The Buffalo Bills faced a tough setback on Monday Night Football, dropping a 24-14 decision to the Atlanta Falcons and marking their second straight loss.
Coming off a narrow defeat to the New England Patriots the previous week, the Bills had been eager to maintain their lead atop the AFC East. Instead, they found themselves slipping in the standings, raising questions about what has caused this sudden dip in form.
Much of the spotlight has fallen on Buffalo’s star quarterback Josh Allen, whose recent play has been noticeably inconsistent. After an impressive start to the season, where he avoided turning the football over through the first three weeks, Allen has thrown four interceptions in his last three games.
Monday’s outing against the Falcons marked Allen’s first multi-interception game of the season, which contributed to the Bills losing the turnover battle for the second week in a row. This was a sharp contrast to his usual strong performances that helped Buffalo dominate in recent years.
Speculation quickly arose about whether Allen might be dealing with a hand injury impacting his play. However, Allen was quick to dismiss those rumors. According to Dan Fetes of 13 WHAM, when asked if he had injured his hand during the first half, Allen replied simply, “No.”
When pressed about whether he was playing fully healthy, the three-time Pro Bowler tersely responded, “Yes.” His straightforward denial puts to rest concerns that physical ailments are behind his uneven performances.
Challenges on both sides of the ball
Allen finished the game completing 15 of 26 passes for 180 yards, throwing two touchdowns but also two costly interceptions. He also added 42 yards rushing on the ground. Despite these stats, his overall quarterback rating (QBR) against Atlanta was 18.7, his lowest mark since Week 14 of the 2019 season, reflecting the struggles he faced against a tough Falcons defense.
Atlanta’s defensive front consistently pressured Allen, sacking him four times and forcing the Bills’ offense out of rhythm.
The Bills’ defense was equally challenged, unable to slow down the Falcons’ rising star running back Bijan Robinson, who rushed for an impressive 170 yards on Monday night.
This imbalance on both sides of the ball compounded Buffalo’s problems and kept them off the scoreboard, limiting them to just two touchdown drives for the second consecutive week.
Buffalo heads into its Week 7 bye week sitting in second place in the AFC East. Although they hold the same record as New England, the Bills lost the critical head-to-head matchup, handing the Patriots the tiebreaker and top spot in the division.
The bye offers Buffalo an opportunity to regroup and refocus before they face the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. Following that, they’ll prepare for a highly anticipated rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, revisiting last season’s thrilling AFC Championship Game.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Bills will need to shake off recent struggles and rely on Allen’s MVP-caliber talent to return to winning form.
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