Another “Monday Night Football” doubleheader is in the books with some surprising results. The Atlanta Falcons upset the Buffalo Bills at home, sending Buffalo to its second-straight loss while the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Commanders on the road.
Those two results few saw coming in this doubleheader slate, as the Bills no longer lead the AFC East (the New England Patriots do) and the NFC South has three teams at .500 or better. All of a sudden the Bears are thinking playoffs and the Commanders are wondering if they are going to make the postseason.
This is life in the NFL, the ultimate week-to-week league. This is why the overreactions are so prevalent, because they can change on the week based on the result. Which overreactions after the “Monday Night Football” games have merit?
The Bills are wasting Josh Allen’s prime
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Is every Bills loss going to resort to this? Monday’s loss to the Falcons is bad, but the Bills aren’t the only team in Week 6 to have an inexcusable loss. Allen was stymied by the Falcons pressure, as he was just 4 of 9 for 42 yards and two interceptions (19.0 rating) when facing pressure.
The Bills don’t have a game-changing receiver like they did when Stefon Diggs was in Buffalo, but have a good core of pass catchers. Neither Khalil Shakir nor Keon Coleman could get open, and that’s part of the problem. The Bills also don’t have James Cook on the field enough either, making life more difficult for Allen.
Yes, the Bills have issues on offense. It’s also Week 6 and they are in an early October funk. Perhaps Buffalo won’t run away with the AFC East like we all thought, but the Bills will be fine come January. A few poor offensive performances isn’t wasting Josh Allen’s prime.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Is Daniels really having a sophomore slump, or did he just have a bad night? Daniels had a strong night throwing the ball against the Bears, completing 19 of 26 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns — finishing with a 119.2 passer rating. On throws of 20-plus air yards, Daniels went 6 of 9 for 126 yards with two touchdowns and one interception (109.7 rating). When Daniels threw the ball, he was effective.
The turnovers Monday night are affecting Washington, which led the Commanders to a loss. Daniels threw an interception at the Bears 21-yard line on a pass intended for Deebo Samuel in the red zone, and his late fumble on a handoff to Jacory Croskey-Merritt led to Jake Moody’s game-winning field goal (Daniels also had a fumble earlier in the game he recovered).
Daniels has played four games and has thrown just one interception, and his fumbles only happened on Monday. He’s played mistake-free football for the most part of the season and is the reason the Commanders are even in games. Daniels can improve on the sacks he takes (11 this season), but he’s handing pressure well and commanding the offense.
This is just a bad game for Daniels, but the 3-3 start for the Commanders is something to monitor.
Bijan Robinson will carry Falcons to playoffs
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Falcons’ win over the Bills was the biggest win for that franchise in years, given how Atlanta wasn’t even given a chance to beat Buffalo. Bijan Robinson was dominant, as he rushed 19 times for 170 yards and a touchdown — an 81-yard run to essentially put the game away early. Robinson finished with 238 yards from scrimmage, as he leads the NFL with 822 scrimmage yards.
Don’t look, but the Falcons have the second-ranked offense (378.8 yards per game) and No. 1 rush offense (151.2 yards per game). This offense goes as Robinson goes, as Michael Penix is still learning how to play quarterback in the NFL. The Falcons also have the No. 1 defense (253.4 yards per game allowed), a unit that’s preserved late by Robinson taking over a game.
Are the Falcons a playoff team? let’s not crown them yet, but this year may be their best chance with Robinson on offense and this pass rush on the other side of the ball. This may not be a 6-to-8 win team this year.
Bears comeback win is a turnaround for franchise
Overreaction or reality: Reality
This is a game the Bears just don’t win. Chicago had a 13-point lead in the first half over Washington, yet found a way to allow the Commanders back in the game. Miscues were why the Commanders were trailing in the first place, but Jake Moody’s blocked field goal after a Washington touchdown signaled same ol’ Bears.
The way Chicago was able to bounce back from a 24-16 deficit to win showed things may be different. The gift from the Jayden Daniels fumble helped, but D’Andre Swift having 34 rushing yards on the final drive made sure the Bears kept the ball and didn’t give Daniels a chance to win the game again.
The Hail Mary pass ruined the Bears season last year when they were 4-2, and was the beginning of the end for Matt Eberflus. Losing this game wouldn’t have been devastating for Chicago, but beating one of the top teams in Washington showed Ben Johnson’s team it can beat the upper echelon teams in the conference. This was a program-changing win, one the Bears needed going forward.
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