The Atlanta Falcons were one of a handful of teams to receive the earliest bye week of the 2025 season in Week 5. Now on deck for Atlanta is what could be one of their toughest tests of the year when the Buffalo Bills come to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Monday Night Football.
The Falcons are coming off a Week 4 win over the Washington Commanders to get back to .500 (2-2), while the Bills (4-1) were upset at home by the New England Patriots. Make no mistake, Atlanta will be watching plenty of film from that Patriots victory, hoping to find the edge to beat one of the AFC’s best.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. told reporters on October 9 that he paid close attention to how Drake Maye helped lead New England to the 23-20 win on Sunday Night Football against their AFC East rival.
Penix said “playing smart football and controlling the game” was the biggest takeaway he took from Maye’s performance.
“He [Penix] says taking care of the football will be important,” Falcons writer Will McFadden reported.
Maye arguably played the best game of his young career, sustaining drives and making key decisions despite not having a touchdown pass. He finished 22 of 30 for 273 yards with no turnovers and a passer rating of 101.1.
Falcons, Michael Penix Jr. Know All About Turnovers
Penix had a bounce-back game against Washington in Week 4, leading the Falcons to a 34-27 win. It was a career-best outing, as he completed 20 of 26 passes for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also fumbled once, though it was recovered.
That performance was a complete turnaround from the previous week, when the Falcons were routed 30-0 by the Carolina Panthers. Penix threw for only 172 yards with two interceptions—one returned for a touchdown—and no scores, raising questions about whether veteran backup Kirk Cousins should get another chance.
Most of that came from Cousins entering the game to start the fourth quarter after Penix’s pick-six. However, head coach Raheem Morris quickly shut down any speculation leading up to the Commanders game.
“Kirk lost his job last year. We’re not even close to that with Mike [Penix],” Morris said. “He had a bad day. We had a bad day. Mike is our quarterback. We got a lot of confidence in Mike. We’re moving forward with Mike. Mike’s the guy.”
Josh Allen Comes Atlanta For First Time
Penix will have his work cut out for him Monday night against counterpart Josh Allen. The reigning MVP is once again having a terrific season, keeping Buffalo among the league’s best teams.
The one advantage for Penix will be playing in front of a home crowd in Atlanta, and it’s multi-faceted. It will be Allen’s first game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and only his second overall against the Falcons. His first came back in January 2022, when Buffalo won 29-15.
That day wasn’t Allen’s best, though. He went 11 of 26 for 120 yards with three interceptions, no touchdowns and a passer rating of just 17.0.
“It was bucket list to visit all 32 [NFL stadiums] as a kid,” Allen said. “So, I guess this is the way to do that.”
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