On November 13, 2022, the Minnesota Vikings were 7-1 and still underdogs when they went to Buffalo. The 6-2 Bills were favored by six and a half points, and they led 27-10 late in the third quarter. Minnesota won 33-30 in overtime.
The comeback needed a one-handed catch by Justin Jefferson on fourth-and-18, a goal-line stand by Buffalo that turned into a Vikings touchdown one play later, and two interceptions by Patrick Peterson, the last one in the end zone in overtime.
Buffalo takes control
Jefferson started fast. On Minnesota’s first possession he caught a 46-yard pass on third-and-11 and then a 22-yard touchdown from Kirk Cousins. The Bills answered with two Devin Singletary touchdown runs in the first quarter, a Tyler Bass field goal and an 11-yard Josh Allen touchdown pass to Gabe Davis with 33 seconds left in the half. Buffalo led 24-10 at halftime.
Bass added a 45-yard field goal with 1:56 left in the third quarter for a 27-10 lead. On the next snap, Dalvin Cook ran 81 yards for a touchdown. It was 27-17, and the game changed from there.
Fourth-and-18
Early in the fourth quarter, Buffalo had fourth-and-2 at the Minnesota 7. Allen’s pass for Dawson Knox was intercepted by Peterson in the end zone and returned 39 yards. The Vikings drove the rest of the way, and C.J. Ham ran 3 yards for a touchdown with 4:38 left. Greg Joseph’s extra point hit the right upright, so Buffalo still led 27-23.
Minnesota’s next drive looked finished. Cousins was sacked twice, and with two minutes left it was fourth-and-18 at the Vikings’ 27. Cousins threw deep down the right side to Jefferson, who was covered by Cam Lewis. Jefferson reached up with one hand, pulled the ball away from Lewis and came down with a 32-yard catch at the Buffalo 41.
“It felt like it was unreal. Like a movie,” Jefferson said after the game. “The big games, the big moments, when people are looking for you to make a play, that’s what I like the most.”
A stop at the 1, then a fumble
An unnecessary roughness penalty on Christian Benford moved the ball to the Buffalo 17, and Jefferson caught a 14-yard pass to the 3. Then the Bills held. Cousins slipped after the snap and lost 3 yards. Jefferson’s catch on third down was first ruled a touchdown, but the replay official reversed it and spotted the ball at the 1. On fourth down, Cousins tried a quarterback sneak and was stopped by Shaq Lawson. The ruling stood after review, and Buffalo took over at its own 1 with 49 seconds left.
Buffalo needed only to run out the clock. On the first snap, Allen mishandled the exchange from center Mitch Morse, and the ball came loose in the end zone. Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks fell on it for a touchdown. Minnesota led 30-27 with 41 seconds left.
| Time | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd quarter, 1:56 | Tyler Bass kicks a 45-yard field goal | Bills 27, Vikings 10 |
| 3rd quarter, 1:46 | Dalvin Cook runs 81 yards for a touchdown on the next snap | Bills 27, Vikings 17 |
| 4th quarter, 10:42 | Patrick Peterson intercepts Allen in the end zone on fourth-and-2 at the Minnesota 7 | Bills 27, Vikings 17 |
| 4th quarter, 4:38 | C.J. Ham runs 3 yards for a touchdown. The extra point hits the upright | Bills 27, Vikings 23 |
| 4th quarter, 2:00 | Jefferson’s one-handed catch for 32 yards on fourth-and-18 | Bills 27, Vikings 23 |
| 4th quarter, 0:50 | Cousins is stopped at the 1 on fourth down | Bills 27, Vikings 23 |
| 4th quarter, 0:49 | Allen fumbles the snap at his own 1. Eric Kendricks recovers in the end zone for a touchdown | Vikings 30, Bills 27 |
| 4th quarter, 0:05 | Bass kicks a 29-yard field goal | Vikings 30, Bills 30 |
| Overtime, 3:45 | Greg Joseph kicks a 33-yard field goal | Vikings 33, Bills 30 |
| Overtime, 1:19 | Peterson intercepts Allen in the end zone | Final: Vikings 33, Bills 30 |
Overtime
Allen still got Buffalo into field goal range in regulation. He completed passes to Knox, Davis and Isaiah McKenzie, and a pass interference penalty on Andrew Booth Jr. put the ball at the Minnesota 11. Bass tied the game with 5 seconds left. Afterward, the league’s head of officiating, Walt Anderson, said replays showed that Davis’ 20-yard sideline catch on that drive should not have counted, but the Bills’ hurry-up pace left the replay officials no time to stop the game and review it.
Minnesota got the ball first in overtime. Jefferson caught a 13-yard pass and a 24-yarder on third-and-10 to the Buffalo 2, but the Vikings lost 13 yards on the next two plays and settled for Joseph’s 33-yard field goal with 3:42 left. Under the overtime rules, a field goal on the first possession did not end the game, so Buffalo got the ball back.
Allen ran for 18 and 20 yards and threw two passes to Stefon Diggs to reach the Minnesota 20. On second-and-10, he threw over the middle for Davis, and Peterson intercepted the pass two yards deep in the end zone. It was Allen’s third turnover since the start of the fourth quarter.
| Vikings | Bills | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 33 | 30 |
| Total yards | 481 | 486 |
| First downs | 24 | 29 |
| Third downs | 7 of 17 | 7 of 13 |
| Fourth downs | 3 of 5 | 0 of 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 4 | 2 |
| Penalties | 7 for 64 yards | 7 for 64 yards |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 35:02 | 33:46 |
Jefferson caught 10 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. Cousins completed 30 of 50 passes for 357 yards, and Cook ran 14 times for 119 yards. Allen completed 29 of 43 for 330 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and he ran for 84 yards. Diggs, whom Buffalo got from Minnesota in the 2020 trade that gave the Vikings the pick they used on Jefferson, caught 12 passes for 128 yards.
What they said
“Losing sucks. It sucks this way even more. Horrendous second half,” Allen said. “It comes down to my shoulders and my shoulders only.” He had come into the game questionable with an injured right elbow, and he said the injury had nothing to do with the turnovers.
“Look at us now. Look at us now. That’s all I could say,” Peterson said. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, in his first season, said: “I’m going to remember this one forever.”
What came next
The win made the Vikings 8-1. The next week they lost 40-3 at home to Dallas, but they finished 13-4 and won the NFC North. They were 11-0 in regular-season games decided by eight points or fewer, then lost at home to the New York Giants 31-24 in the wild-card round. Jefferson led the NFL with 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards and was named Offensive Player of the Year.
The loss dropped Buffalo to 6-3. The Bills won their next seven games, finished 13-3 and won the AFC East. They beat Miami 34-31 in the wild-card round and lost at home to Cincinnati 27-10 in the divisional round. Allen threw 14 interceptions that season.
The rematch
The teams meet again on Monday night, November 9, in Minnesota. The Vikings are 6-0 and play at Detroit on Sunday, and the Bills are 5-1 and host Baltimore.
Related WhyNFL reading: how NFL overtime works today, how instant replay works, Jefferson on the Vikings’ 6-0 start and the day Josh Allen sacked Josh Allen.
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