James Cook Runs for 157 Yards and Josh Allen Accounts for Three Touchdowns in a 31-12 Rout

James Cook spent most of Sunday grinding. Then, with 4:42 left, he found a crease and was gone for 74 yards, the longest touchdown run of his career and the exclamation point on the Buffalo Bills' 31-12 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

Cook finished with 157 yards on 18 carries. Josh Allen accounted for three touchdowns, two on the ground and a 45-yard strike to DJ Moore, and Buffalo improved to 8-1 with its fifth straight win. The Bills are 5-0 on the road. The Jets fell to 2-8, dropped their fifth in a row and were held without a touchdown for the second straight week.

A Field Goal Fight for a Half

For 30 minutes this was closer than the final score suggests. Allen was 6 of 13 for 71 yards at the break and Buffalo converted just one of six third downs. The Bills still led 10-6 because New York kept stalling short of the end zone and leaning on Jason Sanders.

The last first-half kick came at a cost. On third-and-4 from the Buffalo 9 in the closing seconds of the half, Geno Smith rolled right and threw incomplete as linebacker Terrel Bernard hit him, with rookie T.J. Parker arriving at the same time. Smith went to the medical tent, and Sanders made a 27-yarder. Jets coach Aaron Glenn had words with officials on his way to the locker room, upset that no flag was thrown.

Klubnik's Debut and Buffalo's Answer

With Smith being evaluated for a concussion, Cade Klubnik, a rookie fourth-round pick from Clemson, opened the second half in his NFL debut. His first drive reached the Buffalo 4 before Dorian Williams broke up a third-and-goal throw, and Sanders' 22-yarder made it 10-9.

Buffalo answered with a touchdown to go up 17-9. Smith was cleared and returned for the next series, but a Cole Bishop blitz on third down put him on the turf, the Jets settled for another field goal, and Smith was later ruled out with an ankle injury. From the moment New York pulled within a point, Buffalo outscored it 21-3.

Allen's two rushing scores pushed his season total to 11 and his career total to 90, tying Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin for 14th in NFL history. The first, a 1-yard plunge, gave him at least 10 rushing touchdowns for a fourth straight season, which ties an NFL record. He threw for 196 yards, and Moore caught four passes for 90 yards.

The Hook-and-Ladder That Ended It

Trailing 24-12 late, the Jets reached for a trick play. Garrett Wilson caught a pass and tried to pitch it back, the lateral got loose, and Kaleb Elarms-Orr recovered for Buffalo. Shortly after, Cook broke his 74-yard run. It was his eighth straight game with a touchdown. Per amNY, he is just the fifth player in NFL history with eight straight games of at least 75 rushing yards and a rushing score.

Parker and Williams Set the Tone

Parker sacked Klubnik twice and finished with three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Williams, playing through a calf injury, led Buffalo with nine tackles and also sacked Smith. Klubnik went 11 of 20 for 137 yards with an interception.

What It Means

Buffalo sits at 8-1, while New England, which lost 35-10 to Detroit in Munich earlier Sunday, is 5-5. On a day the passing game sputtered early, Cook and the defense carried Buffalo.

For the Jets, Sanders has now kicked four field goals in three straight games. Glenn falls to 5-22 in two seasons and 0-9 against AFC East opponents, and Smith's status for next week's trip to the Chargers is uncertain.

Stats and game details as reported by ProFootballTalk, amNY, Athlon Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and The Associated Press, plus Buffalo Bills team highlights.