Turns abounded as snow fell on the field in Buffalo in the first half between the Vikings and the Bells with the home team leading 24-10 at the end of the first half. Josh Allen, whose condition has been in the air all week with an elbow injury, got the start. Avoiding big hits and turn-arounds early on, Allen completed 14 of his 18 first-half passes for 136 yards and touchdowns, while adding another 46 yards to the ground thanks to three scrambles in his 64th straight start.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins showed a slippery foot in the first 30 minutes, falling backwards while trying to push the ball back as Dalvin Cook, tripped in the back, as well as when intercepting when flipping over wide receiver quarterback KJ Osborne.
Minnesota walked the field easily at first, scoring an opening driving touchdown after six plays, most recently wide receiver Justin Jefferson earning a deep pass for a 22-yard score. However, the Vikings were unable to make things go in the red for the vast majority of the first half. Minnesota had a first and a Buffalo goal, but they ended up holding off on a 27-yard field goal, thanks to an offensive pass interference penalty on TJ Hockenson’s tight end. Cousins finished the game with 143 yards, an opening driving score, and an interception while completing 12 of his 21 passing attempts.
Devin Singletary had a dip to one of the best games of his career early on, with a total of 33 fast yards and two rushing touchdowns — tied to his career high in one game — in the first six rounds. However, his last three campaigns of the half went for only eight yards and included missing confusion. The main halving sequence came when the Vikings chose to pass their third and fourth plays down after the two-minute warning of the Bills ’28, both of which resulted in incompletes, resulting in a spin downhill when a field goal could easily be made. Allen, who had brushed off his concerns about an elbow injury before the game, sped for 25 yards to move the lead. After four plays, Buffalo was in the end zone via Allen’s arm to wide receiver Gabi Davis for an 11-yard score that put them in two touchdowns, 24-10, with 32 seconds remaining in the half.
The Vikings will start the second half on the ball with a chance to come back within the score, so stay tuned to our coverage of this week’s 10th clash between two of the best NFL teams to get all the real-time updates and analysis!
