Vikings-Bills: 5 things you can count on
The Minnesota Vikings will have another litmus test on Sunday afternoon when they travel to face the Buffalo Bills. The Vikings enter at 7-1 and will face the 6-2 Bills in what could be a Super Bowl preview if Minnesota's luck doesn't run out.
The only problem is that the Vikings don't know if they'll be facing Josh Allen or Case Keenum after Allen suffered an elbow injury in last week's loss to the New York Jets.
Like any other Sunday, Allen's injury makes Sunday's game hard to predict, but here are five things you can count on when the Vikings take on the Bills.
Quarterback drama
According to reports, Allen is dealing with a sprained (or slightly torn) UCL in his throwing arm. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before practicing in limited fashion on Friday but sprinted off the field when he saw media members in attendance.
Here is Josh Allen at the end of #Bills practice today.
— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) November 11, 2022
No brace or sleeve seen on right elbow, but appears to be taped.
Once he notices media inside the team's fieldhouse, Allen runs off to locker room. pic.twitter.com/fsCvEO2nBk
The Bills listed Allen as questionable on their final injury report and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said that Allen's status is "hour-to-hour" leading up to the game. If he can't go, Keenum will make the start for the Bills.
Vikings fans should know more than anyone that Keenum can make the most out of his circumstances and with Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox on the roster, Buffalo still has plenty of weapons to be a headache on Sunday.
Stefon Diggs' revenge game
Diggs will face the Vikings for the first time since being traded to Buffalo in the spring of 2020, but the matchup has lost some of its venom since his departure from Minnesota.
For starters, the trade was one of the most even deals in NFL history. The Bills got Diggs, who has become one of the league's best receivers, and the Vikings got Justin Jefferson, who has become the face of the franchise. Also, the two main figures that necessitated Diggs' trade from Buffalo – Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman – have been fired since the trade.
Still, there could be an extra gear when Diggs sees a familiar shade of purple on the opposing sideline. The Vikings will be without Cameron Dantzler, who suffered an ankle injury in last week's win over Washington and could rely on Patrick Peterson and rookie Akayleb Evans to try and slow Diggs down.
With the Bills averaging 7.3 yards per passing attempt (third in the NFL) and the Vikings allowing 6.8 yards per attempt (sixth in NFL), there could be enough for Diggs to put up a big line on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings pounding the rock
One challenge the Vikings will face no matter who starts at quarterback is the Buffalo defense. The Bills haven't allowed more than 21 points this season and have faced Miami, Baltimore and Kansas City, who are the top three teams in Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA metric.
An area the Vikings would be wise to expose is their run defense. The Bills started the year strong, holding five of their first six opponents under 100 yards rushing, but allowed 208 yards in the ground in a win over the Green Bay Packers and 174 rushing yards in last week's loss to the Jets.
The Vikings only mustered 56 yards on the ground against the Commanders but this should be a game for Dalvin Cook and the rest of the running game to get going.
A raucous environment in Buffalo
The Vikings have enjoyed a home-field advantage on the road this season with fans traveling in waves to London, Washington and Miami. Sunday's matchup figures to be different as they'll march into a hostile environment at Orchard Park.
If you're not familiar with "Bills Mafia" go type in a YouTube search and enjoy the masses of people throwing themselves through flaming tables while wearing a Fred Jackson or Stevie Johnson jersey. This tradition is as honored as buffalo wings in upstate New York and some have even started young.
Bills Mafia Gender Reveal: Breaking a folding table and forgetting to actually reveal the gender. @bussinwtb (via ig:sarahorth01) pic.twitter.com/C2GKjSA6Bv
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 1, 2020
On the field, the Bills have won six straight games at home and are 22-11 under Sean McDermott coming off of a loss. With the Bills probably still upset about last week's game, the fans in Orchard Park will be ready to go no matter who is starting at quarterback.
A chance for the Vikings to prove themselves
The leadup to Sunday's game will be all about Allen's availability, but the Vikings have their own storyline to prove they are legitimate NFC contenders.
Go back to 2019 when the Vikings were 6-2 and traveled to face the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes sat out that game with a toe injury but Damien Williams had a 91-yard touchdown run and Matt Moore threw for 275 yards and a touchdown to hand Minnesota a 26-23 loss.
Although the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl that year, the defeat was a big indicator of who the Vikings really were. Minnesota played .500 down the stretch and while that team earned a playoff victory in New Orleans, they never were true contenders.
That's important to remember on Sunday in Buffalo, where a win would be impressive even if Allen doesn't play. The Vikings will need a win to keep up with the Philadelphia Eagles for home-field advantage but the other factors surrounding this game will have Minnesota coming up short.
Prediction: Bills 17, Vikings 13
