Atlanta Falcons Defense Determined to Stifle Buffalo Bills Playmaker

The Atlanta Falcons welcome getting a shot at the upset over the Bills in primetime action

Stopping the Bills' offense is a challenge the Atlanta Falcons welcome | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Through five weeks of action, the Atlanta Falcons currently have the No.1 defense in the NFL in terms of total defense. The Falcons are holding opponents to 244 yards of total offense per game, the lowest mark of all 32 teams. This week, they face their biggest test yet: the Buffalo Bills. 

The Falcons have held all four of their opponent this season to less than 300 yards of total offense, the only team in the league to do so in every game so far. On the flip side, the Bills have totaled at least 300 yards in all five of their games this season. The Falcons' defense will have its hands full trying to limit this Buffalo team, but head coach Raheem Morris says they embrace the challenge. 

“It is definitely a challenge for us,” Morris said when asked about stopping the Bills' offense. “But it’s something that we embrace. It’s something that we love.” 

Stopping the Bills will be no easy challenge. Buffalo has the reigning MVP at quarterback in Josh Allen, who is currently top 10 in both passing yards (1,217) and passing touchdowns (9). 

Morris said Allen was arguably “the best player in the league”.

“He can run the football. He can make every single throw. He can make the special plays, he can make the simple plays, and he can carry his football team.”

However, Allen is not the only member of Buffalo’s offense that Atlanta will need to worry about. At running back, the team has James Cook, who is currently second in the NFL in both rushing yards (450) and rushing touchdowns (five). Together, Allen and Cook give the Bills one of the most potent offenses in the league. 

Still, the Bills are not invincible; the New England Patriots beat them on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. This will be a great early test to see how good the Falcons' defense truly is, and one that Morris and Atlanta are not shying away from. 

Atlanta’s defense has already proven it can handle competition. In Week 1, the Falcons held a good Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense to 260 yards of offense and 23 points. That was the only game this season in which the Buccaneers were held under 300 yards of total offense

This defense has shown that it has the ability to slow down elite offenses. They will need to do so again on Monday if they hope to pull off an upset against Buffalo and prove that this defense truly is one of the best units in the NFL.