The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football, closing out Week 9 of the NFL season with a controlled win at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Monday, 9 November 2026.

Both teams arrived as 6-1 division leaders, but the game was settled by Buffalo's running game and a Minnesota offence that could not stay on the field. The Bills held the ball for more than 40 minutes, while the Vikings managed only 126 total yards through the first 55 minutes of the game.

Cook wears Minnesota down

Running back James Cook carried the ball 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. He was held to 33 yards on 15 carries in the first half, but Buffalo kept feeding him, and the Vikings defence tired in the second half.

The decisive drive came in the fourth quarter. Buffalo put together a 15-play, 84-yard march that Cook finished with a five-yard touchdown run, his eighth touchdown of the season, to make the score 20-6 with just over six minutes left. Kicker Tyler Bass then added a 52-yard field goal to complete the scoring at 23-6.

Bass had earlier kicked field goals from 39 and 25 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Keleki Latu late in the first half, the first touchdown of Latu's career, to give Buffalo a 10-3 lead.

Vikings offence stalls

Minnesota's only points came from two Will Reichard field goals, from 43 and 53 yards. Quarterback Carson Wentz, starting in place of the injured Kyler Murray, completed only eight of 25 passes for 81 yards and threw two interceptions. The Vikings turned the ball over three times and went 0-for-5 on third-down conversions in the first half.

Minnesota trailed only 10-6 at half-time, but its defence could not hold up against Buffalo's long drives. The Bills outgained the Vikings 142-86 in the first half and controlled possession for more than 20 of the first 30 minutes.

What the result means

The win keeps Buffalo first in the AFC East, while the defeat drops Minnesota to third in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears move into first place in the division, with the Detroit Lions second, and the Vikings now sit only half a game ahead of the last-placed Green Bay Packers, who they face on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

It was Minnesota's second consecutive defeat after winning its first six games of the season. Buffalo, meanwhile, heads into the NFL trade deadline, which falls on Tuesday, 10 November, with its position at the top of its division intact.