The Buffalo Bills fell to the Atlanta Falcons 24-21, losing for the second time in as many weeks. After the loss, the New England Patriots moved into first place in the AFC East for the first time in five years.
And just like last Sunday, the mental errors and injuries they inflicted cost Buffalo the game. They were three-for-ten in third and fourth place combined. They also lost the turnover battle and gave up four sacks.
The Falcons had no problem moving the ball down the field on the opening possession. After a fumble on the first offensive play of the game was taken off the board by an offsides penalty on the Bills, Atlanta marched down the field with 2:45 to score a touchdown on a 21-yard rush by running back Tyler Allgaier for a 7-0 lead. It was Allgeier’s second TD in as many games.
The Bills and quarterback Josh Allen had the perfect response when he threw a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Joshua Palmer to get to the Falcons’ 28. Even though they were pushed back ten yards on an offensive possession, Josh Allen still threw a 19-yard TD pass to tight end Dawson Knox for a 7-7 tie. It was Knox’s first touchdown since Week 6 of last season.
For the second week in a row, penalties proved to be an issue for the Bills. Despite getting a third down stop, the defensive pass interference kept Atlanta’s third series of the evening alive. That mistake led to a touchdown catch by wide receiver Drake London on third-and-goal for a 14-7 Falcons lead. Buffalo was flagged eight times for 64 yards in this game.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson continued to bolster his campaign for the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award. After a Bills punt, Robinson ripped off an 81-yard rushing touchdown to increase Atlanta’s lead to 21-7 in the second quarter. He finished the game with 238 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown.
With their end zone down, the Falcons were able to get down to the Buffalo 33, where they faced fourth-and-3. However, the pass attempt was broken up, allowing the Bills to take over.
Buffalo’s offense struggled after a touchdown on its opening drive. They gained just 48 yards of offense after that first series.
The Bills got the ball back with 15 seconds left in the first half and one timeout. Instead of going into halftime with a lead of 14, Josh Allen threw an interception that was returned to the Buffalo 49ers with just ten seconds on the clock.
Atlanta came within inches of a 21-point lead at the break. On the final play of the half, Drake London took a tipped pass into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown. However, a replay review determined that London’s foot touched out of bounds just before it crossed the goal line, so the TD was voided, and Atlanta had to go into halftime with a 21-7 advantage.
The break seemed to have done wonders for the Bills offense. They put together a nine-play, 73-yard scoring drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown run from running back Ray Davis to cut the lead to 21-14. It was Davis’ first touchdown of the season and his first touchdown of any kind since January 19, 2025.
After a punt in Atlanta, the Dirty Birds shot themselves in the foot on Buffalo’s next possession, when they were flagged three times for defensive consistency. That eventually led to a near fourth-and-2 midfield, which the Bills failed to convert.
Once again, penalties killed Buffalo. They were flagged for defensive pass interference on a third-down stop, setting up a 20-yard catch-and-run by Bijan Robinson on the next play to get the Falcons into the red zone. The drive stalled at 19, resulting in a field goal attempt that the Bills blocked to keep the score at 21-14 with 12:24 remaining in the game.
After a blocked field goal, these teams combined for a three-and-out before the Falcons got the ball back at their own 17 with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. found a wide-open Bijan Robinson for a 23-yard pickup to get to Buffalo’s side of the field. Drake London then made an 11-yard catch to reach the Bills’ 33. With 3 and 1 and 2 minutes left at Buffalo’s 14, the Bills were flagged for encroachment, giving Atlanta a new set of downs. Although they didn’t reach the end zone, they forced Buffalo to burn all of its timeouts before kicking a field goal for a 24-14 advantage with 1:43 left in the game.
As expected, the bills did not disappear quietly. Josh Allen picked up 21 yards in the air before going 24 yards. Ultimately, Josh Allen’s pass was intercepted in the red zone to secure the win for the Falcons.
With that win in hand, Atlanta moves to 3-2 on the campaign.
*Author’s Note: All information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
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