also have Ray Davis and Gore. As mentioned, Gore has been elevated from the practice squad for the game.
Gore went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and would sign with the Bills. The Bills eventually released Gore, only to sign him back to the practice squad the following day.
With Cook now out, Gore will get his chance to appear in his first professional game. Gore spent four seasons with Southern Miss, where he secured a total of 4,022 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns, 692 receiving yards, and four touchdowns.
Though Gore will still have quite a task to leapfrog both Johnson and Davis, the young rookie still has a chance to show that he belongs on the 53-man roster. Per the NFL rules, Gore can be elevated three times to the active roster. Should the Bills make it a fourth, he will be added to the active roster.
The Bills are one of the best teams in the AFC right now, and a win against the Jets will propel them closer to having the best record in the conference. Granted, they will still be behind the undefeated Chiefs, but they can still catch them.
There has been a question of concern regarding if the Bills would be able to replicate their success with a brand-new wide receiver corps, but the team has done just fine. Despite two losses, quarterback Josh Allen has still put together a string of strong games.
For more on the Bills, head to Newsweek Sports.
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