Bills 23, Vikings 6: Buffalo's defense and 42 minutes of possession smother Minnesota
Buffalo held the ball for 42:32, intercepted Carson Wentz twice and kept Minnesota out of the end zone to move to 7-1 on Monday Night Football.
The Buffalo Bills did not need a big night from their offense in Minneapolis on Monday. They needed the ball, and they kept it. Buffalo held possession for 42 minutes and 32 seconds, limited the Minnesota Vikings to 178 total yards and two field goals, and won 23-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium to move to 7-1, the best record in the AFC.
How it unfolded
Minnesota started Carson Wentz at quarterback in place of Kyler Murray, who is out with a hamstring injury, and the night went wrong early. In the first quarter, the Associated Press reported, a backward pass from Wentz sailed too high for Justin Jefferson and Buffalo recovered the fumble near midfield. The Vikings began four straight first-half possessions beyond their own 40-yard line, according to AP, and got no closer than the Bills' 48 on any of them.
Buffalo's one touchdown pass came 44 seconds before halftime. Josh Allen rolled right, took a hard hit from Andrew Van Ginkel as he threw, and found tight end Keleki Latu for 25 yards in the back of the end zone. It was Latu's first NFL touchdown.
After the break the Bills leaned on James Cook, who carried 31 times for 107 yards and added a rushing touchdown in the second half. Tyler Bass made field goals of 39, 25 and 52 yards, per ProFootballTalk, extending his franchise-record streak to 24 straight makes. Minnesota's points came on Will Reichard kicks from 43 and 53 yards.
The turning point
There was no single swing so much as a third quarter in which the Vikings could not complete a pass. Wentz went 0-for-4 with two interceptions in the period, ProFootballTalk reported, with Bills linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams making the picks. He finished 8-of-25 for 81 yards and gave way to Max Brosmer in the fourth quarter. Minnesota went 0-for-8 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth.
Allen was not flawless. He was 21-of-31 for 234 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a heave into the end zone that Byron Murphy returned 55 yards, and AP counted four Vikings sacks. But Buffalo ran 79 plays to Minnesota's 46. ESPN reported that the Bills' time of possession was their highest since 1989 and the Vikings' 17:28 their lowest since 1993.
What it means
Buffalo did this without starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Alec Anderson, both inactive, and with a pass defense that ESPN noted entered the game ranked 30th in the league. AP reported that 7-1 matches the Bills' best eight-game start since 1993. Allen and Cook also each passed 5,000 career rushing yards on the same third-quarter series, according to ESPN, making Allen the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach that mark.
Minnesota is 6-2 after a second straight loss, and the questions are at quarterback for as long as Murray is unavailable. ESPN described the timing of his return as uncertain. The Vikings' next game is against Green Bay at Lambeau Field.