ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — With C.J. Spiller struggling through the first five games, Buffalo Bills fans have been clamoring for coach Doug Marrone to activate Bryce Brown and give him a chance to see whether he could revive the sagging running game.

Well, they’re going to get their wish now that Spiller is likely out for the season with a broken collarbone and Fred Jackson is out indefinitely with a groin injury.

Jackson went down in the first quarter and was in enough pain that he had to be carted off the field. Spiller broke a 53-yard run in the second quarter and broke his collarbone after being tripped. He was carted off, his head covered by a towel.

“He was in a lot of pain,” teammate Eric Wood said. “I was just praying for him, telling him to stay strong. I’ve been there before.”

Spiller was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery Monday morning. Jackson, who was on his way to the hospital to get his MRI when the Bills completed their comeback, last-second victory, addressed his own situation Monday.

“I know I’m going to do everything I can rehab-wise to get back as soon as possible,” he said. “It’s a 3-4 week injury, but we’ll try to do some things to get it sped up. I like to think of myself as someone who can get back early. Hopefully I can get back sooner than that. It’s not as bad as it could have been. There’s no surgery involved; it’s just rehab.”

So now a running game that until Sunday hadn’t topped 100 yards in four games must go with Anthony Dixon and Brown. Both players were acquired in the offseason to provide depth behind Spiller and Jackson, who both have been prone to injury.

“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, to get back in that workhorse role and show people what I can do,” said Dixon, who played mostly special teams for the 49ers and the Bills. “I want to show people what I could do in college and high school. I feel like I really didn’t get labeled right coming out of college. People tried to do something else with me, make me somebody that I really wasn’t. … Put me in short-yardage, say I couldn’t run routes or I ain’t got hands. I don’t see what they’re seeing. I’m ready for the opportunity.”

Brown came to Buffalo in a draft-day trade from Philadelphia. After a solid preseason, he was inactive for the first six games because he was limited in special teams, something Dixon excels at. He has been a bit perplexed by his inactivity, but he believes he can help the team.

“I expected to play and I expected to play right away,” Brown said. “I still expected to play right away after preseason. But, me not playing and inactive was a surprise. I didn’t expect that.

“I look at it this way: I’ve matured. I know if this was the old Bryce in this situation, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. So I think that shows a lot, just about my maturity the last few years. I remember when I was in college and things didn’t go my way, in the past, I just walked away. That just showed I’ve matured, a lot.”

The Bills likely will split the carries between Brown and Dixon but will use Dixon on passing downs because he’s a better pass protector, a role that was usually filled by Jackson.

NOTES: WR Mike Williams, who was inactive for the Week 6 game against New England, played in five snaps and was not targeted vs. Minnesota. … WR Sammy Watkins had a breakout game as he set career highs for catches (nine), yards (122) and touchdowns (two). He caught the winning 2-yard TD pass with one second remaining. … CB Leodis McKelvin intercepted two passes and now has three for the season, a career high. … DT Marcell Dareus racked up two more sacks to give him seven for the season.

REPORT CARD VS. VIKINGS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — Overcoming an offensive line that couldn’t keep the Vikings’ pass rush away from him, Kyle Orton managed to throw for 283 yards on 31 completions, and he directed the winning 80-yard drive in the final three minutes. On that drive, he was sacked twice, but he also hit some huge throws, including a 24-yarder to Scott Chandler on fourth-and-20 and an 18-yarder to Sammy Watkins on third-and-12, before hitting Watkins on a 2-yard pass for the winning TD. Watkins set career highs with nine catches, 122 yards and two TDs.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C-plus — Outside of C.J. Spiller’s 53-yard run in the second quarter, it was a tough go on the ground. Of course, that was mostly due to Spiller being hurt on that play and Fred Jackson going down in the first quarter. Anthony Dixon ran for 51 yards on 13 carries, but he doesn’t offer Spiller’s explosiveness or Jackson’s ability to make clutch plays. The offensive line didn’t win enough battles up front.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — The line generated good pressure in the second half and finished with five sacks of Teddy Bridgewater, 4.5 of those credited to Marcell Dareus, Jerry Hughes and Mario Williams. Leodis McKelvin came up with two picks, but he, Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey all gave up some sizable completions. Still, allowing just 118 yards is a pretty good day, no matter who the quarterback is.

RUSH DEFENSE: D — The No. 1 unit in the NFL got lit up for 158 yards by a team playing without Adrian Peterson, easily its worst game of the year. The Vikings’ offensive line has been struggling, but it opened some pretty good holes and the Bills didn’t tackle well as they allowed Jerick McKinnon to gain 103 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — The Bills were worried about Cordarrelle Patterson on kick returns, so in the second quarter, kicking into the wind, Jordan Gay squibbed one that didn’t work. The Vikings fielded it cleanly, and the Bills committed a formation penalty. The Vikings took possession at the 40, and they quickly drove to a touchdown. Colton Schmidt had a net punting average of 40, and Leodis McKelvin had a 30-yard kickoff return.

COACHING: C — Nathaniel Hackett’s habit of calling running plays on second-and-long, which usually result in third-and-long, has grown tiresome. However, he made a nice call for a deep pass to Sammy Watkins on the first play following a Minnesota turnover; it resulted in a TD. Jim Schwartz found a way to pick up the pressure in the second half and the Bills finished with five sacks. Doug Marrone said he was not happy with the way his team played.