by TYLER HATHAWAY
The Buffalo Bills are heading down south to play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football this week. Buffalo is coming off its first loss of the year, while Atlanta had the week off. It will be the fourth time this season that Buffalo has played in primetime and the second week in a row. Here’s the breakdown:
BUFFALO BILLS (4-1/AFC East)
vs.
ATLANTA FALCONS (2-2/NFC South)
Monday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 7:15 pm
Storyline #1: Bills coming off first loss of 2025
Week 5 saw the Bills suffer their first loss of the season in rather frustrating fashion. Buffalo fell 23-20 in the final seconds to the New England Patriots thanks to a 52-yard field goal by rookie kicker Andy Borregales. It was by far the messiest game the Bills have played all year, with 11 penalties accepted against Buffalo and three turnovers, including two in a first half that saw the Bills only muster up three points.
“We just played sloppy, not going to win a football game turning the ball over three times,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said after the game. “In our redzone, we gave them one in their redzone. That’s just bad, bad football, we just did not play good.”
The loss put the Bills in a precarious spot moving forward. Buffalo now only holds a half-game lead in the AFC East, since New England holds the tiebreaker. The 3-2 Patriots play three 1-4 teams in their next three games, making the Bills’ game against the Falcons this week all the more important, as their room for error in their hunt for a sixth straight division title has shrunk tremendously.
Storyline #2: Falcons fully rested after great win
The Falcons enter the primetime matchup coming off of their bye week. It’s been a rollercoaster season so far for Atlanta, with a close loss, a close win, a blowout loss, and a blowout win. Their Week 4 matchup before their bye saw the Falcons pick up a 34-27 win over the Washington Commanders, and it was the best their offense has looked all year. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for over 300 yards, running back Bijan Robinson had 181 total yards and a score, and wideout Drake London caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s definitely a challenge for us,” Falcons second-year head coach Raheem Morris said in a press conference earlier this week about facing Buffalo. “But it’s something that we embrace. Going to play all teams in the NFL is an honor and pleasure, but these guys (Buffalo) are definitely going to present a challenge for us and create some excitement for our fans.”
Storyline #3: Milano banged up again
Bills longtime linebacker Matt Milano suffered his second injury of the season in Sunday’s loss to New England. He re-aggravated a pectoral injury that he suffered in Week 2 and kept him out two games. The former All-Pro has struggled to stay on the field the past few seasons, missing most of 2023 with a broken leg and the first three months of 2024 with a torn biceps tendon.
“He tweaked that pec in the game, so he’ll be week to week,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said earlier in the week. “Nobody works harder than Matt Milano to stay healthy,” McDermott said. “Right now, it’s going to be next man up for this week.”
Milano is not the only Bills’ linebacker dealing with injury. Dorian Williams, Milano’s back-up, missed the Patriots game with a knee injury and is questionable for Monday’s game. If both Milano and Williams can’t go, it’ll likely be veteran Shaq Thompson who fills the weakside linebacker position.
Key to the game #1: Slow down Bijan Robinson
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is off to a blazing start to his third year as a pro. Robinson has registered over 100 yards of total offense in every game this season and found the endzone twice. In addition to running for 143 yards in Atlanta’s Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings, the former Texas Longhorn finished with over 100 receiving yards in both Weeks 1 and 4.
“I’m not gonna pull back what I’ve said about thinking he’s being the best player in the league because I do,” Morris told reporters this week. “What he does for us, and how important he is for us. I love the guy.”
The Bills defense currently is ranked in the bottom five in rushing yards per game, but has played well in spurts. Weeks 2 and 5 saw Buffalo hold its opponents to 100 or less rushing yards, but gave up over 230 yards on the ground against Baltimore in Week 1 and 190 more yards rushing against New Orleans in Week 4.
Key to the game #2: Offense needs to play a complete game
The Bills past two games on offense has featured long stretches of the offense being unable to execute. In Week 4’s game against New Orleans, the Bills scored two touchdowns in the first 12 minutes but then didn’t score again until over halfway through the third quarter. In last week’s loss, they scored three points in the first half and were not able to recover from it.
It’s imperative not only to just winning the game, but for righting the ship that the offense plays a full 60 minutes. Buffalo stalled for nearly half of the game in Week 4, but against New Orleans, it wasn’t enough to lose. However, in Week 5, doing the same thing did cost the Bills the game. Against a team with as much potential firepower as Atlanta, fully rested off a bye week, Buffalo’s offense needs to be able to execute consistently as to not dig themselves into a hole.
X-Factor: Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Second-year quarterback Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has showcased the talent that made him a top 10 pick in the draft in his two home games this year. In Week 1 against Tampa Bay, the southpaw totaled over 300 yards of offense and had two touchdowns, including a score in the last few minutes that featured him barely extending the ball over the goalline in a great effort. In Week 4’s win over Washington, he had over 300 passing yards and two scores while completing 77% of his passes.
But in his two road games against Minnesota and Carolina, Penix averaged 153.5 passing yards, completed 54% of his passes, and had no touchdowns while throwing a pair of picks. If the Falcons get that version of their quarterback against the Bills, the game will be an uphill battle. But if he plays like he has in the team’s two other home games this year, Atlanta will give Buffalo its best shot on Monday night.
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