Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Minnesota Vikings, without top quarterback Kyler Murray, will rely on their elite defense to slow Josh Allen’s Buffalo when they host the Bills in a battle of NFL division leaders on Monday. The clash of 6-1 teams took on a slightly new complexion on Thursday when the Vikings announced that Carson Wentz would start at quarterback in place of Murray, who is week-to-week with a hamstring strain.
“For (Murray), his movement skills, and the way he plays the game, we do feel like we’d be putting him at risk of possibly turning this into a more significant injury than it is by trying to have him work through it here early on,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters. “So, Carson will start the football game and Max (Brosmer) will back him up.”
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It will be the second start of the season for Wentz, who stepped in after Murray suffered a concussion in week one and led the Vikings to wins over Green Bay and Chicago. To be sure, the Vikings’ 6-1 record owes little to effective offense. The club ranks 27th in scoring and 29th in total yards. They’ll be counting on their defense, which is allowing a league-low 13 points per game, to shut down Allen and the Bills offense — who are averaging a league-best 33 points per game.
The Blitz-heavy Vikings defense has produced a league-leading 25 quarterback sacks, including at least four sacks in five of their seven games played. Minnesota will be aiming to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, against the Detroit Lions, while Buffalo — unbeaten on the road — chase a fourth straight victory.
The marquee Monday night game will conclude the action in week nine, which will see red-hot Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow lead the Bengals against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid. Burrow has thrown 13 touchdown passes during a three-game Bengals winning streak. The Kansas City Chiefs will be aiming to right the ship when they host the New York Jets. Since starting the season 5-0, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have dropped two straight, including a 28-24 setback in Denver on Sunday in which the Chiefs led by 11 in the fourth quarter. “We just have to be better than we were last week and try to win a game,” Mahomes said.
– 49ers back in action – The 6-1 San Francisco 49ers have had a bye week to regroup after their lone defeat of the season, but will still be without some key contributors when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are likely to remain sidelined by injuries, although quarterback Brock Purdy could have a pair of returning targets in Demarcus Robinson and KhaDarel Hodge.
The Niners are also expected to welcome back a major defensive reinforcement in Nick Bosa, the imposing pass rusher who has been out since week three. Among other games, the Dallas Cowboys — coming off a bruising overtime loss to Arizona in which they twice squandered a 14-point lead — visit the Indianapolis Colts. The Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants in an NFC East division clash, and the New England Patriots host the Green Bay Packers in a battle of winning teams.
The Chicago Bears, coming off an impressive victory over the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday, will try to push their winning streak to four games when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks, meanwhile, will try to bounce back against the Arizona Cardinals without the help of quarterback Sam Darnold, who suffered a cracked rib and a quadriceps injury against Chicago.
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