The Bills head to U.S. Bank Stadium for a Monday Night Football matchup with the Vikings at 8:25 p.m., and Buffalo’s offense may need a few key players to tilt the night in its favor.
The Vikings come in with one of the league’s toughest defenses, so this isn’t the kind of game where the Bills can lean on just one avenue and expect it to carry them. Josh Allen will matter, of course, but Buffalo’s best chance to keep the offense balanced may come from a few specific names stepping into the spotlight.
Khalil Shakir is one of them. DJ Moore getting healthy has changed the way defenses are playing Buffalo, and that extra attention has opened things up for Shakir.
He took advantage last week against the Baltimore Ravens, catching five balls on six targets for 64 yards. If defenses keep shading toward Moore, Shakir should have room to keep building on that production.
James Cook is another. Minnesota’s defense is strong across the board, but the Bills need to make sure the Vikings can’t sit on the pass all night.
The numbers point to a possible opening on the ground: Minnesota ranks No. 1 against the pass at 154.9 yards per game, but sits 17th against the run at 116.7 yards per game. Buffalo needs an attack that forces the Vikings to respect both.
Then there’s Dion Dawkins, who could be playing through pain. He is listed as questionable with a rib injury, and he told reporters this week that he was hurt in the first half a week ago against the Ravens and could play through it. If he’s out there, the Bills will need him to battle through it and hold up no matter who lines up across from him.
In Other News...
Josh Allen Returns To A Stadium Bills Fans Will Never Forget
Josh Allen is headed back to U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday night, a place that still carries a lot of weight for Bills fans. It is the same building where one of the defining early moments of his career unfolded, and his return adds another layer to a matchup that already has plenty riding on it for Buffalo.
The setting figures to be a difficult one again, with Minnesotas fan base known for creating a tough road atmosphere. Allen acknowledged the challenge ahead while looking back on what that stadium has meant to his career, and Bills fans tuning in will also have a straightforward way to catch the game on broadcast and streaming platforms. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons Message Just Raised The Stakes In The AFC Race
The AFC picture got a lot more complicated when Lamar Jackson went down with a fractured and dislocated thumb, forcing Baltimore to put its franchise quarterback on injured reserve after surgery. For a conference that already feels like a weekly shuffle, the Ravens losing Jackson for an extended stretch changes the temperature of every race theyre in, including the one Buffalo is trying to control.
Baltimore moved quickly to add Jacoby Brissett as its next starter, a clear sign the Ravens are trying to stay afloat while Jackson works back. But the bigger storyline for the Bills is the one Jackson himself added, since he believes he can return before the season ends. For Buffalo, that means the path through the AFC may not get any easier, even if Baltimore has to navigate the next several weeks without its most dangerous player. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Brady Faces His Biggest Bills Test Yet In Minnesota
Joe Brady has spent his first stretch as the Bills head coach building momentum, and Monday night in Minnesota brings another early checkpoint for a team that has looked comfortable under his direction. Buffalo enters the game 6-1, and the road setting adds a little more weight to a matchup that already carries plenty of intrigue for a first-year head coach still establishing his rhythm.
The Vikings present a different kind of stress test, though, because Brian Flores defense is built to force quick decisions and keep offenses off balance with pressure from unexpected places. For Brady, it is the sort of game that can say plenty about how far the Bills have come under his watch, even before the final result tells the rest of the story. [Read more 🡒]