The Buffalo Bills suffered their second straight loss, falling 24-14 to the Atlanta Falcons on the road. The defeat leaves the Bills with a 4-2 record as they enter a bye week before facing the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.
Missed opportunities were a key issue for the Bills offense. The team managed two separate 73-yard scoring drives, one at the start of each half, but struggled on their other nine possessions. These resulted in six punts, two interceptions, and a turnover on downs. Five drives ended with less than ten yards gained.
“It’s gonna eat at me the next two weeks,” said quarterback Josh Allen about the missed chances. “I mean, a lot of stuff to clean up.”
The game began with signs of an offensive battle but shifted into a defensive contest in the second half. Only ten points were scored by both teams after halftime.
Buffalo’s defense allowed 335 yards and an average of 9.1 yards per play in the first half but limited Atlanta to just three points and 108 yards after halftime. The Bills closed their deficit early in the third quarter with a touchdown pass from Allen to Ray Davis.
However, Atlanta’s defense pressured Allen throughout, blitzing him on nearly 56% of his dropbacks—his highest rate faced since Week 8 of 2021. “Looks like they came off the bye week and got to game plan us quite a bit,” Allen said. “I got to be better and seeing the things that they’re trying to do to us and make adjustments accordingly.” He was sacked four times during the game.
Allen accepted responsibility for his performance: “Protections, IDs, movement in the pocket. Just got to do better.” He added: “We had our opportunities to take advantage of and we didn’t,” continuing, “It sucks when you feel like two thirds of your team (special teams and defense) are doing their job and you’re the team not to pull your weight. It sucks.”
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson recorded 238 scrimmage yards against Buffalo—the most allowed by a Sean McDermott-coached Bills team—and wide receiver Drake London caught ten passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.
“The first half wasn’t good enough,” said cornerback Taron Johnson about Buffalo’s defensive struggles. On London’s performance he added: “The quarterback was finding him. He was making some great plays. He’s a big body guy making plays.”
Injuries became another concern for Buffalo during this game. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones injured his calf during pregame warm-ups; head coach Sean McDermott said that “the severity of the injury is still unknown.” Linebacker Terrel Bernard left with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return; cornerback Christian Benford briefly exited with an Achilles issue but returned after halftime; safety Cole Bishop also left temporarily due to cramps.
On offense, wide receiver Joshua Palmer left with an ankle injury after making two catches for 60 yards early in what was shaping up as his best performance as a Bill so far. His status remains uncertain.
Allen commented on Palmer’s exit: “Already being down Dalton [Kincaid], obviously down Curtis [Samuel], guys got to step up in that position,” he said. “And thought there were some plays made tonight.”
Despite these setbacks, McDermott stated: “Fought through some injuries. Guys stepping up. Injuries are not an excuse.”
