Bills grind past Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football as James Cook runs for 107 yards (Nov. 10)

Willamette News Staff

12 hours ago

5 min read

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, wearing No. 17, lines up behind his offensive line against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of a packed crowd — Josh Allen (17) and the Buffalo Bills offense line up against Tampa Bay in Orchard Park, N.Y., in November 2025. File photo. Photo: WuTang94 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (public domain dedication)

Quick Read

The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, improving to 7-1 and dropping Minnesota to 6-2.
James Cook ran 31 times for 107 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Josh Allen threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Keleki Latu just before halftime.
Buffalo's defense forced three turnovers, with interceptions by Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams, and held the Vikings to 178 yards and 0 of 8 on third down.
Our Monday Night Line picks went 2-1, moving the Monday record to 7-8-0.

By the Willamette News Sports Desk. Edited by Channing Webb.

MINNEAPOLIS - The Buffalo Bills did not need style points on Monday night. They needed the ball, and they kept it. Buffalo held possession for 42 minutes, 32 seconds, James Cook carried 31 times, and the Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium before an announced crowd of 66,955.

With Kyler Murray out with a hamstring injury, Carson Wentz started at quarterback for Minnesota and went 8 for 25 for 81 yards with three turnovers, according to the AP. It was the matchup of the NFL's best offense against its best defense, the AP noted, and the Vikings' offense never gave its defense much help.

How it happened

Minnesota's defense struck first. On a third-and-23 in the first quarter, Allen threw deep into the end zone and Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted the pass and returned it 54 yards, per the ESPN box score. On the very next snap, a Wentz throw toward Justin Jefferson was ruled incomplete, but Buffalo challenged, and replay ruled it a backward pass. Greg Rousseau recovered the fumble at the Minnesota 44, and Tyler Bass kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Will Reichard tied it with a 43-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. The Bills then put together their best drive of the half, 80 yards in eight plays, and Allen rolled right and found tight end Keleki Latu alone in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left. Allen took a hard hit from Andrew Van Ginkel on the throw. Wentz hit Jefferson for 24 yards to set up Reichard's 53-yard field goal on the final play of the half, and Buffalo led 10-6 at the break.

The second half belonged to the Bills' defense. Dorian Williams intercepted Wentz at the Buffalo 11 on Minnesota's opening drive of the third quarter, and Buffalo answered with a 14-play, 83-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard Bass field goal for a 13-6 lead. Terrel Bernard picked off a pass intended for Jefferson later in the quarter.

Buffalo put it away with a 15-play, 84-yard drive that took 8:32 off the clock, finished by Cook's 5-yard touchdown run with 6:17 to play. After the Vikings failed on fourth down, Bass hit from 52 yards with 4:40 left. Max Brosmer replaced Wentz midway through the fourth quarter and drove Minnesota inside the Buffalo 25, but the Vikings turned it over on downs at the Bills 13.

"We stuck with it, stuck with it, and eventually we broke it," Cook said, per the AP. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell put the loss on himself. "Put tonight 100% on me," he said. "But we've got to improve offensively, at a rapid pace."

Standouts and stats

James Cook, BUF: 31 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD.
Josh Allen, BUF: 21 of 31, 234 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, sacked four times. With 322 regular-season touchdowns (232 passing, 88 rushing and two receiving), Allen tied Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history over a player's first 10 seasons, the AP reported.
Khalil Shakir, BUF: 4 catches, 58 yards. Keleki Latu: 1 catch, 25 yards, 1 TD.
Tyler Bass, BUF: 3 of 3 on field goals (39, 25 and 52 yards) and 2 of 2 on extra points. The AP said he has made a franchise-record 24 straight field goals.
Bills defense: interceptions by Terrel Bernard (team-high six tackles) and Dorian Williams, a fumble recovery by Greg Rousseau, and sacks by Rousseau and Javon Solomon.
Carson Wentz, MIN: 8 of 25, 81 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, plus the lost fumble. He completed 1 of 8 passes in the second half, per the AP. Max Brosmer went 6 of 7 for 58 yards in relief.
Justin Jefferson, MIN: 3 catches, 58 yards on 11 targets. Blake Cashman led Minnesota with 12 tackles, and the Vikings had four sacks of Allen.
Team totals: Bills 339 yards (134 rushing on 44 carries) and 42:32 time of possession; Vikings 178 yards (51 rushing on 12 carries). Minnesota went 0 for 8 on third down.

Injuries

Wentz was checked out in the medical tent at one point for an apparent lower leg injury, the AP reported, and was replaced by Brosmer midway through the fourth quarter. Buffalo played without starting left tackle Dion Dawkins (ribs) and starting left guard Alec Anderson (ankle), who were inactive. Minnesota was without Murray (hamstring), receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) and free safety Theo Jackson (quadriceps). Jefferson and Cashman were each briefly shaken up during the game and returned, according to the ESPN play-by-play.

What it means

Buffalo is 7-1 and 4-0 on the road, matching its best eight-game start since 1993, according to the AP. The Bills lead the AFC East by 2 1/2 games over New England (5-4). They play at the New York Jets (2-7) on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. PT on CBS.

Minnesota falls to 6-2 and into a tie with Detroit (6-2) in the NFC North, a half game behind Chicago (7-2), with Green Bay (6-3) right behind. The Vikings' immediate problem is the offense, which managed nine first downs and never reached the end zone, and their next test is a division game at Green Bay on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. PT on Fox.

How our picks did

Our Monday Night Line preview went 2-1 this week:

Spread, Vikings +3: Loss. Buffalo won by 17.
Total, Under 43.5: Win. The teams combined for 29 points.
Prop, James Cook over 84.5 rushing yards: Win. He finished with 107 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.

Monday Night Line record: 7-8-0 (W-L-P). Thursday Night Line: 6-6-0. Combined Night Line record: 13-14-0.

Sources: ESPN/AP recap, ESPN box score, ESPN play-by-play. Cover photo: Bills offense vs. Bucs, 2025, by WuTang94, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.