The Bills beat Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football, and it wasn’t pretty. It didn’t need to be. Buffalo walked into U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday, November 9, took Minnesota’s best shot for a half, then spent the second half leaning on the Vikings until there was nothing left to lean on.

Buffalo led just 10-6 at the break. Then the Bills scored 13 unanswered points after halftime, held Minnesota out of the end zone all night, and walked out of Minneapolis at 7-1 — alone on top of the AFC. The Vikings dropped to 6-2, losers of two straight after a 6-0 start.

Bills Beat Vikings 23-6: The Grind That Won It

This one turned on patience. Minnesota’s defense came in allowing just 13.3 points a game, the best mark in the league, and it played like it early. Buffalo’s offense sputtered, and the Vikings hung around. Then Josh Allen found rookie tight end Keleki Latu for a 25-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left before halftime, and the game started to tilt.

The fourth quarter finished it. Buffalo put together a 15-play, 84-yard drive that ate 8 minutes and 32 seconds off the clock. James Cook carried nine times on the march and capped it with a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:17 left. Tyler Bass added a 52-yard field goal — his third of the night — and that was that.

Minnesota never found the end zone. Not once.

Allen and Cook Did the Heavy Lifting

Allen went 21-of-31 for 234 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He added 15 yards on the ground. The numbers look ordinary. The history books say something else. His touchdown throw to Latu was the 322nd of his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most by any player through his first 10 NFL seasons, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Cook did the dirty work. Thirty-one carries. One hundred seven yards. One touchdown. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and his 31 carries were the second-most of his career, USA Today reported. He also became the first player in Bills history to post at least 75 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in seven straight games.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, Allen and Cook both passed 5,000 career rushing yards on the same drive. Allen sits at 5,006. Cook’s at 5,073. Bills Wire reported it was the first time a quarterback-running back duo had ever done it together. Eight Bills caught at least one pass on the night.

Wentz’s Night Went Sideways Fast

Carson Wentz started in place of Kyler Murray, who’s out with a hamstring injury, and it went wrong almost from the start. Wentz finished 8-of-25 for 81 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble. His passer rating was 8.9 — the worst by a Vikings quarterback with at least 15 attempts in a game since Tommy Kramer’s 7.5 in 1984, according to the Associated Press.

The third quarter broke him. Wentz went 0-for-4 with two interceptions, and Minnesota gained 34 yards in the period. He completed one of eight passes after halftime before head coach Kevin O’Connell pulled him for Max Brosmer with 4:40 left. Brosmer went 6-of-7 for 58 yards in garbage time.

“This one felt pretty terrible,” Wentz said after the game, according to The Comeback. Justin Jefferson caught three of the 11 passes thrown his way for 58 yards. Nobody else on the Vikings’ offense did much of anything.

The Numbers Tell the Story

NBC Sports had Buffalo outgaining Minnesota 399-178. The Bills ran 79 plays to the Vikings’ 46 and held the ball for 42 minutes and 32 seconds. Minnesota had it for 17:18 — the franchise’s lowest time of possession in at least 40 years, Bills Wire reported.

The Vikings managed nine first downs. They went 0-for-8 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth. Three turnovers. Fifty-one rushing yards. And for all the praise Minnesota’s defense earned early — 23 points were the most it had allowed all season.

Bills Beat Vikings 23-6: What It Means in the AFC and the NFC North

Buffalo’s 7-1, its best eight-game start since 1993, and winners of four straight. The Bills sit alone atop the AFC, in line for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye — something Allen has never had. They visit the New York Jets on Sunday in Week 10.

Minnesota’s slide is real. Two losses in a row, and the Vikings now sit a half-game behind the 7-2 Chicago Bears in the NFC North. The Packers stayed in the thick of things too, rolling past New England 45-27 on Sunday behind Jordan Love’s 372 yards. The trade deadline hit Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and Minnesota’s quarterback question — with Murray hurt and Wentz benched — was the loudest one in the league.

Minnesota answered it before the deadline closed. The Vikings traded for veteran Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, according to reports, giving head coach Kevin O’Connell a proven starter while Murray heals. Cousins steps into a 6-2 team with a championship-level defense and a week to get ready for Green Bay.

Monday was supposed to be a celebration in Minneapolis. The Vikings brought Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss and Cris Carter together at U.S. Bank Stadium for the night. The home crowd got a 23-6 loss instead.

FAQ

What was the final score of Bills vs. Vikings on Monday Night Football?

Buffalo won 23-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Monday, November 9. The Bills led 10-6 at halftime, then scored 13 unanswered points in the second half.

How did Josh Allen play against the Vikings?

Allen went 21-of-31 for 234 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and ran for 15 yards. His touchdown pass to Keleki Latu tied Peyton Manning’s record of 322 career touchdowns through a player’s first 10 seasons.

Why was Carson Wentz benched?

Wentz went 8-of-25 for 81 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble, good for an 8.9 passer rating. Kevin O’Connell pulled him for Max Brosmer with 4:40 left and the game already decided.

What are the Bills’ and Vikings’ records now?

Buffalo’s 7-1, alone atop the AFC. Minnesota’s 6-2 after two straight losses, a half-game behind the 7-2 Bears in the NFC North.