The Buffalo Bills didn’t just beat the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. They squeezed the game until there was almost nothing left for Minnesota to work with.
Buffalo controlled the ball for 42 minutes, 32 seconds in a 23-6 win at U.S. Bank Stadium, a performance that pushed the Bills to 7-1 and gave them their fourth straight victory.
The Vikings, meanwhile, never found any rhythm on offense. They failed to convert a third down, went 0-for-2 on fourth down and finished with just nine first downs.
That kind of squeeze job starts with the defense, and Buffalo’s unit turned in a night that belongs in rare company. For the second straight game, the Bills forced at least three turnovers, recorded multiple sacks, held the opponent under 200 total yards, kept the opposing quarterback below a 50% completion rate and didn’t allow a passing touchdown.
The last NFL team to do that in consecutive games was the 1985 Chicago Bears, who pulled it off in three straight games from Nov. 10-24.
That Bears team finished 15-1 and won Super Bowl XX.
Carson Wentz was stuck in the middle of it all and had one of the roughest outings of any quarterback in recent memory. He completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first quarter.
He finished with an 8.9 passer rating, the lowest by an NFL quarterback with at least 25 pass attempts in a game since 2019. Wentz also completed only one of eight passes in the second half before Max Brosmer replaced him in the fourth quarter.
While the Vikings were spinning their wheels, James Cook kept grinding. He carried 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first player in Bills history to post at least 75 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in seven straight games.
That streak is the longest of its kind by any NFL player since LaDainian Tomlinson did it in eight consecutive games in 2006. Cook’s touchdown came on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter and gave Buffalo a 20-6 lead.
Cook and Josh Allen also reached major career milestones in the same game. Both crossed 5,000 career rushing yards Monday night.
Allen added 15 rushing yards to reach 5,006, while Cook’s 107-yard night moved him to 5,073. They became the fourth and fifth players in Bills history to get there, and Allen joined Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to reach 5,000 career rushing yards.
Allen also added another line to his growing resume. His 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Keleki Latu gave him 322 career regular-season touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning for the most by any player through his first 10 NFL seasons.
Allen now has 232 passing touchdowns, 88 rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. He finished 21 of 31 for 234 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Buffalo’s scoring was steady, and Tyler Bass kept his perfect season intact. The kicker made all three of his field-goal attempts, hitting from 39, 25 and 52 yards.
Bass is now 18-for-18 on field goals in 2026, the best start to a season by a kicker in Bills history, and he extended his franchise-record streak to 24 straight made field goals. His 52-yarder with 4:40 left pushed the lead to 23-6.
Joe Brady also kept building a clean road record in his first season. The win made him 4-0 away from home as an NFL head coach, making him just the fifth head coach this century to win each of his first four career road games. He joined Sean McVay, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Caldwell and Herm Edwards.
And if the box score needed one final reminder of how thoroughly Buffalo controlled the night, it was the drive that closed the door. The Bills went 84 yards in 15 plays, burned 8:32 off the clock and finished with Cook’s second touchdown of the night. It was Buffalo’s longest drive of the season in both plays and time, a fitting end to a game the Bills dictated from start to finish.
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Bills Defense Is Forcing A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
Since their Week 7 bye, the Bills have looked noticeably sharper on defense, cutting down the yards and points they have allowed and making life much harder on opposing offenses. The turnaround has been enough to stand out even in a team that has leaned on its offense for much of the season, with Josh Allen and James Cook also doing their part to keep Buffalo moving.
Greg Rousseau has been one of the voices pointing to the change as something more lasting than a short hot streak, and the numbers back up why the conversation has shifted. With the defense producing sacks and takeaways at a much better clip over the last two games, the bigger question around Buffalo is no longer whether the unit can help, but how far this version of the Bills can go if it keeps playing this way. [Read more 🡒]
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Buffalos timing was no accident. After the Jaguars added Jessie Bates III, the safety market started to shift, and the Bills answered with an aggressive move of their own to keep pace. Hooker gives them a proven difference-maker at a spot where they have been searching for more stability, and the next question is how quickly he can settle in and reshape the back end before the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Defense Nearly Pulled Off A Play Fans Never See
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It was the kind of sequence that fit the night for Buffalo, which kept control throughout a 23-6 win and moved to 7-1. Wentz never found much rhythm against the Bills, finishing 8 of 25 for 81 yards with two interceptions, while Buffalos defense kept making life difficult even when the unusual chances did not quite break its way. [Read more 🡒]