Bijan Robinson rushed for a career-high 170 yards and gave Atlanta a two-touchdown lead with the longest run of the season in the NFL, and the Falcons denied Josh Allen's comeback attempt to beat the team. Buffalo Bills 24-14 on Monday evening.
Robinson's career-long 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Atlanta (3-2) a 21-7 lead.
“We've been waiting for this moment,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said of the long term.
Robinson gained 170 yards on 19 carries. He added six catches for 68 yards, posting a career-best 238 yards from scrimmage. Morris said Robinson is “the best player in football; I've said this many times.”
For Robinson, the upcoming big game against Allen, last season's MVP, meant a lot because he paid the Bills quarterback the same compliment.
“I think he is the best footballer in the world. NFL– said Robinson. – Shout out in our defense. They made him uncomfortable all day.”
Allen threw two touchdowns, including a 16-yard pass to Ray Davis to open the second half.
Allen and the Bills (4-2) were stopped on fourth down near midfield late in the third quarter but got another opportunity when Greg Russo, blocking Parker Romo, attempted a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth.
Allen and the Bills again failed to capitalize. The Falcons secured the victory with a five-minute, 14-play drive that included a 23-yard pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Robinson. Romo's 33-yard field goal extended the lead to 10 points and the Bills were left with 1:47 on the clock and no timeouts.
“They had a good plan,” Allen said of the Falcons. “It looks like they're coming off a bye week and have had a little time to plan our game. Again, I need to get a better look at what they're trying to do to us and make adjustments accordingly.”
Atlanta linebacker DeAngelo Malone intercepted Allen's final throw with 41 seconds remaining. Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him four interceptions in his last three games. In the previous 12 games, including the playoffs, he had only one pick.
The Falcons (3-2) leaned on Penix, Robinson and Drake London, who had 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown.
Penix threw for 250 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown to London. Tyler Allgaier scored the Falcons' first touchdown on a 21-yard run.
Allen was supported by a strong group of Buffalo fans who were so vocal that Penix was forced to use silent timing early in the possession.
The Bills' loss added even more reason to doubt their 4-0 start. Those wins came over teams that are now 3-21 overall: Baltimore (1-5), New York Jets (0-6), Miami (1-5) and New Orleans (1-5).
Chicago Bears 25-24 Washington Commanders
It wasn't quite the Hail Mary drama that decided these teams' game a year ago, but Caleb Williams and the Bears did get the better of Jayden Daniels and the Commanders in the final score Monday night, with Chicago beating Washington 25-24 on Jake Moody's 38-yard field goal.
The Bears (3-2) came off a bye and extended their winning streak to three games under first-year coach Ben Johnson.
Washington (3-3) continued its win-loss pattern into 2025 and fell short with a chance to tie the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East.
Williams finished 17 of 29 for 252 yards and one touchdown, then led the final drive on a nine-play, 36-yard drive for Moody's fourth field goal of the rainy night.
Moody, left off the practice squad because Cairo Santos was sidelined with a quadriceps injury, kicked field goals from 47 and 48 yards in the first quarter and 41 in the third. But early in the fourth quarter, his attempt was blocked 48 yards.
Moody was cut by the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft, in September of this year after missing two attempts in Week 1.
Jayden Daniels threw his first interception of the season and ended up going 19 of 16 for 211 yards and three touchdown throws.
This was 50 weeks ago Washington defeated Chicago 18-15. on the final play, a 52-yard pass from Daniels to Noah Brown.
The game is known in these parts as “Viva Maryland” and as “Let Mary Down” among Bears fans – and it set Washington on a path that led to the conference title game while also starting Chicago's 10-game losing streak.
