So which cliché do you want to use to describe what transpired in Minneapolis on Sunday?
Quite a few available at your disposal. That’s why they play the game. On any given Sunday, any given NFL team is capable of winning. Never count your opponent out.
They all encapsulate what the Buffalo Bills pulled off on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. Not only did they pull off the upset. They completely dominated the game as evidenced by the 27-6 final scoreline.
It’s a historic result from the standpoint of the Vegas line. The Vikings came into the game as 17-point favorites. Buffalo’s unexpected triumph made them just the sixth team in NFL history to win outright as an underdog of 15 points or more. But the 21-point margin of victory is by far the most among those teams.
How did it happen? Rookie quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills offense certainly set the tone with a touchdown on the opening drive. But question marks abounded as to whether they could prevent Minnesota from getting points of their own. After all, the Bills came into this game ranked dead last in opponent points per game.
Buffalo Bills Pass Rush Makes Noticeable Impact in Upset of Minnesota Vikings
Strip Sacks and Punts in the First Half
But on the Vikings first offensive possession of the game, Buffalo’s defense showed that they weren’t going to be pushed around. On third and seven from the Minnesota 10, Kirk Cousins tried to climb a collapsing pocket. Defensive end Trent Murphy came up from behind him and jarred the ball loose with Lorenzo Alexander falling on the ball. It set up the Bills in the red zone with Stephen Hauschka eventually making it 10-0.
Trent Murphy stays with it for the #Bills and forced a fumble by #Vikings Kirk Cousins. And look at the hands on Lorenzo Alexander to grab it. Damn. pic.twitter.com/Aspsd3kKVk
— Nick (@Nick_Wojton) September 23, 2018
It was the start of a miserable day for Cousins. That much became evident on the very next possession when he essentially had a deja vu moment. This time, it was Jerry Hughes coming around the edge to dispossess him of the ball on third down. Matt Milano recovered, giving the Bills another short field. Two plays later, Allen found tight end Jason Croom wide open down the right side of the field and suddenly the 17-point underdog Bills found themselves up by 17.
Josh Allen to Jason Croom for ANOTHER @buffalobills TD!
📺: CBS #GoBills https://t.co/Jc5lB1xfa3
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2018
If it wasn’t turnovers, the Bills were forcing empty possessions. The Vikings finished the first half with just two first downs and didn’t cross the 50-yard line at any point. Meanwhile, Allen led the Bills on two sustained drives of 17 combined plays that added 10 more points onto the scoreboard. When the clock hit 0 and halftime arrived, the home team went into the locker room wondering what had hit them.
The Bills certainly exhibited a whirlwind of intensity on the defensive side of the football. But defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier deserves a lot of credit for dialing up an effective combination of pressure up front and coverage downfield. Cousins was under constant duress but it really wasn’t a function of him getting blitzed all day. On all three of Minnesota’s turnovers, Buffalo sent a simple four-man rush. But they included some exotic looks after the snap that continually flummoxed the Vikings offensive line.
The First Interception of 2018 From an Unlikely Source
Coming into this game, Buffalo was one of four NFL teams yet to record an interception. It came as a surprise considering they were one of 10 that averaged at least a pick per game last season. You have to think that this talented secondary that includes Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, and second-year corner Tre’Davious White will eventually showcase their playmaking ability with some turnovers. But today, it was Milano who got the Bills on the board in 2018.
The Boston College product, like White a second-year pro, was part of a linebacking corps that excelled dropping into coverage and providing a security blanket on intermediate passes. And early in the third quarter, it resulted in the second interception of his career. After Cousins attempted to find Latavius Murray down the middle of the field, both Milano and rookie Tremaine Edmunds attacked and jarred the ball loose. Milano then showed some amazing awareness in keeping it off the ground with his feet and guiding it into his arms. In addition to this and his aforementioned fumble recovery, Milano also recorded a sack on the day.
How did @MatthewMilanoo do that?!#BUFvsMIN #GoBills pic.twitter.com/hvTjo2ESrX
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 23, 2018
What It All Means
At halftime of Sunday’s game, the Vikings gave late head coach Dennis Green a well-deserved induction into the team’s Ring of Honor. Green is known for one of the more famous post-game press conference rants of all-time. As coach of the Arizona Cardinals, he continuously referred to the idea that their opponent that day, the Chicago Bears, “were who we thought they were.”
Sunday’s win which pretty much came out of nowhere underscores the fact that the Bills aren’t what a lot of observers thought they were. After two lopsided losses by a combined score of 78-23, a win over a team expected to be a Super Bowl contender seemed nigh impossible. But the Bills not only emerged victorious. They did so in thoroughly dominating fashion. So much for the NFL having a 0-16 team for the second straight year.
Ultimately, the Vikings are somewhat guilty of overlooking the Bills. They face a short turnaround with a game against the formidable Los Angeles Rams looming on Thursday night. Having said that, to completely attribute Buffalo’s emphatic win to the trap game narrative is lazy analysis. A 21-point win as an underdog of more than two touchdowns is more of an indication that perception vs reality regarding that team’s ability to compete was way off.
Does it mean the Bills are suddenly a playoff contender? That’s hard to say. The offensive line is still a work in progress as evidenced by the three sacks they gave up. Though they did have a sizable lead at the time, Buffalo’s offense looked noticeably sloppy in the second half. But what also seems clear is that this team isn’t going to be the historically inept squad many were predicting. In the end, it’s probably somewhere in between.
But there’s plenty to be excited about. Allen played mistake-free and pulled off the biggest highlight reel move of Week Three. And the pass rush made huge strides, something that’s promising with a matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers up next.
