Tale of the tape: The 6-1 Bills visit the 6-1 Vikings on Monday Night Football

The NFL's highest-scoring team meets its hardest team to score on tonight in Minneapolis. The Buffalo Bills (6-1) visit the Minnesota Vikings (6-1) at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN from U.S. Bank Stadium, and Minnesota does it with Carson Wentz at quarterback because Kyler Murray is out with a hamstring strain.

The Bills average 33.3 points a game. The Vikings allow 13.3. According to the league, it is the first time since 2013 that a team averaging 33 or more has played a team allowing 14 or fewer in Week 9 or later, per the AP preview on ESPN.

Tale of the tape

1. Offense. Buffalo averages 404.6 yards and 148.4 rushing yards a game. Minnesota averages 299.3 yards and 20.0 points.
2. Defense. Minnesota allows 296.9 yards and 180.1 passing yards a game. Buffalo allows 25.9 points.
3. Quarterbacks. Josh Allen has 1,793 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and nine rushing scores. Wentz starts in place of Murray, who has five touchdowns and three interceptions.
4. Run game. James Cook has 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Aaron Jones has 458 yards for Minnesota.
5. Pass rush. Greg Rousseau has seven sacks, one shy of his career high. Andrew Van Ginkel has 6.5 for the Vikings.
6. Last meeting. Minnesota won 33-30 in overtime in Buffalo on Nov. 13, 2022, and leads the series 9-6.

The roster news

The Vikings signed Odell Beckham Jr. to the active roster on Monday, placed running back Demond Claiborne on injured reserve and elevated safety Tavierre Thomas. Receiver Jauan Jennings is out with a calf injury, per ESPN's injury report. Buffalo lists Dion Dawkins as questionable with a rib injury.

Venue spotlight: U.S. Bank Stadium

The game is indoors, so the 52-degree Minneapolis night doesn't matter. The noise does. Brian Flores' defense sends at least one extra rusher on nearly three-quarters of opponent dropbacks, a record rate since tracking began a decade ago, and a loud dome makes that blitz harder to block. A Vikings legend goes into the Ring of Honor at halftime.

Why it matters

The winner gets to 7-1. Buffalo wants to stay on top of the AFC, and Minnesota needs a win after losing 19-15 at Detroit in a division where all four NFC North teams hold playoff spots right now. DraftKings has the Bills by 3.5 with a 45.5 total, via ESPN. Watch how Allen handles the blitz early, and whether Wentz can give a 20-point offense enough to keep Cook and the Bills from controlling the clock.