Sunday: Noon at U.S. Bank Stadium (Ch. 4, 100.3-FM)

Bills turn to Allen sooner than expected

About The Bills

• The Bills (0-2) have been outscored 78-23 in back-to-back losses, including last week's 31-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Rookie quarterback Josh Allen threw for 245 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in his first career start.

• Neither the Bills' leading rusher, LeSean McCoy, nor the team's leading receiver, Zay Jones, has eclipsed 100 total yards this season. McCoy leads the Bills with 61 rushing yards through two games, while Jones leads with 89 receiving yards in two games.

• Veteran cornerback Vontae Davis quit on the team at halftime of last week's loss to the Chargers, leaving before the end of the second quarter, according to Bills coach Sean McDermott. Davis was placed on the reserve/left squad list this week.

• Veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, 35, leads the Bills defense with 15 combined tackles, two pass deflections and a sack. Overall, Buffalo's defense has generated one takeaway, a fumble recovery by linebacker Matt Milano.

Player To Watch | QB Josh Allen

• Allen, drafted seventh overall this spring out of Wyoming, made his NFL debut earlier than expected after Bills starter Nathan Peterman threw two interceptions on 18 passes during Buffalo's season-opening loss in Baltimore.

• Allen has completed half of his passes for 319 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions since taking the reins. He's the Bills' second-leading rusher with 58 yards. Buffalo uses Allen's mobility in its offense, deploying various QB sneaks and read-option plays.

• McDermott on Allen's progress: "He's off to what I would consider a good start. There are certainly some plays he wanted back from last week's game, but he's going to continue to embrace that growth mind-set as we continue to move forward."

• Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on Allen's mobility and how it's a weapon for the Bills: "Big arm, really athletic moving in the pocket and scrambling. I think he looks to throw when he's scrambling. Moves well in the pocket but will definitely pull it down and run."

Coach Speak | Sean McDermott

• McDermott is in his second season as Bills coach with a 9-9 regular-season record and 0-1 in the playoffs. McDermott, the former Panthers defensive coordinator, led Buffalo to its first playoff appearance last season since 1999. The Bills took a different direction this offseason, jettisoning quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

• McDermott's Bills defense ranked 18th in points allowed last season, but a tumultuous start to this year led to him pulling the play-calling duties from coordinator Leslie Frazier, the former Vikings coach.

• On whether he'll continue to take over play-calling duties from Frazier: "Leslie and I are going to work on things together like we've done before. It's always a team effort."

• On the challenge Allen and the Bills offense face against the Vikings defense: "This will be a big challenge for our entire team, in fact. This is an organization that has done some things we want to do. They're a little bit further along in their time together, but we're certainly watching what they've done over the years to build it."

Andrew Krammer