The Bills beat Vikings 23-6 on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and Buffalo moved to 7-1 with its best start through eight games since 1993. Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass with 44 seconds left before halftime, and James Cook ran 31 times for 107 yards and a late score. The Bills held Minnesota out of the end zone all night. Carson Wentz started at quarterback for the Vikings, who fell to 6-2, with Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury.
The Bills beat Vikings in a game that matched the league’s highest scoring offence against its least scored on defence, and Minnesota held Buffalo to its lowest point total of the season. Buffalo still found a way through. Linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams each intercepted Wentz, and Tyler Bass kicked four field goals to stretch his franchise record streak to 25 in a row. Allen finished with 249 yards of offence and a touchdown. The win also gave Allen 322 regular season touchdowns in his first 10 seasons, tying Peyton Manning’s NFL record.
Bills beat Vikings with defence and ball control
The Bills beat Vikings by keeping Minnesota out of the end zone and holding the ball for 42 minutes and 32 seconds. The Vikings managed 178 total yards and turned the ball over three times. Buffalo’s defence clamped down on Wentz and Justin Jefferson, and the home crowd had little to cheer after the opening quarter. Minnesota’s offence has now sputtered for weeks, and Monday brought no relief. Wentz was benched during the game as the Vikings searched for a spark, and the Bills kept the pressure on until the final whistle.
Cook carried the load for Buffalo. His 31 carries were the most by a Bills running back in years, and his late touchdown pushed the lead to 20-6 before Bass added the final field goal. Cook has now scored eight touchdowns this season. Allen mixed short throws with runs of his own, and the Bills moved the chains often enough to keep Minnesota’s defence on the field. The Vikings came in allowing the fewest points in the league, and they kept Buffalo quiet for long stretches, but the Bills wore them down in the second half.
Bills beat Vikings to match the 1993 start
The Bills beat Vikings to match the best eight game start in franchise history since 1993, when Buffalo reached its fourth straight Super Bowl and lost. That team finished the regular season 12-4 before its run to the title game. This year’s Bills have a different shape, built around Allen and a defence that has forced turnovers in bunches, but the record through eight games is the same. Buffalo has won seven of its first eight games for the first time in 33 years, and the schedule now turns to a visit to the New York Jets on Sunday.
Minnesota has its own problems to fix. The Vikings are 6-2, but their offence has scored fewer points with each passing week, and the quarterback spot is unsettled while Murray recovers. Wentz threw two interceptions on Monday and was pulled from the game. The Vikings travel to Green Bay next, and the offence needs to find points quickly if the Vikings are to stay in touch at the top of the NFC North.
Bills beat Vikings as Allen ties Manning mark
The Bills beat Vikings on a night when Allen’s numbers were quiet by his standards, and that was the point. Buffalo did not need a shootout. Cook ran behind an offensive line that opened holes all night, and the defence gave the ball back with field position that let Bass do his work. Allen’s touchdown pass just before halftime gave Buffalo a lead it never gave back. It was the kind of win that travels well in November, built on the run game and a defence that took the ball away.
The Bills beat Vikings to reach 7-1, and the win keeps Buffalo among the league’s best records with nine games still to play. Minnesota falls to 6-2 with the same number of games left, and the Vikings need their offence back before the trip to Green Bay. Buffalo’s next test comes on Sunday against the Jets, and the Bills will carry the same formula with them: run the ball, take it away, and let Bass finish the job.