The Buffalo Bills wore down the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, improving to 7-1 while Minnesota fell to 6-2 with its second straight loss after a 6-0 start.
The game was defined by Minnesota's quarterback play. Carson Wentz, starting in place of Kyler Murray, who is out with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 8 at Detroit, completed just 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards, with two interceptions and a lost fumble, for a passer rating of 8.9. He was benched late in the fourth quarter for second-year pro Max Brosmer, who went 6-for-7 for 58 yards and a 101.1 passer rating in garbage time.
Minnesota managed only 178 yards of total offense, went 0-for-8 on third down and held the ball for just 17:28, against 42:32 for Buffalo. Josh Allen completed 21 of 31 passes for 234 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Bills, while James Cook rushed 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. Keleki Latu scored the first touchdown of the night.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell blamed himself after the game for being unable to get Wentz into a rhythm against the Bills. With Murray sidelined, Wentz and Brosmer are the only two quarterbacks on Minnesota's active roster.
The loss comes fewer than 24 hours before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 10. As of midnight ET, the Vikings had yet to bring in a player via trade, and the team's quarterback conundrum has fueled calls for Minnesota to deal for help at the position. The Bills visit the New York Jets on Sunday, November 15, while the Vikings visit the Green Bay Packers the same day.
