Monday night's game pits two teams still chasing their first Super Bowl win against a crowded playoff picture in both conferences.
Buffalo and Minnesota arrive at Monday Night Football with identical 6-1 records and identical 0-4 histories in the Super Bowl, which is about where the similarities end and the stakes begin.
For the Bills, the game is about separation. Buffalo wants distance from the 6-2 Jaguars and 7-2 Broncos in the AFC picture, with the division looking like theirs to lose now that the Patriots sit at 5-4. A loss keeps the chase pack within range.
For the Vikings, the game is about survival of a perfect record that is looking increasingly fragile. Minnesota is the NFL's last unbeaten team, but the NFC North has turned into a gauntlet on its own, with the Lions at 6-2, the Bears at 6-2, and the Packers at 6-3 all breathing down their necks. The division has gone 20-3 outside its own games, meaning these four teams are mostly beating up on each other and everyone else. A Vikings loss could turn the NFL's lone unbeaten into a team scrapping just to make the playoffs at all.
Both teams enter Monday night with plenty to protect and little room for error.