Bijan Robinson fuels Falcons in MNF win against Bills

ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr. made all the plays necessary in his “Monday Night Football” debut and had plenty of help from running back Sesame Robinson and wide receiver Drake London en route to the Atlanta Falcons beating the Buffalo Bills 24-14 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Penix, the second-year quarterback, was 20-of-32 for 250 yards passing and a touchdown. Robinson had 170 yards rushing, including an 81-yard touchdown run, and another 68 receiving. London had 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. It was the second time Robinson and London each had 150 yards and a touchdown as teammates in their careers. They’re the only Falcons teammates to do it more than once since the 1970 merger, per ESPN Research.

Atlanta’s defense might have been even better than its offense. The Falcons forced the Bills into four three-and-outs, which was double Buffalo’s highest single-game total of the season coming in, and sacked quarterback Josh Allen four times.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

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Drake London steps out of bounds just before hitting pylon

Drake London appears to dive for a touchdown, but his foot lands out of bounds a yard short for the Falcons as time expires in the first half.

Is Robinson the leading contender for NFL Offensive Player of the Year? What Robinson has done early this season is remarkable. The third-year running back has more yards from scrimmage through five games than any other player in Falcons history. His 138 rushing yards at the half were the most by any player in the league after two quarters this season. Robinson came into the game leading the league with 146 yards from scrimmage per game — and then put up 238 on Monday night, the second-highest total in the league this season. Robinson is the second player to reach 450 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards through his first five games of a season in NFL history, joining Thurman Thomas in 1991, according to ESPN Research.

Trend to watch: The Falcons were without two of their top three wide receivers in Darnell Mooney (hamstring) and Ray-Ray McCloud III (healthy scratch). McCloud’s absence was a surprise. It forced the Falcons to rely heavily on two skill players: Sesame Robinson and Drake Londonwho combined for 89% of the team’s yardage in the first half and came in with the highest percentage of their team’s scrimmage yardage (57%) out of any duo in the NFL, according to ESPN Research.

Stat to know: The Falcons’ 335 yards in the first half were their most before halftime since 2009. For the first time in Falcons franchise history, the team had a running back and wide receiver — Robinson and London, respectively — eclipse the 100-yard mark in the first half. — Marc Raimondi

Next game: at San Francisco (8:20 p.m. ET, Oct. 19)

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Bills comes up with a huge blocked field goal

Parker Romo goes to kick a field goal for Atlanta, but the Bills comes through with a big block.

The frustration was visible from quarterback Josh Allenwho pushed his helmet to the ground as he sat on the bench once again after failing to string together a drive in the middle of the fourth quarter.

The struggles persisted in Monday’s game at Atlanta as the Bills (4-2) suffered their second straight loss. Though the defense was sloppy and gave up too many yards, the offense failed to take advantage of opportunities. In the first half, the Bills punted on four straight drives, and though they scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, the spark didn’t linger. They turned the ball over on downs, giving the Falcons the ball back at their 47-yard line. And even when the Bills blocked a field goal attempt, the offense responded with back-to-back three-and-outs.

Allen finished the game 15-for-26 (57.7%) with 180 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 4 sacks. He also rushed for 42 yards on six carries. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (oblique) was inactive, and wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) was injured in the first half and didn’t return. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady went away from running back James Cook III late in the game and did not use him on third downs despite Cook rushing for 87 yards on 17 carries.

After starting the season scoring 30-plus points in the first four games, the Bills’ offense has work to do.

Where does the Bills offense go from here? The question starts to become do the Bills need outside help once again on offense, albeit coming off a game against one of the league’s top defenses. Last season, the Bills traded for wide receiver Amari Cooper before the trade deadline, and the lack of support around Allen has led to that seeming like a possibility again. Allen was pressured on 47.1% of his dropbacks vs. the Falcons, the highest rate since the 2020 AFC Championship Game (47.4%). Right now, this is an offense searching for answers and help might be needed.

Trend to watch: Injuries. The Bills came into this game with two starters — linebacker Matt Milan (pectoral) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (oblique) — out because of injuries. Before the game, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones suffered a calf injury in warmups and was ruled out. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) left the game in the first half, linebacker Terrel Bernard didn’t play in the second half because of an ankle injury, and safety Cole Bishop missed time in the second half because of cramping, but returned in the fourth quarter. The Bills have a bye this coming week, and it couldn’t come at a better time for much-needed rest.

Best quote out of the locker room: Left tackle Dion Dawkins on what he feels like needs to be done for the offense to be consistent: “I wish I had an answer, because I would’ve said it today. But no one knows. We just got to just keep playing hard and keep being us. Protect our guy, protect, play, catch, pass, block, do what we do well and we’ll be A-OK. It sucks to lose, but once again, it’s not the end. It’s not the end. Even though it might feel like it.”

Stat to know: The Falcons’ 335 first-half yards were the most that the Bills have allowed before halftime since 2001 (Week 2, at Indianapolis Colts). Missed tackles were a major theme for the Bills’ defense, especially in the first half, but the unit adjusted well in the second half. The Falcons were held to 8 net yards in the third quarter and 109 net yards in the fourth. — Alaina Getzenberg

Next game: at Carolina (1 p.m. ET, Oct. 26)