The Buffalo Bills took their first loss of the season last week, and they’ll try to avoid losing a second consecutive game when they take on the Atlanta Falcons. It’s Buffalo’s fourth night game in the first six
weeks of this 2025 NFL season, but it’s their first appearance of the year on Monday Night Football.
In head coach Sean McDermott’s coaching career, the Bills are 5-5 on Monday nights in the regular season. With all the primetime success Buffalo has had, Monday nights have included some weird losses: The wind game against the New England Patriots and the “12 men” game against the Denver Broncos were both Monday Night Football telecasts, as was the “slip game” where Buffalo lost after failing to convert a quarterback sneak against the Tennessee Titans.
That’s not to say that we should expect something strange to happen this week, but Bills fans collectively seem to expect weird things to happen all the time, anyway. If the Bills are going to bounce back this week, they’ll need some big performances from some players who weren’t up to their usual standard last week, as well as some other friends who should be back in action. Here are our five players to watch this week.
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QB Josh Allen
Last week wasn’t his worst game, but it definitely wasn’t the reigning MVP’s best, either. Allen doesn’t need to be Superman, but he can’t be “mid,” as the kids would say, for a whole half of football, either. Buffalo’s offense needs to be sharper in general, as penalties have killed them over the last two weeks. Allen needs to trust what he sees, trust his offensive line, and take the easy money until he has clear chances for kill shots downfield.
The Falcons’ league-leading blitz rate (37%) will be something to watch, as well. Will they continue to blitz heavily even though Allen shreds most pressure packages? Or will they break their own tendency and sit back a bit more? Either way, Allen will need to be better in his pre-snap reads than he was last weekend.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady can help by designing some quick-hitters early in the game to establish some rhythm, as well. The first offensive sequence is going to be interesting. I’d love to see Allen make a few quick passes on the way to the first of many touchdowns.
WR Curtis Samuel
Truthfully, this could be any number of receivers. It could be Joshua Palmer, whose role has been limited. It could be Keon Coleman, who was benched for an unnamed disciplinary issue last week before entering the game and fumbling inside his own 20-yard line. It could be Elijah Moore, who was inactive last week for the first time.
Someone needs to step up and be a consistent option outside of tight end Dalton Kincaid and top wideout Khalil Shakir. With respect to Tyrell Shavers, I don’t think he’s going to be that guy.
Call me crazy if you’d like, but Samuel has looked good over the last two weeks in limited opportunities. He popped up on the injury report this week, something that has happened all too often in his Bills career. Can he suit up this week? Will the team keep him active? Will they continue to design looks for him to see targets in space? If he’s active, all signs point to the latter question’s answer being “yes.”
DT Ed Oliver
I think Big Ed is going to play this week, and that will be a welcome sight for a team that’s missed him since the first game of the season. Oliver was a huge part of the reason Buffalo was able to overcome the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, but he’s missed the team’s last four games with an ankle injury.
Oliver needs to come in and play well, especially given that rookie T.J. Sanders is trending towards missing his second straight game thanks to a knee issue. Rookie Deone Walker has played well in Oliver’s absence, but adding Oliver to the defensive tackle rotation will be a big boost for the club.
LB Joe Andreessen
Follow me here. With Matt Milano likely to miss the game, that means that either Dorian Williams or Shaq Thompson will start next to Terrel Bernard. Williams missed last week’s game with a knee injury, and he hasn’t logged a full practice since before Buffalo’s tilt with the New Orleans Saints. If Williams is unable to play, that leaves Andreessen as the likely third linebacker when the Bills play a 4-3 defense instead of their usual nickel.
Andreessen had a rough preseason after bursting onto the scene as a fan-favorite in his rookie season, and he’s played only a handful of defensive snaps this season. He played nine snaps on defense last week, and he could play a key role in this one if the guys in front of him on the depth chart can’t go.
S Taylor Rapp
I’m looking for more out of the veteran safety, who has ranged between being too slow and being a total non-factor so far this season. Rapp has zero pass breakups on the season, and he struggles to move into a competitive position when he’s playing the deep safety role. He’s also struggled to tackle consistently when closer to the line of scrimmage in run support.
After a couple of good seasons, Rapp looks like a totally different player this season, and not in a good way. While I don’t think that the team would go to a reserve like Cam Lewis or Damar Hamlin, it might be worth looking at least at the former in an expanded role if Rapp’s play doesn’t improve. Lewis has done well in his role as a third-down specialist, and he’s an ace for the Bills on special teams, so perhaps the Bills don’t want him exposed to too much punishment. However, he’s played faster than Rapp has this season, so they might need to make some difficult decisions moving forward.
Rapp is one of many players in the defensive secondary who just need to play better.
