Preview for Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons
The Buffalo Bills (4-1) will look to bounce back from their primetime defeat to the New England Patriots last week and calm any doubts about their status as the Super Bowl favourites in the AFC when they take on the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) on Monday Night Football.
A sloppy performance from the Bills was punished by their AFC East rivals as Buffalo suffered a first defeat of the season.
Josh Allen and Co. will be expected to bounce back against a Falcons team that has yet to find consistency, but the Bills are wary of an Atlanta offense that impressed significantly in their Week 4 win over the Washington Commanders prior to last week’s bye.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had his best game as a pro against Washington, completing 76.9 percent of his passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, averaging 12 yards per attempt for a quarterback rating of 126.0.
“[Penix Jr.] knows [the offense] like the back of his hand,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said. “He’s extremely detailed in how he runs their offense and certainly has a great running game to accompany the talents and skills that he brings to the table.
“His throwing ability is very impressive, very accurate. He seems to have a great feel for NFL defenses already, which is rare.”
The Buffalo defense also has to deal with the upside running back Bijan Robinson brings for Atlanta on the ground and through the air.
“Big time [dual threat],” McDermott added of Robinson. “He can do it in the run game, the pass game. He plays all downs, which is somewhat rare anymore, and we have a ton of respect for his game.”
Still, the Bills have the most explosive offense in football, having produced 35 passing plays of at least 15 yards and 18 rushing plays of at least 10.
With Allen contributing to both, the Bills will be expected to outgun the Falcons if they can avoid the turnovers that helped doom them against New England, yet the reigning MVP knows Buffalo can take nothing for granted.
“At the end of the day, this is the NFL,” Allen said. “Each and every week has got to be earned and that starts in practice.”
The Falcons will be without a key weapon in wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring). On the Buffalo side, linebacker Matt Milano is unavailable due to a pectoral injury.
