Bills (+17) pull off largest NFL upset in 23 years

1:02 pm | September 23, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

4:57 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills on Sunday pulled off the biggest NFL upset in 23 years — and they did it in convincing fashion, routing the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings 27-6.

The Bills, who were winless entering Sunday’s game in Minnesota, closed as consensus 17-point underdogs to the previously unbeaten Vikings. They are the 15th underdog of 17 or more points to win a game in the Super Bowl era, and the largest underdog to pull off an upset since the Washington Redskins knocked off the Dallas Cowboys 24-17 as 17.5-point underdogs on Dec. 3, 1995.

There had been 24 favorites of 17 or more points since that game; each of them prevailed. The Bills ended that streak, storming out to a 27-0 halftime lead behind rookie quarterback Josh Allen and an opportunistic defense. Allen gave the Bills a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game with a 10-yard touchdown run. It was the first lead of the season for Buffalo.

NFL favorites of 17 points or more fell to 145-15 straight up in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The upset proved costly for some Las Vegas gamblers. On Sunday morning, a bettor at a William Hill sportsbook in Nevada placed an $18,000 money-line bet on the Vikings at odds of -1,800 for a chance at netting $1,000.

Fewest Points Scored By Team Favored by 17+ Points — Since 1966

Favorite	Points	Result
2018 Minnesota (-17)	6	Lost 27-6
1968 Baltimore (-18)	7	Lost 16-7
1967 Green Bay (-20)	7	Lost 10-7
1973 Atlanta (-17)	10	Lost 32-10
1969 Dallas (-17)	10	Won 10-7
1966 Boston (-17.5)	10	Lost 17-10
— ESPN Stats & Information

The Westgate SuperBook told ESPN it took a $9,000 money-line bet on the Vikings at -2,000 odds shortly before kickoff. That bet would have won a net $450.

On the other side, there were 255 money-line bets placed on the Bills to pull the upset at 10-1 odds at William Hill books in Nevada and New Jersey, the largest a $1,000 wager that earned a $10,000 profit.

The Bills are also responsible for two of the four largest point-spread upsets. They defeated the New York Jets as 20-point underdogs in 1968, and beat the New England Patriots as 18.5-point favorites in 1977.

In addition, the Bills authored the largest comeback win in history, overcoming a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers in a 1993 wild-card playoff game.