The Buffalo Bills took on the Minnesota Vikings on the road Monday night, winning 23-6 and advancing to 7-1 on the season. The Bills are in sole control of first place in the AFC and control their destiny from here on out.
Offensively, the Bills got off to a slow start in this one. They were facing the number-one defense with Brian Flores leading the charge, and it showed.
The pressure on Josh Allen was an issue, but they found a rhythm at the end of the first half and ended the game scoring more points on the Vikings than any team all season.
Defensively, Buffalo faced backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who had a very lackluster performance, finishing with an 8.9 passer rating and throwing two picks.
The Bills defense is starting to gain some confidence with Jim Leonhard in the booth as they held their last two opponents to under 10 points.
Buffalo now has a quick turnaround, as they will take on the New York Jets on the road in Week 10 on Sunday.
Below are my stock risers and fallers from Week 9:
Stock up
I know I say it every week, but this week is truer than ever. James Cook is a true workhorse back for Buffalo. His 31 carries in this one was the most for him in his professional career. Cook also surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards on Monday night.
He finished with 107 rushing yards and tacked on a five-yard touchdown to help seal it. He was not seen in the passing game much, but the plan against the Vikings defense was simple, wear them down with the run.
Josh Allen finished 21/31 for 234 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also took it himself six times for 15 yards.
Allen handled the game well, on the road against a tough defense who sent pressure his way all night.
On Monday night, Allen also tied Peyton Manning for the most combined regular-season touchdowns in a quarterback’s first 10 seasons (322).
Allen also joined Cook in surpassing 5,000 career rushing yards, the first QB-RB duo in history to reach that milestone in the same season… and they did it on the same drive.
Defensive unit
I cannot complain about the output from the Bills defense over the last two weeks. Buffalo held the Vikings to just six points, and possibly one of the worst offensive performances of the season.
Terrel Bernard took a huge step up in this one, leading the team with six total tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception late in the third, which could have been two. Dorian Williams provided a turnover as well, intercepting Wentz out of halftime.
Greg Rousseau once again did his thing off the edge, putting a ton of pressure on Wentz, finishing with three quarterback hits, a sack (his eight of the season), and a fumble recovery.
Christian Benford held down star receiver Justin Jefferson, limiting him to just three catches for 58 yards on 11 targets.
A big stock up for Jim Leonhard and the Buffalo Bills defense this week. Defense wins championships, and if they keep performing to this level, they will hold onto the one seed.
Once again, Tyler Bass was perfect. He finished 3/3 on his field goal attempts, including a long of 52 yards.
He provided much needed points in a somewhat low-scoring affair for Buffalo and is now 19-for-19 on field goal attempts this season.
Scoring the first touchdown of the night, and the first touchdown of his NFL career, Allen hit tight end Keleki Latu down the field for a 25-yard touchdown at the end of the first half.
The tight end four on the depth chart found himself wide-open in the back of the end zone for a big-time play, which gave the Bills the lead.
WR Khalil Shakir
The sure hands of Khalil Shakir were on display Monday night, finishing with four receptions on four targets and led the team with 58 receiving yards. Shakir continues to be Allen’s most reliable option, now with a team leading 38 targets.
Time of Possession
The Bills crushed the Vikings in terms of time with the ball. Wentz and the Minnesota offense could not get anything going, while the Bills offense stuck to the ground game.
Buffalo won and had the ball for 42:32, compared to Minnesota’s 17:28.
Stock down
The Bills offense was without left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Alec Anderson, leaving the left side blocking duties to tackle Tylan Grable and guard Austin Corbett.
The pressure on Allen was an issue, resulting in four sacks for 29 yards. Corbett had some struggles against this defensive line, and Grable had problems off the line; committing two false starts.
Early struggles
The early offensive play calling from Joe Brady was predictable against this style of defense, keeping the ball on the ground with Cook, but they were held multiple times for three-and-outs, and below their normal output.
The switch to play-action late in the first half however worked to perfection.
Penalties
The Bills were called for eight of the 12 total penalties called for 62 yards. Buffalo looked undisciplined at times and had pre-snap issues.