NFL Week 3: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings

The Buffalo Bills travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and it could be a game that really gets ugly. The Bills started their season by being outscored 78-23 in their first two games whereas the Vikings have started the season 1-0-1 with the tie coming against the Packers.

The Bills had hoped that this would be the year they could contend for an AFC North crown but it seems like instead they are going to contend for the first draft pick in the draft. The Vikings will contend for the NFC North crown along with the Bears and Packers so this could be an easy game that helps them improve their standings within the conference. The Vikings open the betting at -16.5.

Buffalo Bills Look Terrible

The Bills have really struggled to open the season. They got blasted by the Ravens in the season opener 47-3 and then lost to the Chargers 31-20 in a game that was a little more respectable. Buffalo is having a tough time scoring the ball only putting up an average of 11.5 points a game but they allow 39 points a game.

Their passing game is not working at all as they have averaged 171.5 passing yards a game. Nathan Peterman was benched in the first game of the year after going 5-of-18 for 24 yards in the early going. This led the way for rookie Josh Allen to come in and over the last game and a half he has thrown for 319 yards on 24-of-48 passing. Both quarterbacks combine for one touchdown pass against four interceptions.

The Bills rushing attack isn’t much better. LeSean McCoy leads the team with 61 yards on 16 carries and almost half of those yards came on one carry. As a team, the Bills have run the ball 44 times for 167 yards which is just 3.8 yards per carry.

Minnesota Looks to Stay Unbeaten

The Vikings are off to a better start than the Bills, but it could be better. They defeated the 49ers in the season opener 24-16 but then last week tied the Packers 29-29. The Vikings have thrown the ball very well to open up the season with new quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Cousins has completed 55-of-84 passes for 669 yards. He has thrown six touchdowns through two games against one interception. The running game hasn’t been great but there has been enough there to keep the defense honest. As a team, the Vikings have rushed for 184 yards on 50 carries and no touchdowns. The defense has been very good as they have only allowed 22.5 points a game but most of that has come on short drives.

The Vikings have forced opposing teams to kick eight field goals on the young season which is great and have only allowed three touchdowns. The Vikings need this win to be able to keep pace with the Packers as the next two opponents for the Vikings are the Eagles and Rams, both away.

Pick and Prediction

The Bills are struggling mightily, the Vikings are not. This is a game that could get out of hand pretty quickly. The Vikings are going to look to get the run game going early on in the game and then use that to supplant the passing game. If the Bills don’t come out and put points up early, then the Vikings are going to end up running away with the game due to their defense. The last thing the Bills want to do is to throw the ball down the field. The Vikings should be able to take this one comfortably, so take the Vikings and the points. Bet the Vikings -16.5.