Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills take their three-game win streak into a dome showdown with a Minnesota Vikings team coming off a loss.
Game details
| When | Monday, November 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM ET |
| Where | U.S. Bank Stadium |
| TV | ESPN |
| Line | Buffalo Bills -3 | O/U 44 (market view) |
| Buffalo Bills record | 6-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings record | 6-1 |
Overview
The Buffalo Bills sit at 6-1 and have won three straight, the latest a 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Before that stretch, Buffalo beat the Las Vegas Raiders 33-30 on the road, beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-34 on the road, lost 26-29 to the New England Patriots at home, and opened that run with a 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Buffalo has scored 233 points and allowed 181 this season.
The Minnesota Vikings are also 6-1 but arrive having dropped their last game, a 15-19 decision at the Detroit Lions in Week 8. Before that, Minnesota beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 at home, beat the New Orleans Saints 23-13 on the road, beat the Miami Dolphins 15-10 at home and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-16 on the road. Minnesota has scored 140 points and allowed just 93.
The betting market has Buffalo favored by three points with the total set at 44, and the market's projected score has the Bills winning 24-21. Buffalo's offense has put up a lot more points than Minnesota's this season, and with Allen ranking 2nd in the NFL in rushing touchdowns and Cook churning out scrimmage yards, the Bills have the firepower edge in this one.
Key players
Josh Allen completed 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns and added a rushing score in Week 8, and he ranks 2nd in the NFL with 9 rushing touchdowns in 2026; per the NFL, he needs nine rushing yards against Minnesota to join Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 5,000 career rushing yards.
James Cook III led the team with 101 scrimmage yards, 80 rushing and 21 receiving, and scored a rushing touchdown last week, and he ranks 3rd in the AFC with 817 scrimmage yards and 5th in the NFL with 707 rush yards in 2026, with 100-plus scrimmage yards in five of his past six games.
DJ Moore caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 and is chasing his fifth straight Monday Night Football game with 50-plus scrimmage yards; he was limited in practice heading into this one.
Khalil Shakir caught five passes for 64 yards in Week 8 and has gone for 60-plus receiving yards in three of his past four games.
Tyler Bass is projected for 9.0 DraftKings points as Buffalo's kicker in a game with a 44-point total.
Keys to the game
Keep Josh Allen upright: with tackles Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson both questionable, the offensive line has to hold up against a Minnesota front that produced 2.5 sacks from Andrew Van Ginkel, a sack and two tackles for loss from Eric Wilson, and a tackle for loss from Blake Cashman last week.
Feed James Cook III and finish drives on the ground: Cook has topped 100 scrimmage yards in five of his last six games and is chasing a rushing touchdown streak, and Buffalo needs that same push at the goal line.
Cash in Josh Allen's legs near the end zone: Allen already ranks 2nd in the NFL with 9 rushing touchdowns this season, and against a Minnesota defense that has allowed just 93 points, every red-zone trip has to end in six, not three.
Fantasy angles
Start Josh Allen without hesitation. He is projected for 24.5 DraftKings points, ranks 2nd in the NFL in rushing touchdowns and is the straw that stirs Buffalo's offense at the goal line.
Start James Cook III. At 20.0 projected points, he is coming off a 101-scrimmage-yard, one-touchdown game and has hit the 100-yard scrimmage mark in five of his last six.
Start DJ Moore. He scored a touchdown on four catches for 82 yards last week and projects for 9.5 points, and he is Allen's proven red-zone connection on Monday nights.
Khalil Shakir is more of a flex play than a must-start at 9.0 projected points; he is a weekly catch-and-yardage guy but not the one getting the goal-line targets.
Tyler Bass is a fine streaming option at 9.0 projected points given a 44-point total and a dome setting.
Prediction
The market's projected score has the Buffalo Bills winning 24-21. That number lines up with how this season has gone for both sides: Buffalo's offense, led by Allen's arm and legs and Cook's workload, has outscored Minnesota's by a wide margin, while the Vikings have leaned on a stingy defense that has allowed only 93 points. In a tight, low-scoring style of game from Minnesota, Buffalo's extra scoring punch and its three-game win streak make the Bills the pick to escape with the one-score win the market expects.
Injury report
| Player | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alec Anderson | OT | Questionable |
| Dion Dawkins | OT | Questionable |
| Greg Gaines | DT | Questionable |
| Jordan Hancock | CB | Questionable |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | Out |
| Tyrell Shavers | WR | Questionable |
| DJ Moore | WR | Limited in practice (no game status yet) |
| Ed Oliver | DT | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
| Keon Coleman | WR | Limited in practice (no game status yet) |
| Terrel Bernard | LB | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
Depth chart
Offense
| Pos | Buffalo Bills |
|---|---|
| QB | Josh Allen |
| RB | James Cook III |
| WR | DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman |
| TE | Dalton Kincaid |
| LT | Dion Dawkins |
| LG | Alec Anderson |
| C | Connor McGovern |
| RG | O'Cyrus Torrence |
| RT | Spencer Brown |
Defense
| Pos | Buffalo Bills |
|---|---|
| LDE | T.J. Sanders |
| NT | Deone Walker |
| RDE | Ed Oliver |
| WLB | Greg Rousseau |
| LILB | Dorian Williams |
| RILB | Terrel Bernard |
| SLB | Bradley Chubb |
| LCB | Christian Benford |
| RCB | Davison Igbinosun |
| NB | Dee Alford |
| SS | Cole Bishop |
| FS | Damar Hamlin |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | Wk8 W 36-10 vs Baltimore Ravens, Wk6 W 33-30 vs Las Vegas Raiders, Wk5 W 37-34 vs Los Angeles Rams |
More league notes: Week 9 NFL Preview & Capsules and What to Look For - Week 9, from the NFL.
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts). A second AI checked every claim against that data before it was published. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.