Handing out NFL superlatives after the first month of the season
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaca hand out their NFL superlatives after the first month of the 2025 season.
The Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons help close out a scorching week of football on “Monday Night Football” in Hotlanta.
Atlanta is coming off an early bye, meaning they’ve had extra time to prepare for reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Bills. But the preparation won’t matter unless they fix some of their own issues.
Michael Penix and the Falcons have been able to move the ball this season (seventh in yards entering Week 6) but haven’t been able to find the end zone (27th in points scored). Beyond the ranking, some of that is due to their shutout at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, before a rebound in Week 4 in which they scored 34 points against the Washington Commanders in a win.
So, Atlanta will hope to find some more offensive consistency against a visiting Bills team that looks to get off the mat themselves. Josh Allen and the Bills were handed a divisional loss by the New England Patriots on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 5.
Now, the Bills look to get right against an Atlanta team that looks to do the same.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Week 6 “Monday Night Football” matchup below. All times are Eastern.
Watch “Monday Night Football” all season with Fubo (free trial)
Aided by penalty, the Falcons worked it into field goal range and settled for a 37-yard field goal. Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau had other ideas, however, blocking Romo’s kick. The Bills take over, still down seven.
The third quarter was all Buffalo, but they still trail by seven entering the final 15. Atlanta opens the fourth with the ball at the Buffalo 45, looking for some breathing room on the scoreboard.
After having the drive extended by penalty, the Falcons get some momentum back in their favor with a key fourth down stop. Allen flipped one short of Ty Johnson, giving Atlanta the ball back at their own 46 with under a minute to go in the third quarter.
That was not the answer that Penix was looking for. Buffalo’s pass rush got to the quarterback, derailing the Falcons drive and sending it right back to Allen. The Bills take over at their own 20, looking to drive for the tying score.
The second half starts in familiar fashion for the Bills offense. Davis gets on the board with a touchdown and gets his team to within seven after a dominate drive from Buffalo. It feels like the Bills found something on that series, making the next one even more important for Penix and Atlanta. Momentum might be shifting. Falcons 21, Bills 14
With just six seconds remaining in the half, Atlanta was looking to get into field goal range as Penix found London. The receiver was wide open and, rather than settle for the field goal attempt, tried to score a touchdown. It appeared he did at first, but replay revealed the London’s foot was out of bounds just short of the goal line.Â
Atlanta instead walks away with no points before the half, keeping their lead at 14. Buffalo catches a huge break, but they have plenty of work to do in the final 30 minutes.
Buffalo forced a stop and got the ball back, only for Allen to give it to the Falcons one play later. It goes down as Allen’s third interception of the season as the Bills offense continues to struggle.
Hoping to build on their lead, the Falcons opted to go for it on fourth down at the Buffalo 33. The Bills get the stop coming out of the 2-minute warning, giving Allen and co. the chance to cut into the deficit.
Falcons are known for their flying ability. The football version is too, apparently. Robinson turns on the jets and flies 81 yards to the end zone to give Atlanta a two-score lead. Falcons 21, Bills 7
The Bills might need a bigger tent as their starting center exited with an injury. Josh Allen was sacked immediately on the next play as Buffalo’s depth gets tested.
Palmer was dragged down by Dee Alford after a 15-yard catch early in the second quarter. His leg was twisted on the tackle and the receiver promptly entered the injury tent. He did walk off the field under his own power.
A slow-paced opening quarter comes to a close with the Falcons up a touchdown. Both sides landed early punches on offense, but the end zone was calling Drake London, who held off Buffalo defenders to give his team the lead again.Â
Pitts has been fairly invisible in the early going tonight, outside of drawing a penalty and committing another. However, Pitts has made much more of an impact in his fifth season.
The tight end already has 20 catches, 205 yards and a touchdown through four games. He’s on pace to set career highs across the board.
The Falcons took the lead right back in the closing minute of the first quarter, with Michael Penix finding Drake London with a laser; London reached the ball past the goal line for six. An extra point gives the Falcons a 7-point lead.
The Falcons were unable to answer the Dawson Knox score, ending with the Bills pass rush swarming the passer for a sack. Bradley Pinion’s punt goes for 50 yards.
It didn’t take long for Buffalo to even the score. Josh Allen found Knox for the 19-yard touchdown, finishing off a 73-yard drive to get things going for the Buffalo offense. Joshua Palmer had the big play on this series for the Bills, bringing in a 45-yard reception on their first play from scrimmage. Falcons 7, Bills 7
It didn’t take long for Josh Allen to launch, finding deep threat Josh Palmer deep down the middle of the field for 45 yards.
Atlanta avoided disaster on the first play of the game as a Bills’ offside penalty negated a Bijan Robinson fumble. The Falcons took that gift and waltzed down the field for an opening drive score without much resistance from the visitors.
Falcons 7, Bills 0
The first of two “Monday Night Football” games gets underway as Atlanta returner Jamal Agnew takes the kickoff to the Falcons’ 31-yard line.
What channel is Falcons vs. Bills Monday Night Football?
The Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills will air on ESPN as part of the double-header on “Monday Night Football” this week.
Play-by-play:Â Chris FowlerColor analysts:Â Dan Orlovsky and Louis RiddickSideline reporters:Â Katie George and Peter SchragerWhat time is the Falcons vs. Bills game?Kickoff time: 7:15 p.m. ET
The Falcons and Bills are scheduled to kick off at 7:15 p.m. ET, an hour earlier than the typical “MNF” start time. The Bills travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the matchup.
The Falcons had two weeks to think on their 34-point performance vs. the Commanders, a week after they were shut out at the hands of the Panthers. It’s difficult to tell whether or not that was the start of something new or just a one-off performance against a middling defense. The Bills need to figure out what their identity is and fast – and they’ll take a step in that direction vs. a Falcons team that has traded wins and losses this season.
Prediction: Bills 24, Falcons 20
Live stream: Fubo | ESPN Select | ESPN Unlimited
Those looking to live stream the matchup have a few options. ESPN’s streaming services, Unlimited and Select, will broadcast the game.
Cord-cutters searching for another option can turn to Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network, meaning you’ll be able to catch NFL action all season long.
Watch “Monday Night Football” all season with Fubo (free trial)
With Dalton Kincaid out, here’s how the Bills depth chart lines up:
Billy Bowman Jr. is inactive for tonight’s game
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 13, 2025Falcons vs. Bills live odds, moneyline, O/U