Pittsburgh Steelers DC Teryl Austin knows how talented Buffalo Bills RB James Cook is.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Buffalo Bills this week, DC Teryl Austin knows his guys have to contain James Cook.
While QB Josh Allen is the best players on the Bills, Austin is aware how dangerous Cook is.
"He's really good," Austin said about Cook. "He's really explosive, he's smooth, he's got really good vision. You watch him make guys miss right in the hole that have clean shots; it's impressive.
"So, I can see why he's rushing the way he does and has as many yards as he does, and they're relying on him more because I think that makes the quarterback's job easier. It allows them to open up some of their play-action pass game and all those different things. The way he's been running and the things he does for their offense is, I think, really, really big."
Cook has 1,084 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on the season. He's second in the NFL in rushing yards.
Cook has faced the Steelers once before. He had 31 rushing yards and one touchdown in 2022.
To beat the Bills, Austin's defense has to keep Cook in a box and make Allen uncomfortable in the pocket. That's what the Houston Texans did last week in their win on Thursday Night Football.
"They really got after him," Austin said. "When you watch the game, the Texans did a really good job … they controlled it overall. They were able to keep him in the pocket. They really collapsed the pocket a lot of times, and then when he did step up, they were able to really chase him down.
"They did a really good job that way. That's the kind of effort we're going to have to have if we want to have some success."
The Steelers are 19th in the NFL in points per game allowed, while the Bills are fifth in points per game. It will be fascinating to see which group plays better this Sunday.