It was a rough weekend for both the Buffalo Bills (3-3) and Minnesota Vikings (2-4).
The Bills dropped to 1-2 at home with a 37-22 loss to the New England Patriots, while the Vikings also lost to a divisional opponent, the Detroit Lions, at home 17-3.
Having lost three of their past four games, it's a prime chance for the Bills to get back on track at Ralph Wilson Stadium as they enter the softest part of their schedule.
It's also an opportunity for the Vikings -- who have lost four of five -- to turn things around.
ESPN.com Bills reporter Mike Rodak and ESPN.com Vikings reporter Ben Goessling break it down:
Rodak: The Bills and Vikings can relate at quarterback, where they've both had to move on from a former first-round Florida State pick in the past year. The Vikings invested a 2014 first-round pick in Teddy Bridgewater and he has made two starts. What are your initial impressions?
Goessling: He's handled everything well, though it's hard not to think he's getting a raw deal in his first season, with no Adrian Peterson, no Kyle Rudolph, a leaky offensive line and a receiving corps that hasn't been able to consistently get separation from defensive backs. Bridgewater is poised, intelligent and won't take many unnecessary chances with the ball. He got fooled on his first interception last week, but his next two interceptions were tipped. He could stand to deliver more accurate short passes, and he'll never have a big arm. But his mobility and smarts give him a good foundation, especially if the Vikings can protect him like they did in his first start.
Watching from afar, it's certainly seemed like Sammy Watkins is off to a solid start in his rookie season. What have been your impressions of him, and how do the Bills feel about how he's fit into their offense?
Rodak: It's been up and down. We've certainly seen some flashes of the player the Bills saw when they traded their 2015 first-round pick to move up five spots for him in May. He had a fourth-quarter catch in a road win against the Lions two weeks ago, for example, that led Patriots coach Bill Belichick to compare Watkins to Larry Fitzgerald. He has all of the potential to be on Fitzgerald's level: We saw that in an eight-catch performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 and his seven-catch outing in Detroit. But there have been some disappointing moments from Watkins. He had a few early drops in Houston three weeks ago and was shut down by Darrelle Revis this past Sunday. Given the cost to move up for him in the draft, the Bills needed Watkins to be a difference-maker immediately and that hasn't happened.
Much of the early-season Vikings talk was dominated by the Peterson storyline. What has been the impact on this offense?
Goessling: That storyline is never far from the Vikings, partly because Peterson's case seems to have a different twist every day and partly because of how much the Vikings' offense has been affected by his absence. The Vikings have been built around Peterson for years, and while they were looking to diversify their offense this season, it was going to be a gradual process of turning some of his carries into catches, and he was still their best offensive weapon. Without him, teams have been able to focus more of their game plans on taking away Cordarrelle Patterson, and the Vikings aren't seeing nearly as many eight-man boxes -- with a single safety up high -- as they saw when Peterson was on the field. It's been a difficult adjustment, and it's no coincidence the Vikings have scored a total of 29 points in their four losses without Peterson.
Vikings fans are certainly familiar with Kyle Orton from his days as the Bears' quarterback, and he seems to have given the Bills' offense a bit of a jump. How long do you think he'll have the starting job? Does EJ Manuel factor into the picture again at some point soon?
Rodak: The Bills need to win now. If they don't make the playoffs, jobs could be on the line. Because of that, I think they'll stick with Orton as long as he's keeping them in games. If it's working, why try anything else? In his first start, Orton snapped a 27-game drought where the Bills haven't had a 300-yard passer. He threw for 299 yards in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, and while he's thrown bad interceptions in each of his two starts, it's still better than what the Bills were getting from Manuel. Barring an injury or sharp decline in Orton's play, I don't think we'll see Manuel on the field until next preseason.
Surprisingly, the Bills have seen more success with their passing game than with their ground attack the past two games. Is that favorable for the Vikings? Are they better equipped to stop the pass than the run?
Goessling: To this point, yes. They've seen young corners Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson make some significant strides in pass coverage, and third-year safety Harrison Smith is a star in the making. The Vikings have also had a decent pass rush, posting 14 sacks so far and pressuring the quarterback about 23 percent of the time. Rookie Anthony Barr is going to be a force in the Vikings' defense in the future; they already line him up as a defensive end and a linebacker, and he's one of the team's best defenders against screen passes.
On the other hand, though, the Vikings haven't been as consistent against the run; they're giving up 4.2 yards per carry, and they've allowed 637 rushing yards in the past five games.
Speaking of running games, the Vikings have had plenty of trouble getting theirs going, and they'll be in for another tough test this weekend. What has made the Bills' run defense so vastly improved this season?
Rodak: It's a combination of coaching and personnel. Jim Schwartz, hired to replace Mike Pettine last offseason, is known for his defense's ability to stop the run. Pettine is not; his schemes rely more on defensive backs than linebackers, making for a smaller defensive look and more holes for running backs to attack.
The Bills also improved their personnel at linebacker in the offseason, signing Brandon Spikes and Keith Rivers and drafting Preston Brown in the third round. With linebacker Nigel Bradham also taking a step forward from his play last season, it has been a more stout group in the second level that has supplemented an already all-star cast along the defensive line.
