James Cook III kept taking the handoff, and the Buffalo Bills kept taking control. The speedy running back carried 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown as Buffalo beat Minnesota 23-6 on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Bills arrived at 6-1 hoping to prove their high-powered offense could win a tough, slower game. They did exactly that, improving to 7-1 while sending the Vikings to 6-2.

Minnesota was trying to rebound after its first loss and play without injured quarterback Kyler Murray. Carson Wentz started, and the Vikings defense gave him an early opening. Cornerback Murphy intercepted Josh Allen’s deep throw and raced it back to midfield. But the chance disappeared when a replay changed Wentz’s incomplete pass into an aborted-play fumble, recovered by Buffalo linebacker Rousseau. Tyler Bass finished that short field with a 39-yard field goal for a 3-0 Bills lead.

The Vikings defense kept fighting. Buffalo reached the Minnesota 1-yard line after the fumble, yet the visitors settled for three points. Later, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel dropped Allen near his own goal line, forcing another punt. Minnesota finally turned strong field position into a 43-yard Will Reichard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 4:02 left in the half.

Then Allen found an answer before halftime. He guided a quick drive with short throws to Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and DJ Moore. With 44 seconds left, Allen fired 25 yards to tight end Keleki Latu for a touchdown and a 10-3 lead. Wentz responded with a 24-yard pass to Justin Jefferson and a 15-yard catch by Jefferson, setting up Reichard’s 53-yard kick. Buffalo led only 10-6 at the break.

Minnesota had a huge chance to grab the lead in the third quarter after a defensive pass interference call moved the ball forward. Instead, safety Williams intercepted Wentz near the Buffalo goal line. Another Wentz pass intended for Jefferson became an interception by linebacker Bernard later in the quarter. Those two lost possessions mattered because Buffalo was building the kind of game it wanted: long drives, steady runs, and very little time for Minnesota to answer.

Cook became the center of that plan in the fourth. He ran seven times on a 15-play march that ate away more than eight minutes. His 11-yard burst brought Buffalo to the 5, and he powered in on the next play to make it 20-6 with 6:17 left. Bass added a 52-yard field goal after Buffalo forced a quick Minnesota stop.

The Vikings finished with only 178 yards and went 0-for-8 on third down, meaning they never turned a third-down play into a new set of downs. Buffalo held the ball for 42:32 and showed it can win with patience as well as big passes. Minnesota will try to restart its season against Green Bay, while Buffalo carries its 7-1 record into a meeting with the New York Jets.

James Cook’s Long March Carries Bills Past Vikings