Know Your Enemy: Week 9 – Buffalo Bills

The Minnesota Vikings tasted defeat for the first time in the 2026 season in Week 8, and things aren’t about to get any easier. In Week 9, the Vikings welcome one of the Super Bowl favorites to U.S. Bank Stadium: the Buffalo Bills. With frustration with the Vikings offense in danger of reaching boiling point, there couldn’t be a much tougher game up next.

Know Your Enemy: Week 9 – Buffalo Bills

Head Coach: Joe Brady

Best Players: Josh Allen (QB), James Cook (RB), Dalton Kincaid (TE), Gregory Rousseau (DE), Christian Benford (CB), Cole Bishop (S).

Current Record: 6-1

Famously the two teams that have played in four Super Bowls without managing to win one. The Vikings and Bills have met just 15 times since their first meeting in 1971. Minnesota leads the series 9-6, largely thanks to early dominance that saw them win seven of the first nine meetings.

Kevin O’Connell has had one game against Buffalo since becoming the Vikings’ head coach, which was a thriller back in 2022 that the Vikings won in overtime. Joe Brady arrived in Buffalo in 2022 and has worked his way up to the big job to become a first-time head coach this year. Both teams sit with a 6-1 record after eight weeks of the season.

The Season So Far

Buffalo currently sits at the top of the AFC conference as the number one seed, and looks set to appear in the playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Playoff football has become familiar territory since Josh Allen settled in as the team’s franchise quarterback; however, there has been no Super Bowl appearance with two losses in the AFC Championship game. That’s why former head coach Sean McDermott was relieved of his duties, with the Bills in a Super Bowl window and looking for a way to take that extra step under Brady’s stewardship.

Buffalo is continuing with its regular season dominance. The Bills have got to six wins in almost opposite fashion to the Vikings by relying on their high-powered offense while the defense has been struggling.

Their one loss this season came inside the division, with a home defeat to their AFC East rivals the New England Patriots. There have been wins against strong teams like the Detroit Lions and LA Rams, as well as against the surprisingly good Las Vegas Raiders and surprisingly bad LA Chargers and Houston Texans.

Last time out a tough-looking game against the Baltimore Ravens became easier when by their sixth passing attempt of the game the Ravens were on their third quarterback.

Players to Watch

Allen is obviously the star of the show as a dual-threat QB who can beat you through the air and on the ground. How Brian Flores and his defense are able to contain him will be pivotal in how the game plays out.

However, he is not the only issue Flores will face this week. We saw how an elite RB in Jahmyr Gibbs was able to gash a tired Vikings defense in the second half last week. I don’t think he’s quite as good as Gibbs, but Buffalo has the excellent James Cook (brother of former Viking, Dalvin) who has emerged as one of the best three-down backs in the league. Cook has surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage and has a rushing touchdown in every game since Week 2.

On defense, the primary concern for the Vikings will be edge rusher Greg Rousseau. In his sixth season in the league, Rousseau has been making a name for himself as one of the league’s better pass rushers, and he is having a real breakout season in 2026. His tally of seven sacks in the first seven games is just one short of his season best of eight – achieved in both 2022 and 2024. He has already surpassed his previous season best in passes defended (7) and equalled his season best for forced fumbles (3). Rousseau isn’t just a pass rusher; he is good in run defense too.

While others on the Bills defense have been struggling this season, Rousseau has been shining and will need to be accounted for in the Vikings’ offensive plan.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.