Vikings beat Buffalo 33-30 in OT with late dramatics, improve to 8-1
Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass in front of Cam Lewis #39 of the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. ((Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings just keep finding ways to win under first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The Vikings took a 7-1`record and six-game win streak on the road against the Buffalo Bills, one of the best teams in the NFL and a potential Super Bowl favorite on Sunday. All six of those wins were by one possession in the fourth quarter. Make it seven now.
In the most improbable of ways, the Vikings head home 8-1, winners of seven straight and came back from a 17-point second half deficit for a 33-30 win over the Bills in overtime. The top storylines entering the week were Josh Allen’s elbow, Stefon Diggs facing his old team and Dalvin and James Cook facing each other for the first time.
The talk leaving the game was costly mistakes by Allen, the greatest catch of Justin Jefferson’s career, Eric Kendricks recovering a fumble for a touchdown and Patrick Peterson earning chains on the plane ride home with a game-sealing interception. Vikings fans can exhale, at least until next Sunday. The Vikings went to Buffalo and made a statement with their biggest win of the season yet. A very happy owner in Zygi Wilf celebrated near reporters after.
"How you like them apples? This team has fight," Wilf said.
"Pretty unbelievable football game to be a part of. There’s a lot of moments in that game where I’m trying to think back and process, just the critical plays that our guys made. Wasn’t always perfect for us, but our team’s ability to win football games allowed us to have the confidence we needed to try to make one more play," O’Connell said after the win. "That’s a confident locker room in there. I’m so dang proud of this team, kind of confirming who we think we are as a football team."
Allen, after not practicing most of the week, looked just fine despite dealing with an elbow issue leading up to kickoff. He finished 29-of-43 passing for 330 yards and a touchdown, but had three costly turnovers. He also ran six times for 84 yards.
The Bills nearly lost the game in regulation, after stuffing Kirk Cousins on 4th-and-goal at the 1-inch line. The Bills had a 27-23 lead, and the game was over. Until it wasn’t. On the next play, trying to get out of his own end zone, Allen fumbled the snap. Eric Kendricks recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, and a 30-23 Vikings lead with 48 seconds to go.
"We put a little pressure on them, the ball dropped. I was at the bottom of the pile. I kind of just seen the ball rolling around and I grabbed it. Held on as hard as I can," Kendricks said.
Justin Jefferson was the Vikings’ offensive star, with 10 catches for 193 yards and a first quarter touchdown. He made arguably the best catch of his career with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Facing a 4th-and-18, Cousins hit Jefferson for 32 yards. He made a leaping one-handed catch, stealing the ball from Cam Lewis.
"Putting my hand in the right position, Kirk giving me an attempt to go up and make a play for the team. I guess all of those strengthening the hand workouts kind of worked out. The whole play was crazy," Jefferson said. "Whenever Kirk throws the ball up, it’s mine. It’s for me to go get it. We mentally prepare for these type of moments, going up and getting those catches and just making a big play for our team. I live for these type of big games."
It matched a similar one-handed catch for Diggs, who finished with 12 catches for 128 yards facing his former team for the first time.
If Jefferson doesn’t make the play, the game is over.
"There’s not a lot of scheme that you can go find in that moment. It was about a player and our quarterback and the two of them behind good protection in a gotta have it moment," O’Connell said. "Trying to just give him a chance to make a play, one of the more remarkable catches I’ve ever seen."
"The one that I’ll remember is the fourth down that was basically for the game. The DB looks like he caught it, Justin rips it away. He did a phenomenal job," Cousins said.
The Vikings got the ball first in overtime, and Cousins hit Jefferson to get down to the 2-yard line. They had to settle for a Greg Joseph field goal and a 33-30 lead.
Allen drove the Bills down the field and tried to hit Gabriel Davis for what would’ve been a game-winning touchdown, but Patrick Peterson jumped the route and picked Allen off in the end zone for the second time, sealing an improbable win for the Vikings.
"That was a really big play, obviously, to close out the game and get the victory for us. Understanding where the ball was, being away from me, it’s hard for the quarterback to throw it back into the field. It’s always easier for the quarterback to throw coming back into his vision. I knew that, and I just undercut the dig and sealed the game," Peterson said.
"He’s playing dang good football right now. He’s setting the standard for us becoming an 8-1 football team," O’Connell said.
Cousins finished 30-of-50 passing for 357 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Dalvin Cook had 14 carries for 119 yards, highlighted by an 81-yard touchdown that helped ignite the second half comeback.
The Vikings biggest playmakers rose to the challenge in the biggest moments of the game, and now they’ll finally enter the national conversation at 8-1, winners of seven straight.
"Look at us now," Peterson said.
"We just keep battling man. People counted us out, but we came back," Kendricks said.
"It felt like a movie. God is with us. I told everybody this is our season. This is our season, for us to win out and go to the Super Bowl. We’ve just got to keep working," Jefferson said.
The Vikings will celebrate Sunday night, but have to come back down to Earth with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town. They also might be without Christian Darrisaw and Akayleb Evans, who each left the game in the concussion protocol.