The Bills have spent much of this season trying to win while their defense gave up too much. Two games after the bye, that script looks a lot different.
Buffalo followed up its 36-10 rout of the Baltimore Ravens with a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football,” and Greg Rousseau made it clear he believes the surge is real.
“Last week wasn’t a fluke,” Rousseau said. “It’s what we are.
It’s what we can do. We just have to keep going.”
The results have been loud. Over those two games, the Bills allowed just 144 yards to Baltimore and 178 to Minnesota, while piling up six sacks and six takeaways. Rousseau had a sack in both games and now sits at eight sacks on the season.
That’s a dramatic shift from the first six weeks, when Buffalo gave up 29 points or more in five of six games and opponents averaged more than 386 yards. The 5-1 record was doing a lot of the covering up.
Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz took the brunt of Buffalo’s latest defensive clampdown. He finished 8 of 25 for 81 yards with two interceptions and an 8.9 passer rating.
Only one Vikings starter with at least 20 attempts has ever posted a lower single-game mark in franchise history. Max Brosmer finished the game at quarterback, but Minnesota still dropped its second straight after opening 6-0.
Asked by Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter” how Buffalo kept Wentz “in hell” all game, Rousseau pointed to the whole unit.
“That’s our mindset every week,” Rousseau said. “We rushed solid.
We rushed solid up front, and same with the DBs. DBs were strapped in the back end.”
The defense gave Josh Allen and the offense room to breathe after a sluggish start. Allen completed 21 of 31 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown, while James Cook handled the ground game with 107 yards and a score on 31 carries.
There is still a wrinkle in the story, though. Joe Fagnano was at quarterback for most of the Baltimore game, and Wentz ran Minnesota’s offense, so the two-game spike is not a perfect measuring stick for a full defensive overhaul.
Even so, the Bills have a chance to keep building before the schedule stiffens. General manager Brandon Beane can still make a move before the trade deadline, and Buffalo’s next two games come against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The tougher defensive tests are still ahead.
In Other News...
Bills Trade Deadline Pressure Is Suddenly All About One Defensive Need
With less than 24 hours before the 2026 NFL trade deadline, the Bills are still weighing whether to make a move, and the conversation around Buffalo has narrowed to one obvious area: defense. ESPNs Troy Aikman said he spoke with general manager Brandon Beane about the possibility of adding help on that side of the ball, a sign the front office is at least exploring whether there is a deal worth making before the clock runs out.
Joe Buck also floated Budda Baker as a potential target, which only adds to the speculation around what Buffalo might be willing to do if it decides the roster needs a boost. For now, though, nothing official has happened, leaving the Bills in the familiar deadline spot of trying to balance urgency with the cost of making a move. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Got More Pressure As An AFC Rival Goes All In
The AFC race just got a little tighter for Buffalo after Jacksonville spent the days leading into the trade deadline loading up on defense. The Jaguars added safety Jessie Bates III from Atlanta, then followed with deals for defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis from Philadelphia, a clear sign they are trying to fortify the middle of their defense and push harder in a crowded conference.
For the Bills, the timing matters as much as the names. Jacksonville paid for those upgrades with multiple future draft picks, a move that signals urgency now and confidence in the roster around it, and it adds another team in the AFC willing to act aggressively to close the gap. Buffalo has spent plenty of time measuring itself against the conferences best, and this kind of deadline swing is the sort that can reshape the path to January. [Read more 🡒]
Tony Romo Added Another Twist To A Strange Bills Vikings Night
The Bills-Vikings matchup already had a strange feel to it on NFL Trade Deadline day, and Tony Romo managed to add another layer to the night by showing up alongside Pat McAfee during the game. The former Cowboys quarterback, now working as an NFL analyst, talked through Minnesotas offense and took a moment to note how much he appreciated the support from McAfee and his crew.
It was the kind of cameo that fit a game defined by unease on the Vikings side, with Carson Wentz struggling to get much going at quarterback. Romos comments only sharpened the focus on how disjointed Minnesota looked, and for a night that was already carrying deadline-day intrigue, the broadcast detour became part of the story too. [Read more 🡒]