6-1 Bills face 6-1 Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 9
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The gist
The 6-1 Bills visit the 6-1 Vikings on Monday Night Football, with Carson Wentz starting for injured Kyler Murray.
Buffalo's top-ranked offense meets Minnesota's top-ranked defense in the teams' first Monday night meeting.
Background
The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings are NFL teams founded 15 months apart, and Minnesota leads their all-time series 9-6. Both enter Week 9 at 6-1: Buffalo has won three straight behind an efficient offense that has offset a vulnerable defense, while Minnesota ranks 27th in points per game and 29th in yards per game despite its record. The game is the first Monday Night Football meeting between the franchises and matches the NFL's top scoring defense (Minnesota, 13.3 points allowed per game) against its best scoring offense (Buffalo, 33.3 per game).
How it unfolded
- May 14, 2026Reports indicated the Bills were expected to play the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 9, Buffalo's second Monday night appearance of the season.
- Nov 1, 2026The Vikings lost for the first time this season, 19-15 to the Detroit Lions, who rushed for 230 yards including 153 from Jahmyr Gibbs. The Bills beat the Baltimore Ravens 36-10 after Lamar Jackson left on the Ravens' first snap, and Josh Allen broke the Bills' franchise record for career touchdown passes including the playoffs.
- Nov 5, 2026Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell announced Kyler Murray would not play against the Bills due to a hamstring injury, with Carson Wentz starting.
- Nov 6, 2026A preview noted the game is the first Monday Night Football between the franchises and pits the NFL's top scoring defense against its best scoring offense.
- Nov 9, 2026The 6-1 Bills face the 6-1 Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football to close out Week 9; Adrian Peterson will be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor at halftime as its 29th member.
Key terms
- Monday Night Football
- Branding for broadcasts of National Football League games that air on Monday nights.
- Week 9
- A game played during the NFL's regular season, the 272-game schedule before the playoffs.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Multiple pickers, including CBS Sports' Pete Prisco and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Sal Maiorana, expect Buffalo to run on Minnesota the way the Lions did and predicted Bills wins.
- Analysts
- NFL.com's Bobby Kownack said Wentz starting doesn't change his view and that Minnesota's best chance is to blitz Josh Allen heavily for a low-scoring slugfest.
- Bulls
- Sporting News' Bill Bender and Vinnie Iyer both picked Buffalo, questioning whether Minnesota's offense can keep up.
- Support
- Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell called Wentz "the perfect guy" and said Minnesota will get "really effective quarterback play" with him in.
Still unverified
Speculation that Kyler Murray is being "soft benched" amid his hamstring injury.