The Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills are two of the NFL's most storied franchises. Founded just 15 months apart to the day (Buffalo on October 28, 1959, and Minnesota in January of 1960), each organization has seen its fair share of football history throughout six-plus decades.

It's only fitting these two clubs cap off Week 9's slate of games and the first half of the 2026 season with the first Monday Night Football between the franchises.

The historical quirks don't begin and end there, though. The matchup also pits the league's top scoring defense against its best scoring offense; Minnesota is holding opponents to just 13.3 points per game while Buffalo is averaging 20 points more (33.3) per contest. According to NFL Media Research, in Weeks 8 or later, games featuring this particular matchup have been split at 8-8 (since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger).

When it comes to facing non-divisional opponents, the Vikings are part of a unique stretch that hasn't been seen in more than a half-century. Entering Week 9, NFC North teams are 17-3 this season in games outside of the "Black and Blue" division, the best mark by any division through eight weeks since the merger (not including the 1982 strike-shortened season).

Minnesota and Buffalo have met 15 times in their history, with the Vikings holding a 9-6 advantage in the series. Of those nine Minnesota victories, four have been at home (19-0 in 1971, 10-3 in 1979, 31-27 in 2000 and 38-14 in 2010). That 2010 home victory featured running back Adrian Peterson rushing for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries; the Vikings Legend will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during halftime of Monday's game.

Each side's most recent victories against one another have included memorable moments, too; Buffalo's last trip to Minneapolis in Week 3 of the 2018 season was quarterback Josh Allen's third NFL game and his second career start (a 27-6 victory for the Bills). Minnesota's latest encounter with Buffalo in Week 10 of the 2022 season featured the Vikings rallying from a 27-10 deficit in the third quarter on the way to a 33-30 win in overtime (fondly remembered by Minnesota fans as the “Fourth-and-18” game).

Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:

Bills 21, Vikings 14 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

This is the game of the week, featuring two of the better teams in the league. I can't wait to see the Vikings defense against Josh Allen. But I think the Bills will run the ball at the Minnesota defense, much like the Lions did last week. The Bills defense has been better as of late, and that will show up against a limited Minnesota offense.

Bills 24, Vikings 15 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

The Monday Night Football spotlight is there for Minnesota. Still, can this offense keep up with Buffalo?

Bills 24, Vikings 20 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Bills will get a good pressure test from Minnesota, bringing heat on Josh Allen, while the Vikings will try to deploy their receivers better against another vulnerable pass defense.

1 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com

Analysis from NFL.com's Bobby Kownack: With Kyler Murray battling a hamstring injury, Carson Wentz is starting this game for the Vikings. Frankly, that development doesn't really change my feelings about this matchup, which never hinged on the home team's quarterback. Minnesota's best chance at coming away with a victory will be to blitz Josh Allen into oblivion and hope it disrupts Buffalo's offense enough to result in a low-scoring slugfest. Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, as everyone knows, is very much up to that task. His defense is blitzing at a rate of 71.0, which is 30.7 higher than the second-ranked Giants (40.3), per NFL Pro. For an idea of how absurd that is, the gap between Giants and the least blitz-happy team (Bengals, 18.9) is 21.4. Allen hasn't been particularly amazing against the blitz compared to the rest of the league. He is currently 20th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks with an 88.2 passer rating when facing extra rushers. However, that doesn't take into account the times he beats it with his legs, and running back James Cook could also very well take some weight off Allen's shoulders against a defense that is in the middle of the pack against the run. While Minnesota has allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL, it's given up the 17th-most rushing yards. Suffice it to say, the Bills will find a way to get theirs. I'm not so sure the Vikings will, which could result in a second straight loss to a premier offense they fail to keep up with.

1 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report analysis Gary Davenport: I'm breaking with my home-underdog theme here. The Vikings will be looking to rebound from last [week's] loss to Detroit, but I'm concerned their ultra-aggressive defense could backfire against Josh Allen and the Bills.

Allen has been sacked just 13 times this season. Unless Minnesota assigns a defender to shadow him, those blitzes could leave him room to make big plays on the ground.

Bleacher Report analysis Brad Gagnon: Despite their record, the Bills are not playing great football. They were frequently out of sync offensively in Baltimore, and the defense was lucky to be facing a third-string quarterback. This is a much more challenging spot for them, especially on the road in prime time. Their three road wins this season have come by a combined 11 points, and they're due for a dud against an absolutely dominant defense.

2 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, **The MMQB**

2 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, **ESPN**

0 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, **The Athletic**

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