Final: Bills 23, Vikings 6
The Buffalo Bills controlled Monday Night Football from start to finish. They beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 in Minneapolis and held the ball for 42 minutes and 32 seconds. Minnesota, starting Carson Wentz in place of the injured Kyler Murray, didn’t score a touchdown.
Scoring summary
| Quarter | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tyler Bass 39-yard FG | BUF 3-0 |
| 2nd | Will Reichard 43-yard FG | 3-3 |
| 2nd | Josh Allen 25-yard TD pass to Keleki Latu | BUF 10-3 |
| 2nd | Reichard 53-yard FG | BUF 10-6 |
| 3rd | Bass 25-yard FG | BUF 13-6 |
| 4th | James Cook III 5-yard TD run | BUF 20-6 |
| 4th | Bass 52-yard FG | BUF 23-6 |
Top performers
| Player | Team | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| James Cook III | Bills | 31 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD |
| Josh Allen | Bills | 21 of 31, 234 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Khalil Shakir | Bills | 4 catches, 58 yards |
| Tyler Bass | Bills | 3 field goals (39, 25, 52) |
| Carson Wentz | Vikings | 8 of 25, 81 yards, 2 INT |
| Justin Jefferson | Vikings | 3 catches, 58 yards |
By the numbers
| Bills | Vikings | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 339 | 178 |
| First downs | 22 | 9 |
| Third downs | 7 of 18 | 0 of 8 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 42:32 | 17:28 |
Minnesota went 0 for 8 on third down and gained just 178 yards.
What went wrong for Minnesota
- Wentz completed only 8 of 25 passes and threw two interceptions.
- A Wentz pass to Justin Jefferson behind the line was ruled a lateral after a Buffalo challenge, and the Bills recovered.
- The defense played well early. Byron Murphy picked off Allen in the end zone, and Dallas Turner had a big third-down sack. But the offense kept leaving the field quickly.
The next day: Kirk Cousins is back
On Tuesday, the Vikings traded a 2027 third-round pick to the Raiders for Kirk Cousins, their starting quarterback from 2018 to 2023. After this game, it’s easy to see why. All the deadline deals.
Records
- Bills: 7-1. They are 4-0 on the road and among the best teams in the AFC.
- Vikings: 6-2. Two straight losses after a 6-0 start.
The rest of the week: NFL Week 9 scores and takeaways.
Sources: ESPN – Bills 23-6 Vikings, Yahoo Sports – Bills-Vikings live updates, VAVEL – Josh Allen leads MNF win.
