Monday Night Football: Falcons run over Bills 24-14
Bijan Robinson ran for 170 yards, and Drake London had 158 yards receiving as the Falcons ran over the Bills 24-14 on Monday night.
The Falcons improved to 3-2, while the Bills fell out of first place in the AFC East after back-to-back losses dropped them to 4-2.
The Falcons outgained the Bills 443 to 291 yards. The Bills had two turnovers and eight penalties; they punted six times; and they scored on only two of 11 possessions.
The Falcons went only 1-of-3 in the red zone and had a 37-yard field goal blocked. Otherwise, the score would not have been as close as it was.
Robinson had an 81-yard touchdown and ended up with 238 yards of total offense on 25 touches. London caught 10 passes and scored on a 9-yard reception. He came up 1 yard short of the end zone on the final play of the first half when Taylor Rapp saved a touchdown by getting London to step out of bounds before the goal line.
Tyler Allgeier had a 21-yard touchdown run and had 32 yards on 10 carries.
Michael Penix went 20-of-32 for 250 yards and a touchdown.
Josh Allen, who threw only six interceptions last season in winning the MVP award, threw his third and fourth interceptions of the season. Dee Alford and DeAngelo Malone had the picks of Allen, who was 15-of-26 for 180 yards with two touchdowns.
Ray Davis and Dawson Knox had the touchdown receptions, and James Cook had 17 carries for 87 yards.
Falcons, Bijan Robinson handle, harass Josh Allen, Bills in 24-14 Monday night victory
Bijan Robinson paced the Falcons on Monday night. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
ATLANTA — Funny how fast perceptions can change in the NFL. Nine days ago, the Buffalo Bills were undefeated, a dead-bang lock for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and ready to charge through that still-open Super Bowl window. Two games ago, the Falcons were left for dead after losing 30-0 to the lowly-at-the-time Carolina Panthers.
Now, after a 24-14 Atlanta victory, the Bills are looking surprisingly vulnerable, and the Falcons are looking surprisingly solid. These perceptions, too, might not hold, but for now, Atlanta looks like a team on the rise, and Buffalo like a team facing unexpected questions.
Coming into the game, the Bills were still looking to repair the damage from losing their pristine undefeated record last week at the hands of the Patriots. The Falcons, coming off a bye, needed to prove to the league, their fans and probably themselves that they weren’t just the same-old, same-old underachievers.
And they would need to do it in front of a massive, and loud, contingent of Bills fans. Atlanta is always a destination for traveling fanbases from Pittsburgh to Dallas — the city is easy to reach by air, and the team is often, shall we say, accommodating to its visiting opponents.
First half: A pair of Falcons highlights
The Falcons, who haven’t reached the playoffs since the 2017 season, played one of their finest halves in years to start the game. Both teams scored on their opening drives, but only Atlanta could keep the momentum going with two more highlight-level touchdown drives. First, Bijan Robinson unleashed the longest run of his career, an 81-yard sprint along the sideline that put Atlanta up 14-7:
London came within a footstep of a second touchdown on the final play of the first half, stepping out of bounds while diving for the pylon. Even so, Atlanta took a 21-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, and the many Bills fans under the open roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium were a whole lot more nervous than they thought they’d be.
Second half: Missed Buffalo opportunities
Allen led Buffalo on another touchdown drive coming out of the locker room, but he was pressured all night, the Falcons establishing a harassing defense they’ve lacked for years. Buffalo went three-and-out four times, Allen again and again unable to break contain.
The Atlanta Falcons defense harassed Josh Allen all night. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
Logan Bowles via Getty Images
After Monday night, it’s clear that neither of these two teams is who we thought they were. The Bills remain a very good team, certainly one of the best in the league, but with some visible and exploitable flaws. Atlanta, meanwhile, has managed to find a new gear, as evidenced by their contained, controlled final drive that bled out all three of Buffalo's timeouts, and soon afterward, a game-ending interception, the second of the night for Allen.
What's next: Building on, learning from Monday night
The Falcons now travel to face San Francisco before meeting two more AFC East opponents in Miami and New England. Buffalo, meanwhile, gets a week off before facing the Panthers, followed by yet another marquee matchup with the Chiefs to start November. Both teams learned a few lessons Monday night; it'll be on each of them to turn that knowledge into victories in the coming weeks.
Bears linebacker Noah Sewell will not play another down tonight.
Sewell took friendly fire, with a nasty-looking hit from a teammate, leaving him with a concussion.
Sewell was trying to help bring down Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, along with teammates Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Practice squad defensive lineman Jonathan Ford came flying up and into the head and neck area of Sewell.
Sewell remained on the ground before finally walking off under his own power with 5:13 remaining in the first half.
He had two tackles before leaving.
Commanders defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong is questionable to return after injuring his hamstring in the third quarter.
The Bears lead 13-10 after Matt Gay's 53-yard field goal made it a three-point game with 11:59 remaining in the third quarter.