The Bills didn't just leave Minnesota with a win Monday night. They left with a pair of milestones no quarterback-running back tandem had ever reached together.
Buffalo QB Josh Allen and RB James Cook each went past 5,000 rushing yards for their careers during the same drive in Buffalo's 23-6 win over the Vikings on Monday Night Football.
The RB1 played a key roll as he continued to attack the Vikings' tired defense and run time off the clock while moving the chains. He finished with 107 rushing yards on 31 carries and scored on a five-yard run to help put the game out of reach in the fourth.
"That's James Cook,” Allen said postgame about his backfield running mate. “It was awesome to to sit down there or sit back and kind of watch him run, especially
late in that drive and making guys miss and finding his way into the end zone."
Cook exceeded 30 carries for only the second time in his career, and it was his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. He now sits at 5,073 career yards, and received a game ball after the win. His score extended another streak. Cook has now rushed for a touchdown and at least 75 yards in seven consecutive games, the longest such run in team history and the longest by any NFL player since LaDainian Tomlinson's eight straight in 2006.
The Vikings defense mostly contained Cook for the first three quarters, limiting him to an average of 3.5 yards per carry on the day, but he and the Bills offense chipped away at and wore down the Vikings' defense by sustaining drives, something Minnesota's offense couldn't do.
“The more times we can get James Cook the ball, the better we're going to be as an offense,” the QB added.
Allen went for 21-of-31 and 234 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. His scoring toss broke another record for the most touchdown throws in a player's first 10 NFL seasons, previously set by Peyton Manning.
The QB needed nine yards entering the night to achieve the yardage feat, and got there in the third quarter. His 15 rushing yards on six carries pushed him to 5,006 for his career. The others are Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, Michael Vick and Russell Wilson, who Allen trails by 562 yards for fourth on the all-time list. He is also now the first quarterback ever to throw for 32,000 yards and run for 5,000 with a single franchise, and owns the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
And Allen, Cook, and the offense ate up the clock in Minnesota along the way, leading to Vikings fans leaving early to beat traffic when it was clear Buffalo was en route to victory.
The Bills won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 30 minutes (42:32 to 17:18), making the Vikings time of possession the worst Minnesota has had in the past 40 years. Buffalo's 23 points were the most Minnesota's defense has allowed this season, and Buffalo's possessions and dynamic backfield duo of Allen and Cook were big reasons why.
"Anytime you have a time of possession with 42 minutes, that's tough on offense, too,” head coach Joe Brady saidabout the challenge the Bills offense faced. “Eventually you end up making it a game that they weren't willing to play, and that's a good football team and that's a great defense and to be able to just stay on the field and be able to possess the ball is really hard.
The win moved the Bills to 7-1 and kept them alone atop the AFC standings and potential No. 1 playoff seed and first round bye, and advantage that Allen has yet to secure in his career. The last times the Bills started seasons 7-1 they advanced to the Super Bowl in the playoffs.
Buffalo stays on the road in Week 10, visiting the Jets next Sunday in New Jersey.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Josh Allen, James Cook make NFL history vs. Vikings
