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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Buffalo Bills got a massive win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, walking out of U.S. Bank Stadium with a 23-6 victory to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Minnesota's offense struggled all night, and maybe made Buffalo's defense look better than it actually is. Carson Wentz finished just 8 of 25 for 81 yards and threw two interceptions, while Jordan Mason was their leading rusher with 35 yards on six carries. Justin Jefferson hauled in just three catches on 11 targets for 58 yards.
On Tuesday's episode of "Get Up," former NFL wide receiver and ESPN analyst Steve Smith Sr. said that while the Bills are a good team, the Vikings game showed they still have some clear holes in their secondary.
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"If you talk about the Buffalo Bills and how good they look, I don't think they look that great when you compare them to another AFC team with the Jacksonville Jaguars," Smith said. "They still don't really have a secondary that shows me that they can really play with everyone ... [Christian] Benford, he can play, but he has some liabilities, and he's not a real traditional shutdown corner. So the Buffalo Bills are a good team, but to say the best and great, I think we use that word a little bit too much."
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Buffalo's offense is elite behind Josh Allen, James Cook, DJ Moore, and Dalton Kincaid, leading the league in total yards (386.4 per game) and scoring (32 points per game). But their defense is allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game (238.8) in the entire NFL.
Christian Benford is the Bills' top cornerback, and while he's evolved from a former sixth-round pick into a quality, physical corner, he's still not among the league's elite. He has yet to record an interception this season, and his overall PFF grade of 55.4 ranks 73rd out of 104 qualified CBs. His best season came in 2024, when he finished with 64 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. He has yet to make a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro.
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Beyond Benford, the Bills have last year's first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, who hasn't quite lived up to the hype, veteran Dee Alford, and rookie Davison Igbinosun. It's a decent rotation of corners, but not in the same tier as what other AFC contenders like the Jaguars, Texans, Steelers, or Chiefs have built.
With the NFL trade deadline at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Buffalo could look to add another player to the mix, with names like the Eagles' Riq Woolen and the Titans' Alontae Taylor floated in trade rumors.
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