After a dominant 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills are going back into a primetime matchup on the road in Week 9 where they will take on the Minnesota Vikings.
Both teams come in at 6-1, but the Vikings are coming off their first loss of the season with a fall to the Detroit Lions, 19-15. For as great as Minnesota's defense has been, the Lions' offense nearly put up over 400 total yards of offense. Over half of the yards that the Lions gained against Minnesota came from the ground attack led by Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 153 yards himself.
Overall, Detroit rushed for 230 yards against Minnesota, and the Bills should be taking note of this.
Vikings' loss to Lions gives Bills insight on what to prepare for in Week 9
Buffalo is averaging 148 rushing yards per game against opponents, and James Cook leads the way with 707 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging over 5 yards per carry. It also helps that Josh Allen can use his legs to help the rushing attack as he has 270 yards on the ground to go with 9 touchdowns.
Prior to their loss against the Lions, the Vikings' defense was only allowing 97 rushing yards per game. However, they have given up 384 rushing yards the last two games with both games ending in a one-score game. One of Minnesota's strengths on their defense is their ability to defend the pass, only allowing 200+ passing yards in a game twice this season, per Pro Football Reference.
So, while the Bills beat the Ravens in different ways in Week 8, they got some indirect help from the Lions' win over the Vikings as Buffalo puts their focus on Minnesota.
Bills must attack Vikings' run-defense for a chance to win in primetime
The Bills are averagine 148 rushing yards per game. They have only had two games where they didn't reach over 100 yards on the ground, and they've also had two games where they have rushed for over 200 yards.
When you have a dynamic running back like James Cook, along with a mobile quarterback who can make plays with his legs, there is no doubt that the Bills should be prioritizing establishing the rushing attack.
The Vikings will by far be the best defense that the Bills will face this year. There is no doubt that Brian Flores is going to be doing whatever he can to take Josh Allen and Buffalo's offense down. The more that the Bills can attack Minnesota's run-defense effectively, the better they will be as a team to leave primetime with a big win against a ferocious opponent.
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