Josh Allen Leads Bills to Shock Upset vs. Vikings in Minnesota in 2nd NFL Start

The Buffalo Bills pulled off the biggest upset of the young 2018 NFL season, blowing out the Minnesota Vikings with a 27-6 shocker Sunday.

Josh Allen was the big star in his second career start, leading the way with one touchdown pass and two rushing touchdowns. Although the Bills had been noncompetitive in their first two games, the rookie's play might have turned around the season.

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins struggled mightily in the loss with two lost fumbles and an interception, giving the team few chances of a comeback after a poor start. 

The miscues set the tone of the game as Minnesota turned the ball over deep in its own territory in each of its first two drives of the game.

Buffalo averaged 27 points allowed in the first half through the first two weeks of the year, but the Vikings managed zero points and just two first downs before halftime.

While the defense was doing its job, Allen was energizing the offense and making plays with both his arm and his legs. His rushing ability is what truly turned heads at the start of the game, including several highlight-reel plays:

He finished with 39 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, while he did just fine through the air, going 15-of-22 for 196 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. 

While it is still early, Allen is showing the type of skill the Bills expected when they selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.

Adam Thielen had a strong performance for Minnesota with 14 catches for 105 yards, and Cousins salvaged his day with a garbage-time touchdown to Kyle Rudolph. However, this was otherwise a lost day for a team that entered the week considered one of the best teams in the NFL.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk and OddsShark broke down the significance of this upset:

This also likely killed quite a few survivor pools in the process.

The Bills will now hope to keep their momentum going with another tough road game against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. The Vikings have a short week and a marquee matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.