Falcons proved something in win vs. Buffalo Bills

London was among a number of Atlanta players who had their best outing of the season against the Bills. Without Darnell Mooney or Ray-Ray McCloud III in the lineup, he was targeted 16 times and came away with 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. He very nearly scored on a catch-and-run slant on the final play of the first half but was ruled out at the 1-yard line.

It would have sent the Falcons to halftime with a 28-7 lead and potentially resulted in a more comfortable final two quarters. Nevertheless, the resiliency shown from Atlanta in the third quarter was important for fans to see and may have been worth the missed opportunity. Against a team that has made the postseason the last six years, the Falcons took hits and then gave them right back.

“The other guys are going to get paid, too,” Allen said of the Falcons’ play on Monday. “They’re game planning just as hard as we are. Flat out, they just played better than us tonight.”

The Falcons have another opportunity to make a statement with their play in front of a national audience on tap in Week 7. This time, Atlanta will have to prove its style of play can travel across the country for a “Sunday Night Football” showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

That’s what is required of good teams in a league where the next humbling experience could be just a week away.

“We want a playoff organization,” Morris said from the podium Monday. “We want to be able to compete in those type of games, and we played one tonight. There’s going to be no secret. Nobody is going to shy away from those moments. We’ve got to go do it, but those are the moments you want.”

With wins against the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Bills, the Falcons are 3-1 against playoff teams from last season. Atlanta’s only loss came in Week 1 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Falcons had a chance to send that game into overtime.

Now that the Falcons have shown — not talked about — what they are capable of, the internal confidence of the group is rising. And because Atlanta withstood a lapse in momentum against the Bills, it’s beginning to gain some on its own.

“To come out here and execute with night football in front of our crowd and in front of the Bills crowd too, it felt great,” Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss said. “So, we just want to stack wins like that, change the culture here, and make something beautiful.”