ATLANTA — Bijan Robinson tied a career high with 170 rushing yards and ran for an 81-yard touchdown on Monday, helping the Atlanta Falcons post a 24-14 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills.
Michael Penix Jr. completed 20 of 32 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown to Drake London, who hauled in 10 passes for 158 yards as the Falcons (3-2) won their second straight game.
Josh Allen threw for 180 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bills (4-2), who dropped their second straight. James Cook ran for 87 yards for Buffalo, which was outgained 443-291.
Trailing 21-7, Buffalo cut its deficit in half to open the third quarter, as Allen capped a nine-play, 73-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ray Davis.
After a punt, the Falcons forced Buffalo’s turnover on downs at the Atlanta 47-yard line with a minute remaining in the third.
Atlanta then squandered a golden chance to take a two-score lead, as John Parker Romo had his 37-yard field goal blocked by Greg Rousseau and recovered by Buffalo at the Bills’ 39-yard line.
Buffalo couldn’t capitalize, as it was forced to punt on its next two series before Atlanta sealed the game with a five-minute drive, finished off with Romo’s 33-yard field goal at the 1:43 mark of the fourth. DeAngelo Malone picked off Allen to punctuate the Falcons’ first win over Buffalo since 2013.
Tyler Allgeier bullied his way for a 21-yard rushing touchdown to stamp the game’s opening drive.
Allen answered with a 45-yard pass to Joshua Palmer on Buffalo’s first play, before finding Dawson Knox on a game-tying 19-yard touchdown pass.
After each team punted, the Falcons retook the lead as Penix fired a 9-yard touchdown to London on third-and-goal to give Atlanta a 14-7 lead entering the second quarter.
Following Buffalo’s second straight punt, Robinson broke off the longest rush by any player in the NFL this season. His 81-yard score extended the Falcons’ advantage to 14 with 11:09 left in the second quarter.
The Bills punted on four of their first five possessions, with their sixth ending in Allen’s interception to Dee Alford at Buffalo’s 49-yard line with 10 seconds left in the first half.
Two plays later, Penix found London for 40 yards, but the Atlanta wide receiver was pushed out at the 1-yard line as time expired, leaving the Falcons’ lead at 21-7.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
