Why this could be just the first Vikings-Bills meeting of this season

Finally. The Vikings are going to be tested by one of the league's best teams when they face Buffalo on Sunday.

Maybe.

It's about time they encounter an opponent strong enough for the game to be a referendum on the Vikings' postseason worthiness.

Possibly.

The Vikings scooted by the Bears, Lions, Saints and Commanders with uneven play that was covered up by fourth-quarter excellence crafted by quarterback Kirk "Bling-Bling" Cousins. They won't get away with bouts of lackluster plays against the 6-2 Bills.

Conceivably.

This is the latest "Game of the Year" in the NFL this season and could be a preview of the Super Bowl matchup.

There's just one problem. A potentially big one. Josh Allen is threatening to suck the intrigue out of this matchup.

Allen, who has tossed 19 touchdown passes and is the Bills' leading rusher, sprained the right ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow last Sunday against the Jets. Fans of the perpetually injured Twins know how that injury can affect throwing.

Allen has not been ruled out of Sunday's game, but the pregame subterfuge was on. Allen did not practice during the week but on Friday was on the field during practice and ran off when he spotted the media.

The Bills once were nine-point favorites. The line moved to 3.5 points late in the week, but by Saturday it was back to Buffalo as 6.5-point favorites. Vegas usually sniffs these things out, so the change in spread is telling. But Allen was on the field Friday, so anything is possible.

Allen makes this a marquee matchup and puts the Vikings under the microscope as a 7-1 squad that has lost to the only quality team it has faced: Philadelphia in Week 2. Claiming the Vikings are an elite team is not even a theory yet, it's a hypothesis.

I want Allen to be healthy and able to make all the throws on Sunday. Beating Buffalo with Allen looking hobbled or less than 100% won't be enough to validate the Vikings as the real deal.

Of course, this won't be a best-on-best competition anyway. At least two of Buffalo's starters on defense, including edge rusher Greg Rousseau (five sacks so far), are out injured.

Fine. That's the NFL. It's not who you play, it's when you play them. If that means they get to face old friend Case Keenum, so be it. Let's see how ol' Case handles throwing in windy conditions with the potential for snow.

The last time Allen, an MVP candidate, faced the Vikings, he led a Buffalo ambush at U.S. Bank Stadium with two rushing touchdowns in a 27-6 win. If Allen doesn't play Sunday, the Vikings should just take advantage, get their running game going, move to 8-1 and get a game closer to clinching an NFC North. Keep stacking wins and grab home-field advantage for the postseason.

In addition to Keenum, both franchises have employed wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a fifth-round pick who became a star with the Vikings before forcing a trade. The Vikings selected Justin Jefferson with one of the picks they received in the deal. Both teams won that one.

Sunday's matchup includes a meeting of the Cook brothers, Dalvin and younger sibling James, a rookie from Georgia. It will be the first time the Cooks have played against each other.

One more connection: Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who was 21-32-1 in four seasons as the Vikings head coach. Frazier will be vexed heading into Sunday's game as he doesn't blitz much but is missing a key pass rusher in Rousseau. Cousins could dominate this one if he gets a clean pocket.

The Vikings are on the right side of all these connections. I'm taking the younger and more explosive Jefferson over Diggs. Dalvin Cook is one of the more productive backs in the league, while his brother is Devin Singletary's backup. Frazier has a conundrum: Does he dial up the pressure on Cousins at the risk of leaving Jefferson in single coverage? And how to account for new weapon T.J. Hockenson?

Allen is the equalizer to all the Vikings' advantages. The more I look at this, the more I can understand why the Bills are holding out hope he can play this Sunday.

But, the way things are trending for both teams, perhaps they'll have a rematch on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz.