The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons had to be really sharp to win this one, or they had to make the Buffalo Bills look shaky, or both. While there were hiccups along the way, the Falcons did look pretty sharp, and they did make the Bills look very shaky. The result was a signature win, one that reinforces that these Falcons are closer to the team that played the Bucs tough, stomped the Vikings, and pushed past the Commanders then the ones that were embarrassed by the Panthers.
It’s early for that, of course, but we saw what this team can be. Bijan Robinson ran for a preposterous 170 yards on 19 carries—81 of those on a single tote—and added another 68 yards on six receptions. Tyler Allgeier added 32 yards on 10 carries, most of those on a pair of big rumbles, one of them an early touchdown. Michael Penix Jr. overcame a long, shaky stretch where he nearly threw interceptions to finish with 250 yards and a touchdown. Drake London ate the Bills defense alive, particularly early, to the tune of 158 yards and a touchdown on ten grabs. The offense did all of that with Darnell Mooney out, Ray-Ray McCloud a healthy scratch, and no one outside of London and Bijan got over 20 yards receiving. Hell, Jake Matthews missed a huge chunk of the game, and #4 and #5 tackles Elijah Wilkinson and Mike Jerrell held up just fine.
And yet for all that, for the 24 points and the stellar stretches, it was the defense that really impressed the hell out of me. They held Josh Allen to 180 passing yards and picked him off twice, managed to keep the Bills ground game to “very good” instead of “game-ruining,” and sacked Allen four times while consistently bringing enough heat to throw him off his game. They held Buffalo to 14 points; the last time the Bills scored 14 or fewer was Week 4 of 2024 against the Ravens. Jeff Ulbrich called a masterful game, that deep defensive front kept delivering when it needed to, and a banged-up secondary did more than enough to win. It was magical, and I think we have to consider that this Falcons defense might actually be this good. I know, weird feeling.
What stands out for this team overall is the physicality. It’s more than Bijan and Allgeier leaving defenders in the dirt, though they did plenty of that. It’s much more than the guys up front jostling a talented Bills defensive line and buying time to keep the offense moving. It’s the bone-rattling hits on special teams, the aggression and physicality on defense, and the fact that the Falcons were still swinging those hammers deep into the fourth quarter. It’s easy to get tired and the Falcons have long been known as a finesse football team, but this is something different and welcome.
They’ll need to clean up the Penix misfires, the penalties at bad times, and whatever is going on with...
