The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, improving to 7-1 as Josh Allen threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and James Cook III ran for 107 yards and a score. The Bills vs Vikings score stayed close for a half before Buffalo pulled away with 13 unanswered points in the second half.
Minnesota’s offense managed just 178 total yards and turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions from starting quarterback Carson Wentz. Backup Max Brosmer went 6 of 7 for 58 yards in relief. The Vikings fell to 6-2 despite a defense that held Buffalo to a modest 4.3 yards per play.
How The Bills Pulled Away
Buffalo controlled the clock from the opening possession, taking a 3-0 lead on a 39-yard Tyler Bass field goal with 1:57 left in the first quarter. Minnesota answered with a 43-yard Will Reichard field goal in the second quarter to tie it at 3, but Allen found Keleki Latu for a 25-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left in the half. Reichard added a 53-yarder from 53 yards just before halftime to cut the margin to 10-6.
The third quarter belonged to Bass, who connected from 25 yards to make it 13-6 with 6:03 left in the period. Buffalo then put the game away in the fourth quarter. Cook capped a drive with a 5-yard touchdown run at the 6:17 mark for a 20-6 lead, and Bass closed the scoring with a 52-yard field goal with 4:40 remaining, finishing the game 3 of 3 on field goal attempts for 11 total points.
The Vikings converted zero of eight third-down attempts and finished 0 of 2 on fourth down.
Top Performers
Allen completed 21 of 31 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Cook carried the ball 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, the workhorse number behind Buffalo’s 134 rushing yards on 44 attempts. Khalil Shakir led the receiving corps with four catches for 58 yards, while Latu’s lone catch went for the game’s only passing touchdown.
On defense, Terrel Bernard recorded six tackles and an interception, and Dorian Williams also picked off a pass. Buffalo forced three turnovers total against one giveaway.
For Minnesota, Wentz finished 8 of 25 for 81 yards with two interceptions and took a sack. Backup Max Brosmer went 6 of 7 for 58 yards in relief work. Justin Jefferson caught three passes for 58 yards on 11 targets, and Jordan Mason led the rushing attack with 35 yards on six carries. Blake Cashman topped all tacklers with 12 stops, and Byron Murphy Jr. had Minnesota’s lone interception, returning it 54 yards.
What It Means
Buffalo moved to 7-1 and sits atop the AFC East, ahead of New England at 5-4. Buffalo’s balanced attack leaned on Cook’s 107-yard performance and Bass’s perfect kicking night.
Minnesota dropped to 6-2 but remains in the thick of the NFC North, where Chicago leads at 7-2 and Detroit sits at 6-2 alongside the Vikings. The turnover margin, three giveaways against one takeaway, swung field position and scoring chances in Buffalo’s favor all night.
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