James Cook carried 31 times for 107 yards and a late touchdown, Josh Allen threw a scoring pass to Keleki Latu just before halftime, and the Buffalo Bills ground out a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, November 9, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Buffalo improves to 7-1, its best record through eight games since 1993. Minnesota falls to 6-2 after its offense, with Carson Wentz starting in place of the injured Kyler Murray (hamstring), managed 178 total yards, went 0 for 8 on third down and turned the ball over three times. The Bills held the ball for 42 minutes, 32 seconds.
A sloppy, defensive first half
The game opened with two turnovers in two snaps. Facing third-and-23, Allen heaved a deep pass toward DJ Moore that Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted in the end zone and returned 54 yards to the Buffalo 47. On the next play, Wentz threw a pass toward Justin Jefferson that was ruled incomplete, but Buffalo challenged, the throw was ruled a backward pass, and Greg Rousseau recovered the loose ball. Tyler Bass turned that into a 39-yard field goal.
Minnesota’s pressure kept Allen under siege, with four sacks on the night. Andrew Van Ginkel sacked him at the Buffalo 2 and appeared to recover a fumble at the 1, but a replay review ruled Allen down, and the Bills had to punt from their own 2. The Vikings started four straight first-half possessions beyond their own 40 yet never got past the Buffalo 48 on those drives, and their first points came on a 43-yard Will Reichard field goal after a short punt return set them up at the Buffalo 34.
Buffalo finally broke through on an eight-play, 80-yard drive. With 44 seconds left in the half, Allen rolled right and found Latu alone in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown as Van Ginkel hit him. Reichard answered from 53 yards with five seconds left, and Buffalo led 10-6 at the break.
Bills take over after halftime
Wentz completed 1 of 8 passes in the second half. On Minnesota’s opening drive of the third quarter, linebacker Dorian Williams intercepted a deep throw meant for T.J. Hockenson at the Buffalo 11, and the Bills answered with a 14-play, 83-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard Bass field goal. Linebacker Terrel Bernard picked off Wentz on a pass for Jefferson on the next series.
The game-sealing march came early in the fourth quarter: 15 plays, 84 yards and 8 minutes, 32 seconds. It survived two replay reversals on consecutive short-yardage Allen runs, with a review on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 38 awarding the first down, and Cook finished it with a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:17 left. Wentz then threw incomplete to Jefferson on fourth-and-4, Bass hit from 52 yards, and Max Brosmer replaced Wentz for the final drive, which ended on downs at the Buffalo 13.
The numbers
- Josh Allen: 21 of 31 for 234 yards, one touchdown and one interception, sacked four times. With 322 regular-season touchdowns (232 passing, 88 rushing, two receiving), he tied Peyton Manning for the most by a player in his first 10 seasons, and Allen is only halfway through his ninth.
- James Cook III: 31 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.
- Khalil Shakir: four catches for 58 yards. Dawson Knox added four for 37.
- Tyler Bass: 3 of 3 on field goals (39, 25 and 52 yards), extending his franchise-record streak to 24 straight makes.
- Carson Wentz: 8 of 25 for 81 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Max Brosmer went 6 of 7 for 58 yards in relief.
- Justin Jefferson: three catches for 58 yards on 11 targets.
- Defense: Bernard had six tackles and an interception for Buffalo; Blake Cashman had 12 tackles for Minnesota, and Dallas Turner had a sack.
- Team totals: Buffalo 339 yards to 178, 22 first downs to 9, and 79 plays to 46. Minnesota ran the ball only 12 times.
What they said
“We stuck with it, stuck with it, and eventually we broke it,” Cook said. “We knew what type of game it was going to be.” Bills coach Joe Brady said there was “no panic early in the game when things weren’t going our way.”
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell took the blame. “Put tonight 100% on me,” he said. “We’ve got to improve offensively, at a rapid pace.” He said he should have called more runs; Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. combined for 11 carries.
Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford left with a wrist injury, safety Damar Hamlin needed IV fluids for cramps before returning, and Wentz hurt his foot late in the third quarter. For the latest on all of them, see our Tuesday injury updates.
What comes next
The Bills visit the New York Jets on Sunday, November 15. Minnesota plays at the Green Bay Packers the same day in an NFC North matchup.
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