Bills favored by 3 points against Vikings
Minnesota hosts Buffalo at U.S. Bank Stadium Monday night with Carson Wentz starting under center.
By Natalie Cooper ·
The Buffalo Bills hold a three-point advantage over the Minnesota Vikings in the opening odds for their Monday Night Football matchup.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Bills at -3 with a total points line of 43.5. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. ESPN and ABC will broadcast the contest, while Fubo offers a streaming option.
Minnesota enters Week 9 with a 6-1 record but suffered its first defeat last week against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings will start quarterback Carson Wentz in place of Kyler Murray, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Wentz previously played in relief for Minnesota earlier in the season, completing 23 of 39 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns.
The Vikings rely heavily on their defense, which limited the Lions to 154 total yards and six points in the first half of their last game. The unit maintains a 4.3 yards per play defensive average. Conversely, Minnesota's offense has struggled to move the ball, averaging 4.7 yards per play, which ranks third-worst in the NFL. The team has scored more than 23 points in only one game this season.
Buffalo has won three straight games and sits atop the AFC East. The Bills feature a high-powered offense led by Josh Allen, who ranks fourth in the league in yards per attempt with 8.4. Allen faces a unique challenge against the Vikings, as he has been blitzed on exactly one-third of his dropbacks this year. On those specific plays, Allen is 46 of 70 for 587 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Bills' running game averages 4.8 yards per carry, ranking fourth in the NFL. James Cook is averaging nearly six more rushing yards per game than he did last season. Minnesota allows only 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, making the passing game essential for Buffalo to succeed against the blitz-heavy defense.
CBS Sports predicts the Bills will win 20-14. The prediction rests on the assumption that Buffalo's offense can exploit the gaps left by Minnesota's aggressive pass rush. The game serves as the next major test for both the top-ranked defense and the league's most efficient scoring attack.
