James Cook finding the end zone isn’t an especially uncommon sight in 2024. The Bills tailback has trotted into paydirt on 13 separate occasions so far this season, more than all but two players.
To do so after warding off a slew of harrowing tacklers, one of whom attempted to rip his hair out of his head, is a little more significant.
Cook’s second score against the Lions in Week 15 proved especially eye-catching to those watching Sunday’s matchup with vested interest. Not only did he collect an epic 41-yard touchdown, but he also did so in perhaps the most captivating way possible.
Here’s what you need to know about Cook’s impressive score.
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James Cook withstands hair-tackle attempt to score vs. Lions
Cook split beyond the defense with relative ease, finding a gap in the trenches before racing upstream. He tacked on speed after slaloming beyond additional blockers, eventually encountering open pasture — or so he thought.
With a touchdown looking all but assured, safety Kerby Joseph made a last-gasp effort at bringing Cook down. The 24-year-old defensive back, having already slipped while attempting to change direction, leapt toward Cook in an act of desperation. Instead of his pads, he collected a fistful of the Buffalo star’s hair. It’s unclear whether such a move was deliberate or not.
Cook shrugged off Joseph’s swipe, jerking his head and neck back as he plot crept down the plains. After displacing another would-be Detroit tackler, he made his way into the end zone, dancing deliriously as he reckoned with what he had just achieved.
JAMES COOK. 41-YARD TD.
📺: #BUFvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/9aiKnkhTjr— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
Cook has collected 17 rushing touchdowns in his big-league career thus far. Few will be able to hold up to his last dash, a 41-yard scramble that saw him fend off even the most unsavory of challenges in his pursuit of pay dirt.
Is it legal to tackle by the hair in the NFL?
While not the most noble of gestures, Joseph’s attempted tackle is fair game by NFL standards. In 2003, the league ruled that hair was part of a player’s uniform. Players can use the hair to bring down a player when they’re in pursuit.
“I’ve been pulled by my hair a few times,” Jadeveon Clowney said in 2022 (via the New York Times). “But, hey, if they’re a part of the uniform and if I could reach for them again, I would.”
Joseph mimicked Clowney in his approach for Cook’s locs. He’ll need to try a little harder next time around if he wants to prevent another game-changing score, it seems.
