Carson Wentz Benched as Josh Allen, James Cook and the Bills Grind Down the Vikings on Monday Night Football

The best defense in football did a lot of what it wanted to Josh Allen on Monday night. It sacked him four times, intercepted him in the end zone and held the league's highest-scoring offense to its lowest point total of the season. None of it mattered much, because the offense on the other sideline could not stay on the field long enough to give that defense a breather.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium, riding 31 James Cook carries, the first NFL touchdown of Keleki Latu's career and a defense that intercepted Carson Wentz twice in a third quarter that broke the game open. Buffalo is 7-1 and owns the best record in the AFC. Minnesota, unbeaten two weeks ago, is 6-2 after a second straight loss, and Wentz finished the night on the bench.

A First Half Decided by Replay

The opening minutes hinted at a shootout that never came. Greg Dortch returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to the Minnesota 36, but Dallas Turner sacked Allen on third down and the Bills punted without a point. A few series later, Allen went deep for DJ Moore in the end zone and Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted it, bringing it back 54 yards.

Minnesota gave it right back. Wentz threw a backward pass toward Justin Jefferson that hit the turf, and Greg Rousseau fell on it at the Minnesota 44. The officials called it an incomplete pass, Bills coach Joe Brady challenged, and replay ruled it a lateral and a fumble. Tyler Bass turned the extra possession into a 39-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

Replay bailed out Buffalo again a few possessions later. Andrew Van Ginkel dropped Allen near the goal line and the ball squirted loose, but the review showed Allen's knee was down first. The Bills avoided a defensive touchdown, not the field position. They punted out of their own end zone, and Will Reichard tied it with a 43-yard field goal after a four-play drive that covered 9 yards.

The only touchdown of the half came in the final minute. Allen went 6 for 6 on an eight-play, 80-yard march, then rolled right to buy time and found Latu in the back of the end zone for 25 yards with 44 seconds left. Minnesota answered quickly, moving 46 yards in seven plays, and Reichard drilled a 53-yarder with 5 seconds remaining. Buffalo led 10-6 at the break.

The Third Quarter That Broke Minnesota

At halftime the Vikings were one possession away and their defense was winning its share of snaps. Then Wentz went 0 for 4 with two interceptions in the third quarter, and Minnesota gained 34 yards in the period.

The first pick stung the most. With the Vikings threatening in the red zone, Wentz lofted a pass for T.J. Hockenson and linebacker Dorian Williams went up and took it away at its highest point. Terrel Bernard added the second interception, and the linebacker should have had a third. Late in the quarter Wentz threw one straight into Bernard's numbers, and Bernard dropped it. Wentz had his foot stepped on by teammate Joe Huber, an offensive lineman, on that snap and went to the medical tent while Max Brosmer warmed up, though he stayed in the game.

According to ProFootball Talk, citing Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Wentz became only the fourth quarterback in the past 14 seasons to throw multiple interceptions without a completion in a single quarter. In between the mistakes, Bass added a 25-yard field goal for a 13-6 lead.

Cook Carries the Load

Buffalo came in without left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Alec Anderson, facing a defense that blitzes more often than anyone in the league. The answer was to hand Cook the ball and keep handing it to him. He carried 31 times for 107 yards, only the second 30-carry game of his career according to ESPN, and the Bills held the ball for 42:32. They ran 58 offensive plays before the fourth quarter started, and the Minnesota defense spent roughly 30 of the first 45 minutes on the field for the second straight week.

The grind finally produced points in the fourth quarter. Cook finished a drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 20-6, his eighth touchdown of the season. Bass then hit from 52 yards for his third field goal of the night and his 24th straight make, per ProFootball Talk.

Allen and Cook also reached a milestone together on the same third-quarter series, as both passed 5,000 career rushing yards. Allen is the fifth quarterback in NFL history to get there, joining Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, according to ESPN.

Star Turns and Bruises

Allen's line was efficient rather than loud: 21 of 31 for 234 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He spread the ball to 10 different targets, with Khalil Shakir catching four passes for 58 yards, Dawson Knox adding four for 37 and Ty Johnson breaking a 36-yard catch-and-run. It was not a night for highlights, and the Bills did not need one.

Bernard was the best defender on the field for Buffalo with six tackles, an interception and two passes defensed. Rousseau recovered the lateral and also sacked Wentz, and Williams' red-zone pick took points off the board in a one-score game.

Minnesota's defense deserved better. Blake Cashman made 12 tackles, Turner's sack was his seventh of the season according to NFL.com, and punter Brett Thorson pinned Buffalo inside its 20 four times. The offense was the problem. Wentz finished 8 of 25 for 81 yards and two interceptions, and Jefferson caught three of the 11 passes thrown his way for 58 yards, 24 of them on his first grab of the night.

The Numbers Behind It

• 0 for 8 on third down for Minnesota, plus 0 for 2 on fourth down.
• 42:32 of possession for Buffalo, against 17:28 for the Vikings.
• 178 total yards for Minnesota on 46 plays.
• 4 sacks of Allen by the Vikings, against two by the Bills.
• 3 for 3 on field goals for Bass, from 39, 25 and 52 yards.

What It Means

The Bills are 7-1 and have the AFC's best record after their lowest scoring output of the season, which says plenty about how comfortable they are winning in different ways. A road win over the league's top scoring defense, without two starting offensive linemen, is the kind of result that travels in January. Buffalo visits the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Minnesota has a quarterback problem with the trade deadline arriving Tuesday afternoon. Kyler Murray is out with a strained hamstring and no clear return date, per ESPN, and coach Kevin O'Connell benched Wentz for Brosmer late in the fourth quarter with the Vikings down three scores. Brosmer went 6 of 7 for 58 yards, opening with a 16-yard completion to Jordan Addison, but the final drive died on downs at the Buffalo 13 when a fourth-and-9 throw to Hockenson came up short. The Vikings have not scored more than 16 points in any of their last three games, a stretch that includes the loss to Detroit that ended their unbeaten start. Minnesota visits the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 15, then faces the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City on Nov. 22.

Grind Beats Blitz

Nobody will put this one in a time capsule. Buffalo scored two touchdowns, gave up four sacks and still never looked in danger after halftime, because its defense kept taking the ball away and its offense kept taking the clock. The Vikings brought the blitz all night. The Bills brought Cook, over and over, and that turned out to be the better plan.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Additional details as reported by ESPN, ProFootball Talk, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Pro Football Focus, Heavy, WGR 550, BuffaloBills.com and Vikings.com.