By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills shocked the NFL world with their dominating victory over the heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. The Bills knocked off the Vikings in stunning fashion, taking control early and coasting to a 27-6 upset of their NFL foe. All three units contributed to Buffalo’s victory, as each group outperformed their counterpart.
While the Bills did not put up gaudy offensive stats against the Vikings, Buffalo was efficient enough to take home a well-deserved road victory.
Here are 10 standout stats that tell the story from Sunday’s game:
3
The Bills defense forced three turnovers from the Vikings offense. Linebackers Matt Milano and Lorenzo Alexander recovered fumbles which thwarted the progress of the Vikings offense. Milano also added an interception, which ended up being another improbable moment to keep Buffalo ahead on the afternoon.
4
Buffalo’s defense was all over the place on Sunday, collapsing on ball carriers all day. The defense sacked Kirk Cousins four times on the day. Each of their sacks occurred on third down. Jerry Hughes, Kyle Williams, Trent Murphy, and Matt Milano all recorded sacks.
5
Punters need love, too. Corey Bojorquez had his best game in a Buffalo uniform, dropping five punts inside the Vikings 20-yard line. Six of Minnesota’s drives started inside their 15-yard line, indicating Buffalo’s special teams were nearly flawless in pinning the Vikings deep in their territory all day.
5.6
Minnesota exclusively called pass plays on the afternoon, Kirk Cousins threw 55 passes, completing 40 of them. However, he ended the day with 296 passing yards, for an average of only 5.6 yards per throw. Buffalo’s secondary did a tremendous job at keeping the limiting anything resembling a big play from the Vikings offense.
8
Quarterback Josh Allen worked to find the best option in the passing game. He completed passes to eight different receivers, all while keeping Minnesota’s stout defense off-balance throughout the contest.
14
The Bills’ defense limited the Vikings to only 14 yards on the ground during the game. Minnesota was without star Dalvin Cook, but no one could have predicted the lack of rushing attack from that would take place Sunday. With the Vikings down big early on, they had to eliminate the run game from their offensive arsenal. In fact, Minnesota’s six carries tied an NFL record for fewest carries in an NFL game.
17
Just as a friendly reminder, the Bills were 17-point underdogs entering this game. However, Buffalo put up 17 points on the board within the first 9:51 of the game. After Allen’s touchdown pass to Jason Croom, it seemed Buffalo was well on their way to an upset.
It’s Josh Allen’s number, too. Just saying.
55
Running back Chris Ivory caught his career-long pass on Sunday. Ivory, who didn’t have a massive day on the ground, rumbled 55 yards on a run-after-catch. Minnesota lost track of Ivory on an Allen roll out, and the running back did the rest. The second-down reception set up another Bills score.
292
Coincidentally, both offenses ended the game with 292 total yards. However, the Vikings gained the bulk of their yards after the game was well in hand. In addition, the Bills out-gained Minnesota 128-14 on the ground.
1.000
Josh Allen’s winning percentage when he starts on the road. Next week, he takes the helm for the Bills at the iconic Lambeau Field.