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Bills at Falcons: The good and bad from Week 6 loss

Daniel Adams
Bills at Falcons (1)

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 and lost 24-14 in a lackluster performance on Monday night.

The Bills were 4-0 to start the season, but they’ve now dropped back-to-back games, falling to 4-2 and sitting in second place in the AFC East division.

The Bills struggled to get the ball moving on offense, and defensively Buffalo could not stop the Falcons’ multi-faceted offensive attack. Michael Penix Jr., Drake London, and Bijan Robinson all had a night against Buffalo’s banged up defense. Buffalo’s offense only scored twice, a scripted opening drive in the first quarter, and a scripted opening drive to begin the second half.

The Bills are banged up both on offense and defense, adding many to the injury report following Monday’s game. Buffalo has a bye in Week 7 as they look to get guys back, healthy, and on the same page before they go back on the road in Week 8 to take on the Carolina Panthers.

Let’s take a look at the good and the bad from the Bills in their loss:

The good

Joshua Palmer 

Bills receiver Joshua Palmer went down in the first half shortly after he caught two receptions from Josh Allen for 60 yards. Palmer was ruled questionable to return following a hip-drop tackle and did not return for the remainder of the game, which was a huge loss for Buffalo’s offense. Palmer’s absence was felt in the second half, with receivers struggling to get separation and make plays downfield, which Palmer was doing and even ended the game with the most receiving yards for the Bills despite being out in the second half. The Bills’ bye week will help in Palmer’s return, giving him time before Buffalo takes on Carolina. 

James Cook 

Bills running back James Cook was a bright spot. Cook finished the game with 87 rushing yards on 17 carries, averaging five yards per carry. Cook was used more so in the second half but not to his full potential. The Bills rotated backs on multiple different drives yet failed to get their playmaker more snaps when the game was on the line. 

Shaq Thompson

The Bills entered Atlanta with linebacker Matt Milano being inactive which made room for Shaq Thompson to step up. Thompson eventually stepped into the role of signal caller on the defensive side of the ball after captain Terrel Bernard went out with an injury. Thompson finished the game with the most tackles for Buffalo, with 10 total tackles, five solo tackles, one tackles for loss, to go with one pass defended. Shaq Thompson has been a good offseason addition and a veteran presence who truly steps up when his number is called. 

Deone Walker 

Bills rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker has been a beast for the defense. Walker stands at 6’ 7”, weighing 330 pounds, an absolute force on the Bills defensive line. Walker finished the game with five total tackles, four solo tackles, four tackles for loss, and one pass defended. The Bills rookie has been a standout and hopefully can continue his production on the defensive side of the ball. 

The bad 

Josh Allen 

Josh Allen had a poor performance against the Falcons defense. Allen went 15/26 throwing for only 180 yards, along with two passing touchdowns as well as two interceptions and finishing the game with an 18.7 quarterback rating. Allen was struggling to find his targets all night and seemed to be frustrated by Atlanta’s consistent pressure, getting sacked four times. 

Receivers 

One of the biggest factors in Allen’s off-night was his receiving corps. The Bills receivers struggled immensely against the Falcons secondary. Second-year receiver Keon Coleman was locked up all night by star cornerback AJ Terrell, being held to just three catches for 11 total yards. The entire receiving unit failed to make plays when needed, leading to crucial drives being stalled out. This is a position of interest as the trade deadline nears (week 8) for many Bills fans. 

Secondary 

The Bills secondary got exposed against the Falcons, allowing Penix to find multiple spots in coverage. Tre White and Christian Benford both struggled in man coverage and the safeties had a difficult time covering over top. Drake London led Atlanta in receiving Monday finishing with 10 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown, unacceptable for the Bills defense to allow. 

Run defense 

Another aspect of Buffalo’s defense that struggled was their ability to stop the run game, more specifically Bijan Robinson. The Bills defense allowed Robinson to rush for 170 yards on the ground on 19 carries, including an 81-yard touchdown run. Poor tackling and wide gaps allowed the Falcons to run the ball all over Buffalo’s defense. The Bills run defense has struggled immensely this season, something that has to be addressed during Buffalo’s bye-week. 

Penalties 

The penalties continue to be a problem in Buffalo. Flags on both sides of the ball killed any momentum the Bills may have had. The Bills committed eight penalties in total, resulting in 64 penalty yards. 

Injuries 

The list of injured players for the Bills piled up from start to finish:

  • DaQuan Jones: Calf injury during warmups.
  • Joshua Palmer: Ankle injury in the second quarter, ruled out for the rest of the game.
  • Christian Benford: Achilles injury in the second quarter but returned to play.
  • Terrel Bernard: Ankle injury late in the first half, was questionable to return.
  • Josh Allen: Held his left hand in pain after being sacked, later stated he was not injured.
  • Connor McGovern: Left the game with a leg injury but was able to return.

This list is only the players that got injured during the game, not including the players who were inactive. The Bills are very banged up but thankfully Buffalo has a bye in Week 7, as they will look to get everyone back and healthy before they take on the Panthers in Week 8. 

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