Atlanta Falcons Run Roughshod Over the Bills
BY GREGORY BROWN
In what the Bills Mafia hoped would be a bounce back game on Monday Night Football, it was the Bills who got bounced by an Atlanta Falcons team that pretty much did whatever it wanted on both sides of the ball. After another subpar performance at Mercedes Benz Stadium, the Bills dropped a 24 – 14 clunker. This is a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final scoreboard indicated.
For an improving Atlanta squad, this game was a measuring stick for how well they stack up against the so-called elite teams in the NFL. As one of those supposed elites, the Bills can always expect to get an opposing team’s best shot. And in this case, the Bills got their butts ate by the hungry Falcons.
Atlanta’s do everything RB, Bijan Robinson, pounded the Bills defense for 170 rushing yards on only 19 carries, including an electrifying 81-yard TD dash in which he ran out of an attempted tackle by Cole Bishop, the only Bills player to even lay a glove on him. Add to that, his 68 receiving yards on 6 receptions, and he was simply an unstoppable force.
Moreover, when combined with the outstanding play of WR Drake London doing his best Stefon Diggs impersonation, the Bills simply had no answer for stopping the Falcons primary offensive weapons. Led by their poised sophomore QB Michael Penix, Jr., they were clearly the better team on this night.
The Bills left the field at halftime down 21 – 7. They had dodged a bullet, however, when London’s long catch and run fell just one yard short of the end zone. Fortuitously for the Bills, the first half clock had expired without time enough for even a field goal try. A touchdown, or even a field goal in that situation, would have put the Bills three scores behind and would have surely slammed the door on any reasonable chance of a Bills comeback.
The second half started to look a lot more promising for the Bills, as they drove downfield for a touchdown on their very first possession. It even appeared that the defense had stiffened its back with an early three and out, followed by drive stops on the Falcons next two possessions. For a moment, it appeared that the Bills had made some effective halftime adjustments which, for a minute, had them back in the ballgame. However, after that brief surge, the Falcons had an answer for just about everything Buffalo tried to do.
Atlanta’s front four, along with a frequently blitzing linebacker, was able to put constant pressure on Josh Allen. They were also able to contain most of his impromptu scrambles out of the pocket whenever he faces such pressure. This time, however, the Falcons were pretty much able to keep Josh contained and thereby render him unable to don the superman cape that we have all come to expect. Add to that, Allen’s two interceptions, both coming at critical moments in the ballgame, and we have the whole, sad story.
Obviously, the Bills defense remains a work in progress. The problem though, is that after six games, we’re still not seeing very much progress. Right now, the Bills defense couldn’t stop the Canisius High School run game. Although the “D” has been riddled with injuries, the heat under defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s seat must be getting hotter and hotter. Hopefully, the eminent return of guys like Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht after the upcoming bye week, will help the Bills to shore up the run defense, as well as the pass rush.
The rash of penalties over the last two games are another matter entirely. Their eight penalties against the Falcons, following their eleven penalties last week against the Patriots, were costly. These penalties reflect an undisciplined team that seems all too eager to beat itself.
Right now, the Bills do not look like a Super Bowl caliber team. The good thing, however, is that nobody else in the NFL does either. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time to right the ship.