Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills are Georgia-bound, headed south to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. After a crushing blow from the New England Patriots that handed Buffalo its first loss of the 2025 NFL season, the Bills suddenly find themselves in a dog fight for the lead in the AFC East. A win in Atlanta keeps Buffalo ahead of New England, while a loss lets the Patriots jump ahead.
The Bills and Falcons have played each other 13 times prior, with Atlanta holding the edge over Buffalo, 7-6. Josh Allen has faced the Falcons once before, back in 2022 in a messy and mistake-filled game at Highmark Stadium the home team won 29-15.
It’s difficult to call this a must-win game for the Bills, but thanks to the parity that is NFL football, there’s a lot at stake very early for Buffalo — and it begins tonight in Atlanta. The good news is that the Bills are 22-6 under head coach Sean McDermott following a loss in the regular season, dating back to Week 4 of the 2019 season (a loss vs. Patriots). Furthermore, Buffalo has won 10-of-12 road games after losses under McDermott.
The Bills with quarterback Josh Allen have scored 30 or more points against NFC teams in eight straight games, and entering Week 6 the offense ranked in the top three in both points per game (30.6) and yards per game (395.8). Those figures seemed to take a vacation in Week 5, and doing so where the move is to instead kick field goals may not get it done in Atlanta.
The Falcons are the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Entering Week 6, Atlanta allowed the second-least rushing yards in the league, and teams had only rushed 94 times on them, also lowest in the league. The Falcons have allowed seven total scoring drives over 50 yards, and six total scoring drives of 32 yards or less.
The Bills are the only NFL team this season that have gained 300 yards or more on offense in every game, while the Falcons are the only NFL team this season to have limited each opponent to less than 300 total yards of offense. Atlanta’s defense also blitzes at a rate far exceeding any other NFL team this season, bringing extra defenders on 43.5% of dropbacks. That sounds like a challenge for Josh Allen against a 2-2 team that’s a bit Jekyll & Hyde so far in 2025.
It seems cliché, but complementary football that focuses on securing the ball and stealing the ball is the recipe for a Bills win against an unfamiliar opponent — take advantage of known opportunities, and create additional ones wherever possible. If the offense plays like it did against the Patriots, things may come down to the defense making key stops in critical moments as in prior weeks.
Buffalo’s defense has been much criticized through five games in 2025. While some of it is overblown concern, there are real troubles at all levels. The...
