Inside the Bills' historically bad first-half performance in Week 6 vs. Falcons

Injuries were no excuse for the Buffalo Bills during what was a historically bad first-half performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

Buffalo was without starting defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who was declared out in the minutes leading up to kickoff due to a calf injury he sustained during a pregame workout. The Bills also lost starting cornerback Christian Benford, along with starting linebacker and captain Terrel Bernard, during the game.

Oct 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) reacts with teammates after catching a touchdown pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With that said, the various losses suffered by the Bills’ defense were no excuse. Nothing short of an act of God would have saved Buffalo from its ultimate demise defensively. It was that bad.

The Bills allowed Atlanta to gain 335 first-half yards, the most by any team in a first half against the Bills since Sean McDermott took over as head coach. In fact, it was the highest first-half yardage total allowed by Buffalo since the 2001 season.

And to make matters worse, familiar warts that the team has dealt with the past few seasons continued to show up. The run defense was abysmal, the team's pass rush was relatively non-existent and the secondary underperformed. There was plenty to be concerned about one the game reached halftime.

The downfall of the Bills’ defense started on the Falcons’ first possession of the game, when they traveled 69 yards in five plays, spanning 2 minutes, 45 seconds of game time en route to the end zone to take an early 7-0 lead. Atlanta committed a fumble on their first offensive snap of the opening drive, but the turnover was negated due to an offside penalty called against Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau.

Oct 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) is tackled by. Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) during the first half | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Later during the first quarter, after the Bills responded with a touchdown to tie the game, Buffalo allowed the Falcons to drive 66 yards in nine plays, using 4 minutes, 59 seconds to take a 14-7 lead with a nine-yard touchdown reception for Falcons wide receiver Drake London, who was an absolute menace throughout the first two quarters of play.

London finished the first half with nine catches for 147 yards and his short scoring reception, harassing the Buffalo secondary throughout 30 minutes of domination. Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson also had his way during the first half, recording 12 carries for 138 yards, including an 81-yard rushing touchdown to help Atlanta gain a 21-7 advantage that they took into halftime.

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Robinson’s long scoring scamper was the second-longest rush allowed in primetime since 2020, with the other also coming against the Bills — Derrick Henry’s 87-yarder for the Ravens last season. He and London combined for an incredible 299 total yards in the first half of Monday night’s game, during which the Falcons recorded six plays of 20 yards or more.

Atlanta finished the first two quarters averaging 9.1 yards per play while out-possessing Buffalo by just under 5 minutes. It was a throttling from the opening whistle until the halftime bell, with the Falcons setting themselves up to win a critical non-conference matchup.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, while he came away with a sack to open the second half, was held off the stat sheet in the first half, while Buffalo’s secondary struggled in coverage throughout the evening.

It was a first half to forget for the Bills’ defense, whose latest performance has placed defensive coordinator Bobby Babich under the gun. The Bills salvaged things with a decent second half. Even so, Buffalo has failed to measure up defensively throughout the season, and it could be only a matter of time before we see Babich jettisoned, or at the very least, relinquish play-calling duties.

Whatever the case may be, this unit must find some answers during its bye week, or the second half of the season could get ugly for this group.

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