For a while Monday night, the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings seemed to be competing to see which offense could frustrate its fans the most.
Neither team could get much going, and Josh Allen wasn’t doing much to hide his irritation. Playing without both his starting left tackle and left guard as Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson watched from the sidelines, Allen spent far too much time trying to escape a Minnesota defense that was coming through Buffalo’s offensive line like it had been invited.
Fortunately, the Bills’ defense was giving the Vikings just as much trouble, and the scoreboard wasn’t moving much in either direction.
But there’s only so long you can keep Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense quiet.
Once Buffalo had a chance to figure out what Minnesota was throwing at them, the adjustments started paying off. It wasn’t the high-octane, 30-plus-point offense Bills fans have grown accustomed to watching, but it didn’t need to be. James Cook got rolling, Allen found a way to move the ball, and Tyler Bass quietly put together an 11-point night that deserves a little more attention. And let’s not forget fellow special-teams specialist Tommy Doman getting in on the tackling action. Because who doesn’t love seeing a punter-moonlighting-as-a-kicker make a tackle?
By the time it was over, Buffalo had turned an aggravating start into a 23-6 win, improved to 7-1, and climbed to the top of the NFL standings. Not just the AFC East. Not just the AFC. All 32 teams.
And while the offense was busy figuring things out, the defense was putting together another performance worth talking about. Three takeaways, fewer than 200 yards allowed, and a Minnesota offense that couldn’t convert a single third down.
Of course, the win also came with a few entries in the record books. Josh Allen passed 5,000 career rushing yards and tied Peyton Manning’s mark of 322 total touchdowns through a player’s first 10 seasons. James Cook joined the 5,000-yard rushing club himself, giving the Bills two major career milestones in the same game.
And that was just the beginning. Here’s who else earned a Shout!out in Monday night’s win.
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The best start in more than three decades
The Bills are off to their best start in 33 years, matching the 1993 team’s record through eight games. It’s still early in the season, but Buffalo has put itself in a pretty good position heading into the second half.
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Bass is perfect
Tyler Bass has been one of Buffalo’s most reliable weapons this season, and Monday night was no exception. The Bills needed his leg against Minnesota, and he delivered every time.
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Defense doing its job
The Buffalo defense has been particularly impressive over the past two weeks, keeping opposing offenses from getting much of anything going. And the numbers show just how dominant the unit has been.
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Brady’s road success continues
Joe Brady has yet to lose a road game since taking over as Buffalo’s head coach. Monday’s win put him in some pretty good company among NFL coaches over the past 25 years.
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Cook keeps finding the end zone
James Cook has been one of Buffalo’s most consistent offensive weapons this season. Whether the Bills are putting up 30-plus points or grinding through a defensive battle, Cook keeps finding ways to produce.
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Williams leads the way
Dorian Williams added another interception to Buffalo’s growing collection of takeaways Monday night. He’s now leading the team in that category.
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A first for Latu
Keleki Latu picked up a career milestone Monday night, hauling in his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Josh Allen. The 25-yard score helped Buffalo finally get its offense moving against Minnesota.
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Rousseau isn’t slowing down
Greg Rousseau is having another strong season along Buffalo’s defensive front. And with nine games still remaining on the schedule, he’s already reached a mark that twice took him an entire season to achieve. And that mark, it ties him for second in the NFL.
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It may not have been the prettiest win of the season, and there were certainly a few moments that tested the patience of Buffalo fans and players alike. But a win is a win, and the Bills are sitting at 7-1 with the best record in the NFL. Not a bad place to be as the season reaches its halfway point. And despite all the Monday night struggles, there was still plenty to Shout! about when it was over.
