ATLANTA — It was a Monday night of firsts for the Buffalo Bills, and certainly not of the good kind.

Heading into 2025, the Bills had never lost two straight games heading into their bye week under head coach Sean McDermott.

Then Atlanta happened.

The Bills haven’t been any worse than first place in the AFC East since the end of the 2023 season.

Advertisement

Then Bijan Robinson, Drake London and all 396 of their yards for the Falcons happened, dropping the Bills to second in the division behind the New England Patriots.

After four straight victories and looking like they were on top of the NFL world, the Bills look like a shell of their former selves after a 24-14 loss to the Falcons on “Monday Night Football.”

Now with a 4-2 record and the bye week ahead, the Bills are suddenly a broken contender.

That doesn’t mean the Bills will be broken forever, though. This loss, like when the Bills began last season 3-2, may just be a learning moment that becomes a catalyst for another winning streak. But even last year, a two-game losing streak forced the Bills into immediate action to improve their roster.

This time around, the term “self-scouting” for the bye week is only scratching the surface. McDermott will be akin to a fossil hunter combing miles upon miles of terrain to find the answers. Is it scheme? Is it play calling? Is it fundamentals? Is it personnel? Is it all of the above?

The defense had its fair share of issues, specifically in the first half — and we’ll get to them.