Four Burning Questions for Falcons and Bills on Monday Night Football

ATLANTA, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons are set to square off with the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, in a game that few people expect them to win.

The Bills, a presumed Super Bowl front-runner, will look to rebound after falling to the New England Patriots for their first loss of the season – Buffalo is 22-6 following a regular-season loss since 2019. They enter this game as a -4.0 favorite.

On the other hand, the Falcons are fresh off an early-season bye week and looking to cement their place as a contender in the NFC. A strong performance tonight will help them make that case in front of a national audience.

How can the Falcons get this done? See below for a few questions they must answer if they want to get a win over the Bills.

CAN THE FALCONS PUSH THE RUSHING ATTACK?

Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and the Falcons’ running game would be a challenge for any team in the NFL, but it could be an area they find serious success against the Bills. Atlanta’s ground attack is averaging the sixth-best mark in the league, while the Buffalo defense allows the 28th most to its opponents. The Bills also allow a league-worst 27 explosive runs.

The Falcons will certainly look to exploit this on Monday night, but they must be careful not to let the game flow get out of their control. The Bills have one of the league’s best offenses, and if they can shake up the game script with early success, the Falcons may be forced to drop back more than they would like to.

Regardless, the Falcons will feature one of the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons in Robinson, and they will be quick to get the ball into his hands. With the Bills losing linebacker Matt Milano, their chances of slowing him down may prove to be difficult.

DID THE OFFENSE FIND CONSISTENCY?

The Falcons seemingly found a groove in a Week 2 demolition of the Minnesota Vikings, but came crashing down to earth against the Carolina Panthers one week later. They followed their lowest point of the season with what turned out to be their best offensive performance of the season.

Needless to say, the early portions of the 2025 season have been a roller coaster for the Falcons. For that reason, the bye week likely came at a good time for this team.

“The last game [against the Commanders] was a great example of what it could look like consistently. Obviously, the game before that was not it,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “Those other two highly competitive games [against the Vikings and Buccaneers], you felt really good about, and we've got to get that one blemish off our record that's really killing it. Obviously, you want to win them all. That's not the reality of our game. But we're really competitive in three of them. In one of them, we were not.”

Morris and several members of this offense had a stated goal to build some of that consistency, whether it’s through the air or on the ground. Time will tell if they achieved their goal.

HOW CAN THE FALCONS SLOW DOWN THIS BILLS OFFENSE?

There is no secret what the Falcons will be taking on tonight. Josh Allen, the league’s reigning NFL MVP, is at the helm of one of the league’s best offenses. They are scoring 30.6 points per game, and feature an elite balance of passing (7th) and rushing (2nd). Buffalo has scored 30 or more points in all but one game this season.

Fortunately for Atlanta, they will be coming into this game with a resurgent defense that has made one of the biggest turnarounds in the NFL. They are allowing a league-best 244 yards per game, and the league’s top statistical passing defense will be returning star cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr for this game.

“We obviously know what [Josh Allen] can do just as a pure drop-back passer. Then you mix in his special, Superman stuff, and it's just, yeah. There's bags under my eyes for a reason,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He's a pain in the butt, he is. He's a generational player. People use that term way too often, but he is that. It’s cool because it's like national TV. It's a great opportunity to see where we stand, to play the best offense maybe in the league, and see where we stand.”

Allen, James Cook, and this Bills offense will certainly be their biggest test of the season. How they respond to this challenge could be a preview of what we can expect from them over the rest of the season.

CAN THE FALCONS PLAY CLEAN AND FORCE SOME TAKEAWAYS?

There is no greater equalizer in football than turnovers.

The Bills are a team that takes very good care of the football. Josh Allen threw a career-low six interceptions in 2024, and the offense went 591 consecutive offensive plays without suffering a turnover. That was the longest streak in the NFL since 1950, but it was snapped against the Saints in Week 4.

However, the Bills are also fresh off a game in which they had a season-high 11 penalties and three turnovers. It was the first time since 2023 that Allen had multiple turnovers in a game.

Atlanta’s defense has been up and down in terms of its ability to get takeaways. They had several missed opportunities against the Buccaneers in Week 1 that they then took advantage of in Week 2 against the Vikings. If Allen or this Bills offense gives them a chance, they had better make it count.

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be looking to take a similar approach to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

“Being smart with the ball,” Penix said about what he learned from the Patriots’ win. “I feel like Drake Maye protected the ball, very high completion percentage, just finding his checkdowns whenever they weren't giving up the big shot, and just playing smart football and controlling the game. That's the biggest thing. We want to make sure that we protect the ball and don't cause any self-inflicted wounds.”

Any takeaways the Falcons’ defense can get will prove to be valuable, but not giving any possessions away will be paramount.