The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football on Nov. 9 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, a low-scoring win that matched the NFL’s top-scoring offense against its stingiest defense and kept Buffalo firmly in control of the AFC East. The Bills improved to 7-1, while the New England Patriots, idle on Monday after their Sunday loss to Green Bay, sit at 5-4.
Minnesota, playing without injured starter Kyler Murray, who was out with a hamstring strain, managed little on offense. Backup Carson Wentz threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a backward pass, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. He finished 8-for-25 for 81 yards, according to ESPN’s box score. Undrafted quarterback Max Brosmer replaced him late, CBS Sports reported.
How the Bills won
Buffalo’s offense, which entered averaging 33.3 points a game, struggled early against defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unit. Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy intercepted Josh Allen in the end zone in the first quarter, and Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel each sacked him, according to CBS Sports. A Van Ginkel strip-sack at the Buffalo 1-yard line was overturned on review when officials ruled Allen was down.
The game turned just before halftime, when Allen rolled right and found backup tight end Keleki Latu for a 25-yard touchdown, his first in the NFL, for a 10-3 lead. Linebackers Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard each intercepted Wentz in the third quarter. Running back James Cook then capped a 15-play, 84-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:17 left for a 20-6 lead, Sporting News reported, and kicker Tyler Bass added a 52-yard field goal. Cook finished with 107 rushing yards on 31 carries and a touchdown, and the Bills held the ball for 42 minutes, 32 seconds to Minnesota’s 17:28, according to ESPN’s box score.
Cook entered the night with six straight games of at least 75 rushing yards and a touchdown, tied with O.J. Simpson’s 1975 run for the longest such streak in team history, CBS Sports noted; his 107 yards and a score on Monday cleared both marks again. Bass opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal and finished 3-for-3, also making a 25-yarder, ESPN’s box score showed. Buffalo’s defense, which entered allowing 25.9 points a game, 24th in the league, held Minnesota without a touchdown. At halftime, the Vikings inducted former running back Adrian Peterson into their Ring of Honor.
Analysis: the AFC East race
The result widens Buffalo’s division lead. By The Boston Report’s count, using league standings before Monday’s game and the final score, the Bills are 7-1, the Patriots 5-4, the New York Jets 2-7 and the Miami Dolphins 1-7.
That leaves New England 2.5 games behind Buffalo with eight games left for the Patriots and nine for the Bills, by our calculation. The Patriots currently hold the AFC’s No. 7 spot, the last wild-card position, in the standings we reviewed, just ahead of 5-4 Cleveland.
Why Patriots fans should care
Both Monday night teams come to Foxborough in December. Buffalo visits on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4:25 p.m. on CBS, and Minnesota plays at New England on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video, according to the schedules published by Sporting News. The Vikings fell to 6-2 but still lead the league in scoring defense, so the Dec. 10 matchup could depend on whether Murray returns from his hamstring injury.
New England first has to recover from a 45-27 loss to the Packers and a wave of injuries. The team lost three players to knee injuries days before its Munich trip, and coach Mike Vrabel said his trade deadline plan is unchanged ahead of the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Check the full Patriots schedule for upcoming games.
Sources
- ESPN: Bills 23-6 Vikings box score and standings, Nov. 9, 2026
- Sporting News: Bills vs. Vikings live score, results, highlights from Monday Night Football
- CBS Sports: Vikings vs. Bills live updates
- Minnesota Star Tribune: Vikings vs. Bills MNF updates
- NFL.com: 2026-27 important dates (trade deadline 4 p.m. New York time, Nov. 10)
- New England Patriots: 2026 schedule (Dec. 6 vs. Bills, Dec. 10 vs. Vikings)
Read next in Boston Local News
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Boston Local NewsBruins Beat Panthers 4-1 and Celtics Rout Bucks 117-97 as Patriots Fall 45-27 to Packers
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