The Buffalo Bills had the chance to make a game-opening statement when Bijan Robinson fumbled the ball on the first play of the game, but an offside penalty on Greg Rousseau kept the Bills from getting the ball and the Falcons got into the endzone for an early 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, it wasn't a surprise to see the defense give up a game-opening touchdown.
Buffalo’s offense was now forced to play catch up, but when you have Josh Allen under center, there is no need to worry. After going down 7-0, the Bills didn’t wait long to respond. On the Bills’ first offensive play of the game, Allen dropped back in the pocket and launched a 46-yard pass to wideout Joshua Palmer that put the Bills in Falcons’ territory.
Eventually, the Bills got into the endzone on a touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox.
Josh Allen's pass to Joshua Palmer helps him climb NFL history ranks
According to the Buffalo Bills’ PR X team, Allen’s pass to Palmer marked his 50th 40+ yard pass since the 2020 season. Allen trails only Russell Wilson, who has 51 of those passes.
Josh Allen's 45 yard completion to Joshua Palmer marked his 50th 40+ yard throw since 2020.
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) October 13, 2025
That ranks second in the NFL in that timespan ⬇️
1. Russell Wilson - 51
2. Josh Allen - 50
3t. Derek Carr - 47
3t. Matthew Stafford - 47
Buffalo hasn’t been a pass-down-the-field type of offense this season and the fact that they went deep to start off the game shows the confidence that they have against this Falcons defense. That shouldn’t be the only type of explosive play that the Bills have in this game.
The Bills cannot have one of those games where they play it safe. They have to take some risks and go for the big plays. The ultimate goal should be forcing Michael Penix Jr. to play from behind and be forced to throw it. The less that Bijan Robinson has the chance to be a playmaker, the better off Buffalo will be.