ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Kyle Orton engineered a fourth-quarter comeback for the second time in three weeks as the Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 17-16 on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Orton ended his third game as the Bills’ starting quarterback with a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sammy Watkins with one second remaining, capping a 15-play, 80-yard drive that began with 3:07 left on the clock.

The winning drive included a 24-yard completion to tight end Scott Chandler on fourth-and-20, an 18-yard pass to Watkins on third-and-12, and a 28-yard connection with wide receiver Chris Hogan on second-and-20 on the play before the touchdown.

“Kyle did a great job keeping us under control,” Hogan said. “His poise was pretty unbelievable in a high pressure situation like that.”

The Bills (4-3) won despite turning the ball over four times and allowing six sacks, just the second time in history they have accomplished that feat.

“It doesn’t matter how you win it,” Orton said. “You never apologize for winning a game in this league. It’s too hard.”

Orton was 31-of-43 passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception and lost a fumble. Watkins caught nine passes for 122 yards and both touchdowns.

Defensive end Everson Griffen had three sacks and a forced fumble, rookie linebacker Anthony Barr recovered two fumbles and safety Robert Blanton had an interception and a fumble recovery for Minnesota (2-5).

“We played great up until the fourth quarter,” Griffen said. “We just have to finish.”

Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon rushed for 103 yards against the Bills’ top-ranked rushing defense and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was 15-of-26 passing for 157 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

What the Bills said:

“It’s a tough league to win games. We stuck together and won it, and it was through some ugly times and some times where some guys made big plays.” – Coach Doug Marrone

What the Vikings said:

“We knew it was going to be a challenge coming in. We were able to make some improvements this week, but for some reason it wasn’t enough to win this game.” – Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater

What we learned about the Bills

1. Quarterback Kyle Orton gives the Bills hope when trailing in the fourth quarter. Buffalo benched quarterback EJ Manuel three weeks ago after he failed to bring them back in the fourth quarter of two straight games. Orton has led fourth-quarter comebacks in two of the past three weeks, when he is 2-1 as a starter despite leading for a grand total of five seconds in the fourth quarter of the victories.

2. The Bills were deeper at running back than any other position before this game. No longer. Fred Jackson (groin) and C.J. Spiller (collarbone) were both carted off the field with their heads hanging and tears in their eyes. Spiller is out indefinitely, while Jackson will be evaluated Monday. Running back Bryce Brown, whom the Bills acquired in April for a fourth-round pick, has been inactive the past seven weeks, but will now likely see extensive action.

–WR Sammy Watkins caught nine passes for 102 yards and both of the Bills’ touchdowns on Sunday. He’s the first rookie receiver to have multiple 100-yard receiving games since Lee Evans in 2004. “He keeps on getting open, we’ll keep on getting him the ball,” Orton said.

–RB Anthony Dixon became the Bills primary ballcarrier by the end of the first half Sunday against the Vikings. Dixon, who was inactive for three straight games earlier this season, finished with 51 yards on 13 carries. “It’s time to step up and be great,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for for a long time.”

–CB Leodis McKelvin had two interceptions for the second time in his career. The former first-round pick now has four interceptions on the season, a career-high.

What we learned about the Vikings:

1. The defense can be dominant. The Vikings forced four turnovers and recorded six sacks, and came within a fourth-and-20 stop from pulling out a victory. “We were trying to be aggressive with our calls,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “Maybe it caught up to us at the end.”

2. The Vikings are riding the rookie quarterback roller coaster. Teddy Bridgewater threw his first career touchdown pass Sunday, but he also tossed two interceptions and was sacked five times. Counting the sacks, Minnesota netted 118 yards on 31 passing plays.

–RB Jerick McKinnon rushed for 103 yards on 19 carries. Coming into Sunday, the Bills had not allowed a team to gain more than 90 yards on the ground in each of the first seven games. “He is a great back and he can do it all,” Bridgewater said.

–DE Everson Griffen tied his career-high with three sacks and forced a fumble. “It feels better if you get the victory,” Griffen said. “Three sacks doesn’t mean anything when you lose.”

–C John Sullivan left the game with a concussion in the first half. The Vikings also lost right guard Vladimir Ducasse to a knee injury on the same play. Zimmer said he had “no idea” how long either lineman will be out.