Bijan Robinson broke through the Buffalo defense for an 81-yard touchdown in the second quarter Monday night, sparking Atlanta to a 24-14 win over the Bills at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Robinson finished with 238 yards from scrimmage as the Falcons handed Buffalo its second consecutive defeat.
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Robinson Records Career Performance in Prime Time
The third-year running back carried 19 times for 170 yards while catching six passes for 68 more. His 81-yard scoring run in the second quarter gave Atlanta a 21-7 lead and marked the longest rush in the NFL through Week 6.
Robinson took the handoff from Michael Penix Jr., hit the right side, and broke free from safety Cole Bishop’s tackle attempt near midfield. He covered the final 45 yards untouched.
“He’s the best player in football,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “I’ve said it multiple times.”
The performance extended Robinson’s streak to 11 straight games with at least 90 yards from scrimmage. He recorded three plays of 50-plus yards this season after managing just one such play all of last year.
Tyler Allgeier opened the scoring for Atlanta with a 21-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, finishing with 32 yards on 10 carries. The Falcons rushed for 210 yards on 32 attempts.
Allen Throws Four Interceptions in Three Games
Josh Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bills quarterback now has four picks over his last three games after throwing just one in his previous 12 contests, including the playoffs.
Allen connected with Dawson Knox for a 19-yard touchdown in the first quarter and found Ray Davis on a 16-yard score to open the third quarter. But Buffalo converted just two of nine third-down attempts and managed only 291 total yards.
“They had a good plan,” Allen said. “Looks like they came off the bye week and got to game-plan us quite a bit. I’ve got to be better in seeing the things they’re trying to do.”
The Bills were sacked four times and failed on a fourth-down attempt near midfield late in the third quarter. Greg Rousseau blocked Parker Romo’s 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Buffalo couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
Penix Orchestrates Error-Free Victory
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 250 yards and one touchdown without an interception. The Falcons quarterback completed 20 of 32 passes, spreading the ball to eight receivers.
Drake London caught 10 passes for 158 yards and a 9-yard touchdown. Kyle Pitts added three receptions for 18 yards. Atlanta converted five of 12 third downs and controlled possession for 31:39.
The Falcons defense recorded four sacks and two interceptions. DeAngelo Malone picked off Allen with 41 seconds remaining to seal the win. Dee Alford also intercepted Allen and recorded one of Atlanta’s four sacks.
How Atlanta Closed Out Buffalo
Atlanta led 21-7 at halftime after Robinson’s long touchdown. Buffalo cut the deficit to 21-14 on Davis’s touchdown catch to open the second half.
The Falcons answered with a 14-play drive that consumed 5:00 in the fourth quarter. Penix completed a 23-yard pass to Robinson during the possession, and Romo kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 24-14 with 1:43 left.
Buffalo got the ball back with no timeouts. Malone intercepted Allen’s final pass with 41 seconds remaining.
Complete Game Statistics
Final Score by Quarter
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Atlanta Falcons | 14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
Passing Statistics
Player | Team | C/A | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Allen | BUF | 15/26 | 180 | 2 | 2 | 4-23 | 72.6 |
Michael Penix Jr. | ATL | 20/32 | 250 | 1 | 0 | 2-17 | 97.1 |
Rushing Statistics
Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Average | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bijan Robinson | ATL | 19 | 170 | 8.9 | 81 | 1 |
James Cook III | BUF | 17 | 87 | 5.1 | 14 | 0 |
Josh Allen | BUF | 6 | 42 | 7.0 | 24 | 0 |
Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 10 | 32 | 3.2 | 21 | 1 |
Michael Penix Jr. | ATL | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 |
Receiving Statistics – Buffalo
Player | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | TD | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joshua Palmer | 2 | 60 | 30.0 | 45 | 0 | 2 |
Khalil Shakir | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 15 | 0 | 5 |
Tyrell Shavers | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
Dawson Knox | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
Ray Davis | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 16 | 1 | 2 |
Ty Johnson | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
Keon Coleman | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
Receiving Statistics – Atlanta
Player | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | TD | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drake London | 10 | 158 | 15.8 | 39 | 1 | 16 |
Bijan Robinson | 6 | 68 | 11.3 | 23 | 0 | 8 |
Kyle Pitts Sr. | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
Tyler Allgeier | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Defensive Leaders – Buffalo
Player | Position | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shaq Thompson | LB | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Taylor Rapp | S | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dorian Williams | LB | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cole Bishop | S | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Deone Walker | DT | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Ed Oliver | DT | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Javon Solomon | DE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Defensive Leaders – Atlanta
Player | Position | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mike Hughes | CB | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Dee Alford | CB | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Jessie Bates III | S | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Xavier Watts | S | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Divine Deablo | LB | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
David Onyemata | DT | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Ruke Orhorhoro | DT | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DeAngelo Malone | LB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team Statistics
Stat | Buffalo | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
First Downs | 17 | 22 |
Total Yards | 291 | 443 |
Passing Yards | 157 | 233 |
Rushing Yards | 134 | 210 |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
Penalties-Yards | 8-64 | 6-35 |
Third Down | 2-9 | 5-12 |
Fourth Down | 0-1 | 0-1 |
Time of Possession | 28:21 | 31:39 |
Sacks Against | 4-23 | 2-17 |
Special Teams
Kicking
- Parker Romo (ATL): 1/2 FG, 33 Long, 3/3 XP
- Matt Prater (BUF): 0/0 FG, 2/2 XP
Punting
- Bradley Pinion (ATL): 4 punts, 180 yards, 45.0 avg, 51 long
- Mitch Wishnowsky (BUF): 6 punts, 273 yards, 45.5 avg, 50 long
Kick Returns
- Brandon Codrington (BUF): 5 returns, 114 yards, 22.8 avg
- Jamal Agnew (ATL): 2 returns, 47 yards, 23.5 avg
Punt Returns
- Brandon Codrington (BUF): 3 returns, 21 yards, 7.0 avg
- Jamal Agnew (ATL): 1 return, 10 yards
Bills’ Schedule Reveals Soft Start
Buffalo dropped to 4-2 after opening the season 4-0. The Bills’ four wins came against teams with a combined 3-21 record: Baltimore (1-5), the New York Jets (0-6), Miami (1-5), and New Orleans (1-5).
Atlanta came off its bye week and had extra time to prepare. The Falcons improved to 3-2 heading into a Sunday night game at San Francisco.
“We’ll work hard at it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ve got to figure it out. We got to work our tails off to get it done.”
Buffalo entered its bye week before facing Carolina on October 26. The Bills lost to New England 23-20 the previous week, with Allen throwing an interception and losing a fumble in that game.
Injuries Impact Both Rosters
Buffalo played without tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was inactive with an oblique injury after participating in pregame warmups. Kincaid led the team with 287 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Joshua Palmer left in the second half with a left ankle injury. Linebacker Terrel Bernard exited with a right ankle injury. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones was held out after suffering a calf injury during pregame warmups.
Atlanta left tackle Jake Matthews left late in the first half with an ankle injury and didn’t return. Starting nickel back Billy Bowman Jr. was inactive with knee and hamstring issues. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Ray-Ray McCloud III was a healthy scratch in what Morris called “a coaches’ decision.”
The buffalo bills vs atlanta falcons match player stats show Robinson’s breakout performance powered Atlanta’s defense-led victory, while Buffalo’s losses to New England and Atlanta exposed questions about the Bills’ ability to beat quality opponents in 2025.
