Minneapolis, Minn. (WGR/WBEN) - In a battle of 6-1 teams heading into a Monday night showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Buffalo Bills managed to dominate the time of possession game and outlast a relentless Minnesota Vikings defense in a 23-6 win in prime-time.
A common theme of this season has been the Bills winning coin toss and electing to receive the opening kickoff, setting a tone for the contest right away.
Despite a spectacular 58-yard kick return by returner Greg Dortch to the Vikings' 36-yard line, the Bills offense ended up going backwards on their first drive, enough to put Buffalo out of field goal range. A third-down sack of quarterback Josh Allen by Vikings pass rusher Dallas Turner led to a three-and-out and a Bills punt.
The Buffalo defense responded in tow by forcing a three-and-out of its own, as the Vikings ended up punting on their first offensive drive with Carson Wentz under center.
The Bills were able to find a bit of a groove on their second offensive drive, but it ended with a turnover with Allen looking to go deep for D.J. Moore. Facing a 3rd-and-long deep in field goal range, Allen threw up a pass with pressure in his face, only to be picked off by Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
Murphy Jr. then managed to return the interception to the Minnesota 47-yard line.
On the very first play of the Vikings' next drive, though, a backwards pass from Wentz to wide receiver Justin Jefferson ended up hitting the ground and was recovered by Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau. Even though the original call on the field was an incompletion, a challenge by head coach Joe Brady proved to be successful and the call was overturned to a fumble and clear recovery by Buffalo.
With the next offensive drive starting at the Vikings' 44-yard line, the Bills were able to get into field goal range against the league's top-ranked defense, enough for kicker Tyler Bass to drill a 39-yard field goal to put Buffalo up first, 3-0, with 1:57 to go in the first quarter.
The game then became a defensive battle with punts aplenty from both sides.
Then with 5:53 to go in the second quarter, the Bills catch a break on a third-down sack of Allen, as it appeared that Vikings pass rusher Andrew Van Ginkel stripped the Buffalo quarterback and recovered a fumble at the Bills' 1-yard line. However, after a review, Allen's shin was down on the turf before the ball was jarred loose, resulting in him being down by contact.
After a decent Vikings return on the ensuing punt, Minnesota was able to get just far enough into field goal range for kicker Will Reichard, who successfully booted a 43-yard field goal to even the score with 4:02 remaining in the first half.
With time ticking down in the second quarter, Allen and the Bills offense finally find paydirt with a touchdown drive to take a 10-3 lead. With the Bills having reached field goal range and the game clock under a minute remaining until halftime, Allen rolled to his right to escape pressure, which opened up space for tight end Keleki Latu to grab a 25-yard touchdown.
For Latu, it was the first touchdown reception of his NFL career.
With 44 seconds remaining in the half, it gave the Vikings just enough time to stretch the field and get back into field goal range for Reichard, who hit a 53-yard attempt with 5 seconds left in the half to cut the Buffalo lead to 10-6 heading into the locker room.
The Vikings opened the second half with the ball, but turned it over for the second time in the game. This time, it was Wentz underthrowing a pass intended for tight end T.J. Hockenson at the Bills' 11-yard line that was picked off by Bills linebacker Dorian Williams.
The Bills then responded with their opening drive of the half going deep into Minnesota territory, but unable to find the end zone again. Despite that, Buffalo tacked on three more points to its lead thanks to a Bass 25-yard field goal.
On that drive, a pair of notable offensive catalysts surpassed the 5,000 yards rushing mark for their careers in Allen and running back James Cook. They become the first quarterback-running back duo in NFL history to reach 5,000 career rushing yards as teammates in the same season.
As for Allen, he becomes just the fifth quarterback in NFL history with more than 5,000 yards rushing in his career.
Wentz then turned the ball over once again for the Vikings on their next drive, as he throws a pick to Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard after targeting Jefferson once again in Buffalo territory.
The Bills managed to take that turnover and get into field goal range once more for Bass, but a couple of false start penalties backed Buffalo out of field goal range, forcing a punt late in the third quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, the Bills went on a drive that chewed more than eight-and-a-half minutes of game clock and resulted in seven more points to extend the lead to 20-6. Buffalo relied on a healthy mix of rushing and passing to push the ball 84 yards down the field, and it ended with Cook finding the end zone on a 5-yard touchdown run.
With time fleeting for Minnesota, the Vikings go four-and-out and turn the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to the Bills with 5:41 remaining on the clock.
The Bills opted to keep the ball on the ground in field goal position, putting Bass in position for his third successful boot of the night, this time from 52 yards.
On their final drive of the game and down 23-6, the Vikings decided to hand the reins to backup quarterback Max Brosmer, who got Minnesota down the field and far enough into scoring position. However, they turned the ball over on downs after a fourth down catch by Hockenson came up just short of the line to gain.
The Bills were then able to kneel out the remaining time on the clock with Kyle Allen under center to cement the win, and improve to an AFC-best 7-1 in the standings. It's the best start to a season for the Bills since the 1993 season.
----------
SCORING RECAP
First Quarter:
- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (1:57) - Tyler Bass' 39-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 23 yards, 3:30
Second Quarter:
- 3-3 TIE: Vikings field goal (4:02) - Will Reichard's 43-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:34
- 10-3 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (0:44) - Josh Allen rolls to his right and fires a 25-yard strike to Keleki Latu for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:18
- 10-6 BUFFALO: Vikings field goal (0:05) - Will Reichard's 53-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 46 yards, 0:39
Third Quarter:
- 13-6 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (6:03) - Tyler Bass' 25-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 14 plays, 83 yards, 7:08
Fourth Quarter:
- 20-6 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (6:17) - James Cook rushes 5 yards up the middle for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 15 plays, 84 yards, 8:32
- 23-6 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (4:40) - Tyler Bass' 52-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:58
----------
Level Financial Advisors\u00a0- Helping you retire better at LevelFA.com Level Financial Advisors
LEVEL FINANCIAL ADVISORS STATS OF THE GAME:
----------
What's next:
The Bills next head to East Rutherford, N.J. for an AFC East matchup with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. EST.
