Bills-Falcons on Monday night: What We Learned from Atlanta's 24-14 win over Buffalo

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1. Bijan rolls. If 2024 was the year of Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson is doing his best to make 2025 his. The dynamic, explosive running back dominated on Monday night, ripping off an 81-yard touchdown run that required him to precisely knife through the first level of Buffalo's defense and break a tackle downfield before reaching the end zone on the roof-exploding romp to pay dirt. He finished with 170 rushing yards on 19 carries, tying a single-game high and played a key role in the passing game, adding six catches for 68 yards. Robinson powers these Falcons and spent the full tank Monday night, logging the most scrimmage yards (238) by a Falcons running back in a single game in franchise history. He's on quite a run to start the season and is making a strong case for the crown bestowed upon the best running back in the NFL.
2. Bills' worrisome struggles continue. It's well documented that Buffalo is missing a handful of key players, but after another rough outing in a prime-time slot, it's fair to be concerned about the current state of this team. The Bills continue to make sloppy mistakes (eight penalties accepted against them Monday night for 64 yards), their defense is struggling mightily and the offense is far too reliant on Josh Allen, who looked very human against Atlanta's defense. The combined challenges seem to have affected offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who went away from James Cook almost entirely in the fourth quarter, a period in which Buffalo went three-and-out on two of their final three possessions. There's a kink or two in this blue-and-red hose and the solution isn't as simple as finding it and straightening it out. They've been outclassed by two teams previously considered to be inferior in the last two weeks, and every team they've beaten owns a losing record (and none won in Week 6). It's only Week 6, but their Super Bowl resume isn't looking very strong right now.
3. Atlanta's defense is blossoming. A lowly unit in 2024 has transformed into a menace a year later. Entering Monday night, the Falcons had allowed the fewest total yards per game and passing yards per game in the NFL this season, ranked sixth in opposing third down percentage and tied for sixth in sack percentage. They matched those standards in nearly every category in Week 6, limiting the Bills to 2 of 9 on third down, 157 net passing yards and forcing two turnovers. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich dialed up 19 blitzes and watched his defense record 15 pressures and four sacks of the notoriously elusive Allen, stifling a Bills offense that is essential to Buffalo's chances of success. First-round pick Jalon Walker tied for the team lead in QB pressure with three (including one quick pressure), and four Falcons defenders logged a sack. This is a group effort that came together excellently in a big win and isn't going away anytime soon.
4. Buffalo's defense lacks teeth. The Bills are playing without venerated linebacker Matt Milano and rookie first-rounder Maxwell Hairston, and a pregame injury to DaQuan Jones left them with only three healthy defensive tackles, including Ed Oliver, who was only just returning from injury in Week 6. They've been awful against the run and the aforementioned absences certainly help explain it. But on Monday night, the Bills' defense struggled across the board. Thanks to Robinson's big night, Atlanta rushed for 210 yards on Buffalo's bottom-quarter run defense while Michael Penix Jr. was able to tally 250 passing yards against a pass defense that ranked second in the NFL in yards per game entering Week 6. Drake London feasted when matched up with linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram, racking up four catches for 108 yards combined when those two were the nearest defender. Buffalo's pass-rushing unit recorded a pressure rate of just 25.7%, giving Penix the comfort a second-year passer needs to succeed. This is not the Bills of old, but has been the Bills of late. Sean McDermott has quite a task on his hands when determining how to fix things.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Bills-Falcons (via NFL Pro): The Falcons blitzed Josh Allen on 55.9% of his dropbacks, the highest blitz rate Allen has faced since Week 8, 2021. When blitzed, Allen completed 8 of 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, but was pressured on 9 of 19 blitz dropbacks and was sacked three times.

NFL Research: Bijan Robinson joined Thurman Thomas (1991 MVP) as the only players in NFL history to have 450-plus rushing yards and 300-plus receiving yards over their first five games of a season.