In a game many may call the game of the year, the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Buffalo Bills and fans learned a lot about this team during the battle.
There was no lack of excitement during Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. Improbable catches and huge defensive plays highlighted a game that saw two contenders go head-to-head.
Minnesota entered the game with a 7-1 record and a good shot at the postseason while competition in Buffalo’s division was much stiffer with their 6-3 record. This game would mean a lot to both squads.
Of course, there were a ton of storylines heading into Sunday’s contest. The biggest was Justin Jefferson vs. Stefon Diggs but Dalvin Cook playing against his brother and the health of Josh Allen were both highly discussed as well.
It took overtime for the Minnesota Vikings to finally put away the Buffalo Bills by a final score of 33-30. There was a lot to unpack from the Week 10 win, so let’s take a look at some things we learned about this team during the game.
There is no questioning this team’s heart.
A running theme this season for the Minnesota Vikings has been trailing in the fourth quarter but still finding a way to win. That trend looked as though it would end against the Bills, but the purple and gold never gave up.
Minnesota could have waved the white flag when they were down three scores but they continued fighting. It would have been understandable if the Vikings’ defense felt defeated after refs declared a quarterback sneak by Kirk Cousins was short.
There were plenty of times the purple and gold could have hung their heads in defeat, but that never happened in any phase of the game. Every player on the team still believed there was a chance.
It may not have been the Minneapolis Miracle, but the Minnesota Vikings’ locker room has an attitude that will lead to a lot of success, especially if they continue to buy into the new coaching and scheme.
Justin Jefferson is an absolute freak.
Stefon Diggs reminded Minnesota Vikings fans how amazing he can be with a spectacular catch in this game. However, he wasn’t the only receiver to make the highlight reel on Sunday and make a massive impact on the game.
Cousins threw a team-high 16 balls Jefferson’s way and the young receiver caught 10 of those for 193 yards and a touchdown. Continuing to add to the insanely hot start to Justin Jefferson’s career will draw even more attention to the young pass-catcher.
It’s only Week 10 and with nine games played, Jefferson has already surpassed one thousand receiving yards on the year on 69 receptions with four touchdowns, making him the face of the franchise with every passing Griddy.
Jefferson has a great way of getting open and even if he doesn’t get separation, he has proven he can make spectacular contested catches. When things look grim, never count out the dynamic, young receiver.
Playmakers on defense.
With a new defensive scheme in place and the team struggling to get pressure on Josh Allen, the Minnesota Vikings had a huge task ahead of them if they wanted to attempt to keep this game in striking range.
Experienced defenders led the way for the purple and gold Patrick Peterson snagged two interceptions on the day and Eric Kendricks capitalized on a Bills miscue that gave the Vikings a late lead.
Lesser-known players like Theo Jackson, Khyiris Tonga, and Duke Shelley all contributed to Minnesota’s success, blending the experience and leadership of the team’s veterans with the athleticism and push of the youth.
For a defense designed to contain and prevent, this unit has been very good at securing takeaways in big moments. In fact, there were four turnovers from Buffalo, two fumbles, and two interceptions.
Dalvin Cook is still explosive.
For the most part, Dalvin Cook has been quiet this season. He only has two games out of the ten where he rushed for over one hundred yards and those games saw him break that barrier due to a huge play that shifted the momentum.
This game saw a third-quarter run go for 81 yards and a score exactly when the team needed it the most. Outside of the one big run, Cook ran 13 times for 38 yards, Buffalo’s front line of defense made running the ball a challenge all day long.
Passing the ball is definitely the bread and butter of this team. the Vikings picked up 14 first downs through the air and eight on the ground. Of course, Minnesota’s game plan was likely more pass-heavy since they trailed for most of the game, but the balance will always be an important part of the offense.
Even if Cook isn’t breaking off five yards per carry outside of big plays, he has shifted the momentum of several games with his electric running. Running back screens still aren’t finding success, but the team will likely revisit those later this season.
This team can overcome mistakes.
Watching Kirk Cousins trip over the feet of his right guard was alarming as were Cousins’ two interceptions on the day with one of them being exceptionally upsetting as it was thrown directly to the defender.
Not all the mistakes came from the quarterback, a missed extra point and some dropped passes could have severely impacted the outcome of the game but the team didn’t allow it to happen to them.
Converting seven of their 17 third down attempts made staying in this game a challenge. Since Buffalo converted seven of their 13 tries, Minnesota’s struggles stood out a bit more while watching the game.
Cousins showed a huge amount of trust in his third wide receiver, K.J. Osborn, targeting him 11 times against the BIlls but only getting four catches and 35 yards out of those passes. The offense saw more success when targets shifted toward Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson.
The Vikings have made their statement.
Criticism of the good record the Minnesota Vikings have through the first ten weeks of the season is everywhere. Their one loss was a throttling at the hands of the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and the game wasn’t very competitive,
Teams can only play who is on their schedule and can’t control the injuries their opponents suffer leading up to games. Still, many experts didn’t seem very impressed with Minnesota’s list of wins so far.
Having Josh Allen play and seeing the Minnesota Vikings not only be competitive but win the game should see the team get some more respect heading into a tough stretch of games against the Cowboys, Patriots, and Jets.
Even if the Vikings hadn’t found a way to beat Buffalo, this game would have had experts and analysts taking another hard look at Minnesota this season and appreciating what they bring to the field each week.
Minnesota is a real contender.
The grip the Minnesota Vikings have on the NFC North got a little tighter this week with another win and a loss by the Chicago Bears. It would take a pretty epic collapse for the team to fall out of the playoff picture at this point.
Minnesota is opening as the underdog against the Cowboys, who have a strong 6-3 record but are coming off a loss to the Packers in overtime. This will be another chance for the team to prove they deserve to be on top of the NFC and host a playoff game.
Winning a game most didn’t expect them to should result in the Vikings continuing to move up the depth chart. The fact this was a big road win and Minnesota is still undefeated at home makes this win even more impressive.
This is a special team. Achieving so much in a season that has a new head coach in place and new systems on offense and defense. Hopefully, fans of the Minnesota Vikings are appreciating this wild ride.