FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — How's everybody feeling coming off the bye week?!

Refreshed and ready for an exciting matchup on "Monday Night Football," I hope. I know I am.

There's no doubt the Bills present a tough test for the Falcons — they are on the short list of Super Bowl favorites for a reason. But we've seen the Falcons step up in some big home games before, and the extra time to prepare should help. If Atlanta can win on the road in Minnesota, it can win on Monday night.

There's one thing those of you reading this can do to help make that happen: Encourage every Falcons fan you know going to this game to show up early and bring the energy. If you're going to be in the building, do the same. The Bills Mafia is one of the most respected fan groups in the NFL. They travel well, and they are loud. Do what you can to help neutralize their impact.

Let's get to today's mailbag questions. If you would like to submit questions for a future mailbag, use this link.

Jim H. from Buford, Ga.

"What 'new' wrinkles do you believe we will see, especially on defense, after the bye week?"

That's a great question, Jim, and one I'll keep in mind for when we get the chance to speak with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich this week. You've also given me the perfect opportunity to plug our Heart. Mind. Fist. series that ran during the bye week and digs into Ulbrich’s philosophy for building a great defense.

A big part of that philosophy is keeping a lighter menu of plays and wrinkles to keep players mentally liberated. However, there are some early trends that have me thinking there might be more to Ulbrich's defensive designs than I initially thought.

Did you know the Falcons have the highest blitz rate in the league at nearly 47%? For comparison, the Jets had the NFL's lowest blitz rate (17.4%) during the 2023 season, Ulbrich's last full year as defensive coordinator. That suggests to me an evolution, and blitzes will naturally require a little bit more play design.

However, I think part of the reason for that significant uptick has to do with Atlanta's personnel. When you've got a player like Kaden Elliss, the number of stand-up rushers the Falcons do and present a lot of five-man fronts on defense, having a blitz-heavy element makes sense. But, remember, it starts with the players, and that's where I think you'll see the wrinkles.

As Atlanta's defenders spend more time on the field together, especially the younger players, I expect you'll see different flavor profiles begin to emerge. Plus, getting a player like A.J. Terrell back, and potentially a few more down the line, will help evolve the defense as well. I don't think the design will change all that much, but we should hopefully see leaps in how it is executed.

Evan S. from Alabama

"What do you think Xavier Watts' ceiling is? Could he be one of the greatest defensive backs, like Deion Sanders, or a superstar, like Pat Surtain?"

Those are lofty comps to be tossing around for a player with only four NFL games under his belt, but I get where you're coming from, Evan. Watts was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month after those four games, and he easily could have been the NFC's DPOTM if he had secured the two interceptions he had a shot at in Week 1.

My ears perked up pretty quickly after Watts was drafted when assistant GM Kyle Smith told the media he was a "clean eval," meaning the Falcons saw him do at a high level in college the things they knew they'd be asking him to do in Atlanta. When you take a player who had more interceptions in his final two seasons than any other FBS player and put him in a system already tailored to his game, good things are bound to happen.

I do think Watts has the right type of demeanor and mindset to handle early success and understand his ceiling can continue to rise. The comparisons to Jessie Bates are pretty accurate from what I've observed so far. He'll ultimately be the one who decides the kind of player he can be, but he's off to a tremendous start.

Ed H. from X/Twitter

"In your estimation, how do the Falcons match up against Buffalo?"

Good to hear from you, Ed! It's been a minute, but you've come through with a great question as usual.

I think we can all expect both teams to run the ball a lot in this one. Bijan Robinson is one of the NFL’s defining players so far on offense, and Cook currently ranks second behind Jonathan Taylor in rushing yards this season. Atlanta ranks sixth in rushing yards per game, and Buffalo ranks second. Oh, and who could forget about Josh Allen as a runner?

Whichever team is able to run the ball effectively to sustain drives and create explosive opportunities downfield in the passing game will have a great chance to dictate the pace of this game. I believe that is a primary goal for both teams, as the Bills are No. 1 in time of possession while the Falcons are No. 2.

Defensively, I think Atlanta could adopt a similar approach to what New England did on Sunday night. The Patriots frequently mixed zone and man coverage while trying to force throws into tight coverage. The Bills have proven to be one of the best teams in the league at giving their quarterback time, so New England blitzed just four times and focused on preventing explosive plays — something Atlanta does well. That proved to be somewhat effective against Allen, but it's also at odds with what the Falcons, who blitz at the league's highest rate, have done this season. This is the aspect of the game I'm most curious to watch.

I think this is a good matchup with each side having advantages they can lean on and some holes they'll try to cover up.