NFL Week 6 Preview: Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons Matchup Preview
In what could be the only game in which the Bills wear their Cold Front Rivalry uniforms, they decided to lose in style as the New England Patriots and WR Stefon Diggs stole their moment in Primetime. Am I disappointed? Hell yeah—I was at the game. However, I don’t think the sky is falling like many Bills fans proclaim. Both the Chiefs and the Ravens lost in Week 5. One loss is not going to define the Bills‘ season, and it’s useful that they get this kind of game out of their system. Josh Allen said it best:
“I think it’s a wake up call.. We had been getting by in previous games, not playing our best football. But when you play a team that does everything the right way… it wakes you up.”
The Bills blew the breaks off of the Jets in Week 2 but they kept it close versus the Dolphins and the Saints, two of the worst teams in the league. Although, suffering a loss versus a division opponent could prove to be detrimental in the long run, especially against an up-and-coming team like the Patriots who have many winnable games down the stretch.
The Patriots seemed to do everything right on Sunday Night. Their defense was able to give Allen problems in the passing game and absolutely stuffed RB James Cook for a measly total of
49 rushing yards. He had been rushing for more than 100 yards in each of his previous three games. New England was also cognizant of the fact that Buffalo’s receivers have a difficult time separating within structured plays. They kept Allen within the pocket and played tight coverage— albeit some of it should’ve warranted defensive pass interference calls.
The Bills certainly shot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. Josh Allen threw his second interception of the season and he was credited with a fumble that was most definitely not his fault. There’s no reason why the Bills should be calling tight end jet sweeps with Josh Allen at quarterback. Allen was not absent of any blame throughout the night, as he left the pocket early a handful of times and just missed receivers running wide open for what could’ve been a touchdown. The lone bright spot, one could say, would be TE Dalton Kincaid who posted his first 100-yard receiving game in his career. He caught all six of his targets. The way that he’s been playing is what gives me confidence that the Bills can ascend on offense this season. However, he might have to take a seat back in Week 6—I’ll explain later.
Unfortunately, there are new Bills players on the injury report ahead of their game versus the Falcons. LT Dion Dawkins (will play) was added to the report with a thumb injury, S Taylor Rapp (will play) with a nose injury, WR Curtis Samuel (questionable) with a neck and rib injury, S Damar Hamlin with a pectoral injury, and TE Dalton Kincaid (questionable) with an oblique injury. Hamlin has trended downward and was declared out for Week 6 and he was ultimately put on injured reserve, along with rookie DT T.J. Sanders (knee). DT Ed Oliver has continued practicing in a limited fashion and he is slated to make his return (he practiced in full on Saturday). Milano re-aggravated his pectoral injury that sidelined him in Weeks 3 and 4. He is expected to be week-to-week, per head coach Sean McDermott, and was declared out versus the Falcons.
Matchups to Watch Out For
Bills’ Run Defense vs Falcons’ RB Bijan Robinson
A week after holding the Patriots to 71 rushing yards, the Bills will face the tall task of containing the multi-talented Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons. Now, the Patriots don’t have a very strong rushing offense to begin with, so it’s hard to say whether the Bills have improved in run defense. It’s probably not fair to test that theory by defending one of the best running backs in the league the week after, too. The former Texas Longhorn (Hook ‘Em!) has rushed for 314 yards on 64 carries and caught 18 receptions for an astounding 270 yards so far in the 2025 season. The one saving-grace the Bills have is the return of DT Ed Oliver, who has been an above-average run defender for the Bills.
Conclusion
Although many Bills fans and personalities on the air proclaimed that the Bills would go undefeated after their win against the Baltimore Ravens, it was never realistic. It didn’t take long for Buffalo to trip up over themselves by falling to a division opponent, one that could very well steal the top spot in the division if the Bills are to lose on Monday Night. However, I expect the Bills to come prepared. They cannot afford to have another down game, as they’ve been walking the tight rope for about a month with close wins.
