What They're Saying in Atlanta: BILLS at FALCONS preview with WSB's ALISON MASTRANGELO

Summary

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Buffalo Plus Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: What They're Saying in Atlanta: BILLS at FALCONS preview with WSB's ALISON MASTRANGELO

Date: October 10, 2025
Guests/Hosts:

• Mike Catalana
• Jenna Cottrell
• Dan Fates
• Special Guest: Alison Mastrangelo (WSB-TV, Atlanta)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the highly anticipated Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons Monday Night Football matchup. The Buffalo Plus team brings in Atlanta Falcons insider Alison Mastrangelo to provide an in-depth look at the state of the Falcons: their key playmakers, the up-and-coming defense, coaching changes, and the renewed optimism in Atlanta. The discussion bridges the differences between the Bills’ and Falcons’ approaches, and uncovers what both fan bases should expect in primetime.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the Falcons Entering the Matchup

• Optimism in Atlanta: Falcons come off a win and a bye with a sense of momentum, optimism, and identity finally solidifying.
  • “I think you're catching them at a pretty good time… a lot of excitement and optimism coming up for this Monday night matchup.” — Alison Mastrangelo [01:29]
• The team weathered skepticism after a strange blowout loss to the Panthers but rebounded.

2. Falcons' Weapons & Offensive Evolution

• Bijan (Bajan) Robinson’s Emergence:
  • Multifaceted threat—huge in the run and passing game; praised by coach and media alike.
  • “Bajan’s the best player in the NFL.” — Raheem Morris via Alison [02:15]
  • His pronunciation is “Bajan,” per his mother, though he himself is relaxed about it. [03:26]
  • “He's like the full package, right? Like, how can you not cheer for him?” — Alison [02:43]
• Drake London’s Growth:
  • Determined, physically dominant, highly competitive receiver with a striking on-field persona.
  • “He kind of goes into, like, this alter ego state...so dominate. But I mean, he's huge, right? …he's pretty special.” — Alison [17:27-18:44]
• Quarterback Conversation—Michael Penix Jr.:
  • Still young and developing, but shows marked confidence and arm talent.
  • Quirky dynamic with Kirk Cousins post-draft, not exactly “besties,” but professional. [06:46-07:31]
  • “He's good. He's got an arm. Is he there yet?” — Alison [05:37]
• Kyle Pitts' Make-or-Break Year:
  • Needs to finally live up to potential, now in contract year and, for the first time, given stability at QB and coaching. [19:21]
  • “It’s finally working? …He knows it’s make or break.” — Alison

3. Falcons Defensive Revamp

• Pass Rush Overhaul:
  • Invested heavily in D-line (draft and free agency); results are encouraging but inconsistent.
  • “You had six [sacks] against the Vikings… then you have some other games where it's like a whisper.” — Alison [12:44]
• Rookie Standouts—Xavier Watts:
  • Soft-spoken, hard-hitting, impressive production; immediate impact as safety, NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month.
  • “He is like the most genuine guy off the field, but when he's on the field, man, I mean he is a full go.” — Alison [14:11]
• Veteran Leadership—Leonard Floyd:
  • Seamless integration, productive as always, mentoring younger players.
  • “There are not a lot of guys in this league who just walk in, take care of business… but what's it been like having him?” — Mike [15:18]
  • “He is a great leader… helping mentor some of these younger guys, which has been cool to see as well.” — Alison [15:18]

4. Atlanta's Primetime Mindset & Fan Vibe

• Falcons claim to be treating it “like just another game,” but city and team recognize the significance.
• Rare for Atlanta to get multiple primetime games—marker of NFL and national confidence in the roster.
  • “This is the most prime time games I've ever covered for the Falcons, which is crazy…” — Alison [08:15]
• A win over Buffalo would be a “statement win,” potentially erasing the memory of the Panthers loss. [08:15–09:28]

5. Key to Falcons Winning vs. Bills

• Recipe for Success:
  • Balanced offense: Mix run and pass, don’t rely solely on Bajan.
  • Limit Josh Allen’s explosive plays, get after the QB.
  • “If they can really limit him to the explosive plays, kind of get after him a little bit, and then Michael Penix be able to… have Bajan get some ground game… I think that's the recipe.” — Alison [22:13]

6. Atlanta Details for Visiting Bills Fans

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium Food:
  • Notoriously affordable for an NFL venue (“two, three, four dollars for certain things…”).
  • “That’s something Arthur Blank has done so well, to make sure it’s affordable for everyone.” — Alison [20:40]
• Fan Split Expected:
  • “I would like to see a lot more Falcons fans there than Bills fans, but I don’t know… you guys travel well.” — Alison [20:40]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bajan Robinson’s Confidence:
  • “You know, it's pretty good when your head coach is saying, I think it was like, week three, that Bajan’s the best player in the NFL.” — Alison Mastrangelo [02:15]
• On Drake London’s Game Persona:
  • “He kind of goes into, like, this alter ego state… sometimes I just got to step away. Like, he gets like so into it. So dominate.” — Alison Mastrangelo [17:27]
• On Falcons' Offensive Riches (with tongue-in-cheek):
  • “It feels like you're trolling us… There’s just so many options. And we're sitting here like, there's James Cook and there's Josh Allen…” — Dan Fates [00:12, 18:44]
  • “It feels nice. I haven't been able to say that for a long time. So let me have this.” — Alison Mastrangelo [00:26, 18:58]
• On the Panthers Blowout Loss:
  • “It made zero sense… it was literally the one game on the schedule that you’re like, okay… I have no idea. Every NFL team has it.” — Alison [09:34]
• On Fan Expectations and Coaching:
  • “He’s like an excellent, like, communicator, leader of men… bonds with all the guys in ways that is just really refreshing to see.” — Alison Mastrangelo on Raheem Morris [11:10]
• On the Monday Night Football Atmosphere:
  • “I think, as this team starts winning, we’ll see more Falcons fans not only coming but staying. Now, the Atlanta traffic is an issue, so they will sometimes show up later, but they will be coming.” — Alison [20:40]

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Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Optimism in Atlanta, Falcons Outlook: [01:29]
• Bijan (Bajan) Robinson’s Impact: [02:15–04:02]
• Michael Penix Jr. and QB Dynamics: [05:32–07:31]
• Monday Night Football—Primetime Energy: [08:15]
• Responding to Panthers Blowout: [09:28]
• Raheem Morris as Head Coach: [11:10]
• Defense Overhaul, James Pierce and Xavier Watts: [12:44–14:51]
• Leonard Floyd’s Return, Veteran Impact: [15:18]
• Drake London’s Rise: [16:55–18:44]
• Kyle Pitts—Contract Year and Potential: [19:02]
• Fan/Food/Atmosphere Details: [20:09–20:40]
• Alison’s Game Prediction: [21:31]
• Falcons' Path to Victory: [22:04]
• Sign-Off and Socials: [22:54–24:34]

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Summary Takeaways

• The Falcons boast as much skill-position talent as they have in years, headlined by Bajan Robinson and Drake London, and are eager to prove themselves in primetime.
• Atlanta’s defense is improved, with a youth infusion (Xavier Watts) and savvy veterans (Leonard Floyd).
• Monday Night Football against the Bills is framed as a “statement opportunity” to erase old doubts and invigorate the local fanbase.
• Visiting Bills fans can expect a warm (and affordable) stadium trip—but Atlanta hopes to keep the emerging home advantage.
• Insiders agree the game may come down to Atlanta’s ability to limit explosive plays, sustain balance on offense, and take advantage of their depth.

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For more Falcons and Bills insights, follow Alison Mastrangelo (@AllisonM_TV on Instagram, @AllisonWSB on Twitter), and subscribe to the Buffalo Plus channel for more exclusive content.

Transcript

[Allison Mastrangelo]

When you have like a Bijan Robinson there with them or you have a Tyler Algier, like they have so many weapons, so many first round picks out there that like, you don't just have to go to one of them because you have so many other options out there.

[Dan Fates]

And Allison, it feels like you're trolling us. The sense of, yeah, it's only draft picks. It's so many options. Yeah, there's just so many options. And we're sitting here like there's James Cook and there's Josh Allen and we just.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

It feels nice. I haven't been able to say that for a long time. So let me have this.

[Jenna Cottrell]

All right. Welcome back to the Buffalo plus channel. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share. You see our special guest, Allison Mastrangelo from WSB TV in Georgia. We're going to be talking Falcons today as the Bills team get ready to head down for Monday Night Football coming up. But before we get into questions for you, Allison, Mike, what do you got for us?

[Mike]

Yeah, just a reminder, Thursday night we are going to be at Riverworks, that is in Buffalo. We are doing our live podcast, come to see us five to seven meet and greet podcast from seven to eight in Buffalo. Dan, Jenna and myself. You should have a lot of fun.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It's going to be a lot of fun. But we also want to talk this matchup because so many fans for the Bills, at least Allison, are excited. They want to wipe the taste of a loss to the Patriots off and they're getting ready for this game on Monday night. Obviously, the Falcons coming off the buy. Where do you think this Falcons team is at as we now head into this week?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I think you're catching them at a pretty good time because I think they're coming in with a lot of optimism coming off of that win against the Commanders. I think there was a lot of skepticism and panic going on when they lost to the Panthers, but I think right now everyone kind of has an idea of maybe what this offense will look like. And now we're coming off of a bye week, so we'll see. But there's a lot more excitement and optimism coming up for this Monday night matchup.

[Dan Fates]

I think the first question that most Bills fans have or maybe the fear that I have is that the Bill's running defense hasn't been good, not just this season, but for the last few years. And there's this guy, Bijan Robinson that I just have this nightmare thoughts that he could have a massive game. How good has he been this year. And how good is this Falcons running attack?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I mean, you know, it's pretty good when your head coach is saying, I think it was like, week three, that Bajan's the best player in the NFL. I mean, that's like, high praise coming from Raheem. And he's not wrong. I mean, when you see what he's doing every single week, he's a dual threat. Like, if he's not running the ball, he's setting really good blocks. He's also a receiver, by the way. Just in that last game, him and Drake London both had 100 receiving yards. Oh, and Bajan also had 75 plus on the ground. So, I mean, like, when he's. Oh, and by the way, he's a really great human being. I mean, if you don't. If he's just like. He's like the full package, right? Like, how can you not cheer for him? And his name, by the way, is Bajan. Everyone kept saying Bijan. And he says it's Bijan. No, his mom named him Bajan. It's Bajan. And we talked to him about it. But yeah, no, I mean, personally, for the Falcons, they've got to be, like, so excited, like, kind of, like salvating, looking at your. Your run defense, because they know what Bijan can do, and so they really want to let him lose.

[Mike]

I like this Bijan for him. Now, how did it come out that that's the way he wanted his name pronounced? Because we've seen players who kind of don't say anything, and then all of a sudden it comes up and they're like, by the way, I. Or, well, actually Bijan. So how did that come.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

So it's like a whole thing. So when he was drafted, everyone was saying Bijan because of, like, the Dijon mustard, like, thing. Nil yet coming out of school. But then he kind of went back on and he said, like, his name is Bijan. But then the past two years, he's like, no, you say it as Bijan. And we're like, what? Even on. Even on the last Sunday night football game, he said, Bijan. And I'm like, huh? Like. And I asked him about it, and he's like, he doesn't care. But, like, I talked to the guys in the locker room, and everyone's like, you. Your mom named you Bijan. Your name's Bajan. And so it's so much cooler than Bijan. Bajan. It's beautiful. So we'll go with that. And I'm going with that.

[Jenna Cottrell]

The mom knows Best, Right, right. Mom picked the name, so we'll go with that.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

From Bijan. How have you seen him just evolve? Because we as. As people that are not watching the Falcons every single week. You just see him and how he's grown, but it feels like his. His game is just so dynamic. Where have you seen the growth from him?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I mean, obviously the confidence level has just kind of like skyrocketed. His just even leadership ability has also skyrocketed. I think the big thing for this offense is just consistency. I mean, since I've been here, I've covered like six different quarterbacks. I've been here six years, so they've just had so much different leadership changes. If you want to talk about even a guy when the Kyle Pitts, like, the inconsistency that they've had, so now that they kind of know who their guy is moving, I think all of them can breathe a little bit. But when you want to talk about a guy like Bijan that, like just watching him even, you know, I don't know how it is for practice with you guys. We get to watch like 10 minutes of it, but the 10 minutes that we get to watch, even if it's just warm ups, like watching him like go through his cut and jukes and his moves, like, I'm like, what? Like, it's crazy to see his just natural gift and ability to be able to do that. And I think you're seeing it more and more now as he's kind of finding his stuff, style, his rhythm and things like that. You know, the Falcons offensive line isn't perfect. It's gone through their injuries. They're still kind of working on that. But overall, having a guy like Bajan like that helps Michael Penck, like ginormously because, you know, you can hand him the rock and he can pick up 10 yards, 5 yards. And so that. That's been kind of crucial for this offense and their identity this year.

[Mike]

Is Michael Penck good?

[Jenna Cottrell]

What?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Yes, he's good. He's good. He's got an arm. Is he there yet?

[Dan Fates]

Okay, he's got two ar. Two arms. He's got two arms.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

But he's there. I mean, listen, technically, I know he's not like a rookie. He's a rookie, okay? Like, he only played three games last year. It was kind of like that whole random, like, awkward thing with Kirk and him now, I mean, like, he's coming off the best game he had. Right. His worst game was the Panthers. We're all going to hope that, that was just like a little blip. We all, every team has one of them. Right. So you're seeing him kind of develop. He made some throws he shouldn't have made before. I think moving Zach Robinson down is going to help him a little bit. I think TJ Yates kind of moving into that receiver area, I think that's all going to help him because he's still. Well, he's old but young at the same time. He's an old quarterback, but he's young for this team. So I think the talent is there, his mindset, the skill that he has. But he's always like, calm, cool and collected. So I think some people take that off as like, does he care? Does he like it? Like, not like he's. I think he's legit. I think you're going to see that maybe not like, you know, in the first five games, we're going to hopefully be talking playoffs later.

[Mike]

Yeah. So with he and Kirk, I mean, it didn't start out. It seemed like it didn't start out great. I don't think Kirk Cousins was happy about losing his job. Are they good now? Do they shop at Kohl's together? Like, what goes on between the two of them?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Definitely not Kohl's. Pennix is not a Kohl's shopper by any means. I don't think they get their haircuts at the same place either. But that's such an interesting. Listen, they say all the right things. Let's just say that. Do I see Kirk Cousins and him, like, sharing stuff on that? No, I see Kirk over here and I see panics over here. Right. I think if need be, of course Kirk would help him out. So, you know, but I think it's definitely like, are they besties? I don't know.

[Dan Fates]

I don't.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I wouldn't go that far.

[Dan Fates]

What is the dynamic? Like, maybe, you know, you kind of talked about it a little bit, but the fan base and the vibe around this primetime spot. Monday Night Football in Atlanta, because we were just talking before, we're like, hey, they don't really get a whole lot of these primetime games. And then the only one I remembered, Allison, as a Philly native was last year, Monday night when the Falcons came back and, yeah, beat the Eagles after the Barkley drop on that fourth down play. So what I guess for the Bills, it's been so rare that they even have one o' clock games. We've talked about, like, oh, they have to change their schedule because they've been so much in the prime time with Josh on all this stuff. How are the Falcons kind of handling that? And just the excitement around Atlanta having this Monday night matchup?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Okay, well, the Falcons say all the right things. Oh, we're preparing like it's just another game and blah, blah, blah, you know. But I've been here almost seven years. This is the most prime time games I've ever covered for the Falcons, which is crazy because you're right. We had that one last year. And then I think the one was during COVID in Green Bay and that was it. We had a ton of one o' clock games. Like, it was rare that we had a four o' clock game. I mean, I came from Denver seven years ago. It was like you always had primetime games, you know. So, like this year, I think the, the NFL and everyone sees the potential with this team. And I think every one of these guys, whether they tell you it's just like the next game, like if they can beat the Bills, I think that, you know, it's only, what, six weeks in. But that's kind of a statement win for them, right? Because, I mean, you beat a decent commander's team, but you didn't have their quarterback. Right? So if you can beat a Bills team, all the teams are beat up at this point. Point that has a Josh Allen and a James Cook and that kind of thing. I think that that would be their kind of first statement win for them and just keep building on that confidence because right now that Panthers loss is kind of just floating over their heads and they want to say it's a one off. But if you come out there and get blanked out by the Bills, well, then you're bringing the Panthers back up. If you can come out and beat them at home, it's a big deal.

[Jenna Cottrell]

What do you make of that Panthers game? Like 30 to nothing?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Like, what do you, what do you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Take away from that?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I think that they just. I, I don't know. If I did, I would be probably a billionaire. I don't know. I like, it made zero sense because it was literally the one game on the schedule that you're like, okay. Because then you're looking at the back end. You're like, you have commanders, you have bills, you have 49ers. Like, that was the game that was kind of being like gifted and served to you on a platter. I have no idea. It's not a long commute. It's three hours and they fly. So like it was a one. There's just so many things that didn't make sense. It's not like anyone had the stomach bug and they all ate bad food. Like, I don't know. But like, every NFL team has it, right? They have that random game they shouldn't lose most of the time. So let's hope that was it. You learn from it. They made the changes, right? Like, a lot of people were saying they were panicking when they made the change at the receiver coach, but I think it was the right thing. I think you need to bring Zach Robinson down on the field. You have a young quarterback that he's going to get kind of frustrated. So why don't you talk to him more often, see what the offensive line is seeing than just kind of him up in the booth and you're only talking to him every so many plays and on the phone call every now and then.

[Mike]

Raheem Morris is the head coach now. It appeared the Falcons were going down that path to one Bill Belichick a little while ago. And I'm sure you're upset that you missed out on all the excitement that goes on that they're having down in North Carolina. But on Raheem Morris, what's it been like? Because, you know, rebuilding a team or building it up, especially with a young quarterback, is what's happened here in Buffalo. And it was Josh Allen that way. How have you seen him be with this team? And what's. What's been the response in Atlanta to him being there as the head coach?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I think like anything, I think when the draft pick came, when Penix was picked, I think there was like, mass pandemonium. I remember being in the draft room and there was like an audible gas from like, middle media, people like, oh, my God, what is happening? I didn't even, like, have that on my radar. And then I was like, okay. And now that you see it, I think more and more people are like, oh, like, they're right, they're smart. He's like an excellent, like, communicator, leader of men. He bonds with all the guys in ways that is just really refreshing to see. Right. Like, he's just able to connect with them at all different levels. And so he's brings that excitement for the guys. But I think, you know, there are. The fans are going to jump on the bandwagon, like, you know, when they have a bad loss to the Panthers. Well, this is why we shouldn't have hired, you know what I mean? Like, we had him as a coach before and he's never going to make it. Right? Like, I don't want to be an NFL coach. Like, you know, it's just so hard. So I think he's. He's doing a great job now, but let's see, you know, if he's able to maintain it, because they had a great October last year, Kirktober, and. And then that kind of whittle away. So we'll see what happens.

[Mike]

All right.

[Dan Fates]

Talked about the coach, the. The, you know, the offense. What about this defense? I know it's only been four games, so it's a smaller sample size, but they invested heavily trading up to get James Pierce, like, some of these pieces defensively, especially on the D line, which Bills fans can relate to because they haven't been able to find any success. But their success for the Bills has actually been better than what the Falcons did last year, who didn't get in the same area code as the quarterback. So what kind of a pass rush do the Falcons have and where do you see the strengths and weaknesses kind of of this defense so far?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Well, I think that the pass rush is. I will put it kind of on the strengths, but it's inconsistent right now. Like, you had six against the Vikings, and you're like, okay. And then you have some other games where it's like a whisper and they have like, one half, two and a half, but they're still. I think they're like, at 10 sacks now, which is crazy because they only had, like, 31 last year, so. And when you look at, like, you know, all the things they did this offseason, like getting a Leonard Floyd and a Divine Diablo, a Jaylen Walker, James Pierce, all of their draft picks, five out of the six was all defense. They knew what the issue was, but they've had some great pieces that they've added in, like, in a young Xavier Watts, who I think has been a great. Not surprise, but just has really stepped into that role early as a rookie who they really, really need, you know. Do they need to get after the quarterback more? Absolutely. I'm not, like, saying that at all. You know, they've had some injuries as well, but overall, it's. It's for the amount that they had to, like, revamp in such a short amount of time, adding a guy like Jeff Albrecht, like his. It's showing. It's showing because they're all about, like, heart, fist and mind and all that is showing, you know, throughout the season with them.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You mentioned Xavier Watts. I think for a lot of Bills fans, they might not be as familiar, but he did win NFC defensive rookie of the month. I mean, obviously a draft pick from this past year. Safety. What have you seen from him? Because he seems like a really humble, hard working type of guy, but it seems like he has the potential to be a special player for Atlanta.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Oh yeah. I mean, he is one of those kind of soft spoken guys, but I always love it because they like their actions are on the field, right. And they show it on the field. Whether he has like 23 tackles, two interceptions, like he might, he's like the most like, you know, genuine guy off the field. But when he's on the field, man, I mean he is a full, full go. We were seeing it in training camp. We're like, okay, this guy is special. And that's how early that we were saying. We're like, wait, he's a rookie. Like even Raheem was like, you know, if he just had like one more or two more interceptions, like he wouldn't have just been like rookie defensive player of the month. Like he could have actually maybe been defensive player of the month. Right. So there's, there's just a lot of great things that he, they are seeing from him and they're really, really, really excited about him.

[Mike]

Leonard Floyd, we know him here. I think the man just goes wherever he goes, gets 10 sacks and then moves on to place. But he's, he's got Georgia roots, right? He does come back home. Yeah. So what has it been like for him? Because, you know, there are not a lot of guys in this league who just walk in, take care of business that way and then just sort of move on. But what's it been like having him with the Falcons and how productive has he been?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I mean, I think it's been great to have him, especially when you're losing a guy like Grady Jarrett that was such a huge guy, you know, even just as a leader on this defense and for him to come in, play for the home team with Georgia right in his backyard and be able to produce ideas. And he is a great leader. Right. He is helping mentoring some of these younger guys, which has been cool to see as well. And you have Jalen Walker there as well. And I think like you said, it isn't common, especially later in your career, to be able to come in and still keep having that success and to see that for him, I think it kind of speaks volumes not only to him as an athlete, but maybe even just his coaching staff. When you look at some of the coaches that they've added this offseason. Nate Ali, if you ever have the Pleasure of talking with him, I'm, like, fired up, ready to go. Like, I'll go run down a wall when I'm done talking to him. Like, he just instills that kind of energy in this guy, these guys, and I think that's what's been missing. But Raheem's also that energy guy as well. But Leonard, it's just been great. And the two young rookies with. With Pierce and Walker, you know, Walker's been battling some injuries, but Pierce has been great so far as well.

[Dan Fates]

It's shocking that rookie. Rookies can play. No, no, no. Not only that, they can play well.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, right.

[Dan Fates]

It seems like if you draft well, Allison, it's. They. They can play well. It's. It's crazy.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Well, if you play in the sec, as they like to say, then you're ready.

[Dan Fates]

But no, actually, the Bills did draft a corner from the SEC a few years ago out of Florida. That one didn't work out so well. I'm sure they drafted another corner doing for you. James Cook's good. Yeah.

[Mike]

Hey, believe me. Draft Georgia guys.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Georgia, Bama.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Those are the places to draft. Philly.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

One last one on the offense because we. We passed up on it, and it's somebody that doesn't deserve to be passed up on. Drake London. Just how good has he been? Because the Bills have had all kinds of issues. They just let Stefan Diggs coming off an ACL, go for 150 yards against them. Where is the ceiling? And I feel like maybe especially Bills fans may not think a lot about Drake London unless it's on their fantasy team, but where do you kind of see him stacking up amongst some of the top wide receivers, really? In the NFL?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Yeah, I mean, I'll put him right up there. Yes. He's still only, you know, like, three, four years now in. In the league, but when you're seeing what he's able to do every single game day, and what's so cool about him is, like, he kind of goes into, like, this alter ego state where, like, you can't talk to him. Once the game starts, he comes. Like, even Raheem's like, sometimes I just got to step away. Like, he gets, like, so into it. So dominate. But I mean, he's huge, right? Like, as a receiver, he's ginormous. He also played basketball, and you see some of that and some of the catches that he makes and things like that and the runs that he makes, and that's why I think it's even more powerful and Dynamic to see when you have like a Bajan Robinson there with them or you have a Tyler Algier. Like they have so many weapons, so many first round picks out there that like, you don't just have to go to one of them because you have so many other options out there. I mean, if Bajan's in there, then you have Tyler, who's going to punch it in from one yard out because he's like a little bowling ball. But like, you know, like, so all of them, like, there's just so many weapons. But Drake London is definitely one of those guys that's been fun to see and you talk about. I mean, he's had six different quarterbacks, five different quarterbacks throwing to him. Mariota, you know, Desmond Ritter. So like, this is really exciting if he can have a consistent guy throwing him the ball. Like, I can't even imagine, like, I don't even want to compare him to anybody because as soon as I do, people will find me in the DMs and tell me I'm wrong. But like, but yeah, he's pretty special.

[Dan Fates]

Allison, it feels like you're trolling us. The sense of it's only draft picks. It's so many options. Yeah, there's just so many options. And we're sitting here like, there's James Cook and there's Josh Allen and we just.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

It feels nice. I haven't been able to say that for a long time, so let me have this.

[Mike]

Yes, that's fine.

[Jenna Cottrell]

All right, well, I wanted to ask because we were talking about first round picks. Kyle Pitts. I have draft. I drafted him so many times for my fantasy teams and every year I felt like, are you this guy? You see the potential, but do you feel like it's finally being figured out? Do you feel like it's finally working?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I'm going to say yes, because there's a couple of things, right? He's in the last year for his contract, so it has to be a yes. But also, like, I keep coming back to that. I mean, he had so many different quarterbacks that he was playing with, different coordinators, different, like everything. And so when you're a young rookie coming into the league, even though he did come from the sec, you know, he was drafted very high. You know, he did have that first good season with Matt Ryan. But then when you look at the quarterbacks that he had and kind of the talent, they were kind of hodgepodging together and things like that, it just wasn't. It wasn't there. So it's been, you know, I think this year he knows it's make or break and we're starting to see a little bit more from him. Am I saying he's like, there yet? Are we saying no, but. But overall, yeah, I think. I think it's hopefully going to be a better year for him. My sports director is taking a picture of me now.

[Mike]

Oh, isn't that nice? Bill's fans travel, so they're going to come to Atlanta. They're going to come watch the game. Right. They're going to be down there. Now, this is usually a Jenna question because she always likes to ask about food, but what I have read about your wonderful stadium down there is the food is reasonably priced. This is like a thing they do in Atlanta. Yeah, I know you're in the press box, like when you're going to game, but I'm sure you've been there. So tell Bill's fans. Is that really the case when you come to Atlanta?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

It's really the case. I mean, things are like, very, very, I'm not gonna say cheap because they're still. But like, you know, two, three, four dollars, like, for certain things, which is so refreshing because when you spend that much money on tickets and then you have to then feed your family and I have to say that's something that Arthur Blank has done so well, is to really make sure that, like, it's affordable for everyone. I would like to see a lot more Falcons fans there than Bill's fans, but I don't know because you guys travel well, so that'll be the interesting thing, especially on a Monday night game, because I will say sometimes you will sometimes hear more of the home team when you got like, you know, bigger, you know, teams coming in. But I think as this team starts winning, we'll see more and more and more Falcons fans not only coming but, like, staying. Now, the Atlanta traffic is an issue, so they will sometimes show up later, but they will be coming. But.

[Dan Fates]

But yeah, I will put you on the hot seat here at the end. Your thoughts, predictions for the game on Monday night? Allison?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

All right. Well, I don't want to be like a homer and I've been reading like how everyone's for the Bill. So I'll go Falcon. So you want me to give like a score? I'm gonna go like 20, 27, 24. That feels high. I don't know. It feels high. I don't know. I'll just go with Falcon.

[Jenna Cottrell]

What do you think is the recipe for if this Falcons team were to pull off the win. In your mind, how does it all come together for Atlanta?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

I mean, as they always say, like, they got to play all three phases of the ball. They need to get after the quarterback. They need to limit the extension. Explosive plays. Josh Allen, I mean, he can do it all right with his legs. He's a big guy. He can run as well. He can launch it downfield. So if they can really limit him to the explosive plays, kind of get after him a little bit, and then Michael Penix be able to, like, air it out some, but also be able to have Bajan, you know, get some ground game. They really need to find more of a balance, I think there as well, and not just totally rely on him, but their identity is more of a run game, rushing team right now, which is totally fine. But if they can kind of get some other guys involved in the mix, I think that's the recipe. But I'm not a coach, so I.

[Dan Fates]

Just talk about it on tv, not in the building.

[Mike]

Yes. As we like, we like to say, let everybody know where they can find you and follow what you talk about with not just the Falcons, Dan's Atlanta Braves. Let everybody know where they can follow you on social media.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Yeah. So I'm just Allison M. Underscore TV on Instagram, Tick tock. Facebook is just Allison Mistrangelo. If you can spell my last name and find me, then that's one way to do it. And then Allison WSB on Twitter and I work for Channel 2 in Atlanta. So I do everything from Georgia football. Anything in Georgia, I'm covering it. So I'll be in Auburn this weekend and then back in time for Monday Night Masters.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, we want to ask real quick, what's it like covering the Masters?

[Allison Mastrangelo]

Yeah, I mean, I don't want to brag. I also got to play it. But it is everything people say and more. It's. I do. I wouldn't put my name. You can. So media can put their name in like a lottery. In the first three years, I'm like, I'm not doing it. But then for two years, I started taking lessons, and it takes forever to get picked. So I was like, I'll put my name in. And then they called me. I'm like, I got to go, dude. The greens are just as crazy as you expect. And then you have a caddy who's like teaching you everything, and it's just phenomenal. Did I shoot below 100? No, I did not, but. And I think I lost five balls. It's. But it's just.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It's just like.

[Allison Mastrangelo]

It's like you're stepping back in time. Like, I don't know. And even when, like, I go to Augusta in the off season, and it's just like, these white, like, if no one knows what's back there, you'd be like, what's back there? There's just these white wooden walls, and you open, and you're like, whoa. It's like a. A wonderland. It's crazy. Beautiful. Very, very fortunate.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Awesome. That is so cool. All right, Allison, thank you so much for your time. We truly appreciate you coming on the Buffalo plus podcast for Allison Master Angelo from WSB tv, My he's my Catalana. Dan Fates. I'm Jenna Cottrell. Thank you for watching Buffalo Plus. Please be sure to, like, comment and subscribe.