Buffalo 29, Atlanta 15
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 2, 2022
Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
Temperature:
25°
Head Official:
Land Clark
Attendance:
64948
By Field Level Media
On a snowy afternoon in Buffalo, Devin Singletary ran two second-half touchdowns Sunday as the Bills retained their lead in the AFC East race with a 29-15 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons.
With the win, Buffalo (10-6) remains tied with New England atop the AFC East but owns the tiebreaker edge on the Patriots. The Bills can capture their second straight division title with a win next week at home against the New York Jets.
On a day when Atlanta (7-9) intercepted Josh Allen three times, Singletary rushed 23 times for 110 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Allen followed with a 2-point conversion pass to Cole Beasley for a 22-15 Buffalo lead.
The next time the Bills got the ball, they drove 65 yards for another score, a four-yard run by Singletary with 10:46 left that made it 29-15.
Atlanta responded with a drive and Matt Ryan scored on an apparent 7-yard touchdown scramble with 6:07 remaining. But Ryan was called for taunting on the play and a video review determined that Ryan had slid short of the goal line, anyway. Atlanta had to try to jumpstart the drive first-and-goal at the 16 and Buffalo stopped the Falcons on downs to clinch the game.
Buffalo had appeared on its way to a routine victory in the first half as Allen scored a pair of touchdowns on short runs a 14-2 lead. But the Falcons changed the game with three interceptions.
Buffalo was on the verge of building on its lead in the first half when Duron Harmon picked off a batted pass in the end zone. On the next snap, Ryan and Kyle Pitts hooked up for a 61-yard completion that led to a a 1-yard touchdown carry by Mike Davis.
On the Bills' ensuing possession, A.J. Terrell picked off a pass with 1:06 left in the half, giving the Falcons possession at their own 44. A 24-yard completion from Ryan to Russell Gage Jr. set up a 24-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo that gave the Falcons an improbable 15-14 lead at the intermission.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Atlanta |
|
Buffalo |
Kyle Pitts
|
Player |
Stefon Diggs
|
2 |
Receptions |
5 |
69 |
Yards |
52 |
34.5 |
Avg Yards |
10.4 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
61 |
Long |
15 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Atlanta
|
265 |
96 |
169 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1.0 |
1 |
Buffalo
|
351 |
233 |
118 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game at home against N.Y. Jets. The Bills have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .833 after a loss.
-
Atlanta will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Falcons have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .667 after a loss.