FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — No single training camp statement or extended preseason monologue could have ever resonated as loudly as the Atlanta Falcons' 24-14 victory against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

It could be considered an announcement of sorts: There's a new kid on the block in the NFC.

"It showed that we're one of them ones," Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. "This team is really good. This team is really legit."

What the Falcons did against the league’s reigning MVP and a team many still believe can hoist the Lombardi Trophy changed opinions in the way words never could. Actions absolutely speak louder, and it's why Falcons players and coaches alike adopted an attitude of quiet confidence in the offseason while preaching the importance of showing rather than telling.

"You've got to go prove it," head coach Raheem Morris said at his press conference after the 2024 season. "And really, it's about us just going to do it and not really talking about it."

Atlanta proved something Monday. Many things, in fact.

This Falcons defense is entirely unlike anything that has come before it. It held one of the league's best offenses to less than 300 total yards and just 14 points. Atlanta's pass rush hemmed in Josh Allen throughout the night, and the Falcons blanketed the Bills' pass catchers downfield admirably. The fact the game ended on a tipped interception was fitting.

Bijan Robinson proved he is a superstar and perhaps the best running back currently taking the field each week. There's no need to rehash all of the incredible accolades from his 238-yard performance, but they are worth checking out if you haven't.

In withstanding a third-quarter push by the Bills, the Falcons showed a level of resolve that contending teams need. Perhaps that was the biggest message of them all.

"When we button up all the stuff and we execute right, we're a force to be reckoned with," Falcons receiver Drake London said after the game.

London was among a number of Atlanta players who had their best outing of the season against the Bills. Without Darnell Mooney or Ray-Ray McCloud III in the lineup, he was targeted 16 times and came away with 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. He very nearly scored on a catch-and-run slant on the final play of the first half but was ruled out at the 1-yard line.

It would have sent the Falcons to halftime with a 28-7 lead and potentially resulted in a more comfortable final two quarters. Nevertheless, the resiliency shown from Atlanta in the third quarter was important for fans to see and may have been worth the missed opportunity. Against a team that has made the postseason the last six years, the Falcons took hits and then gave them right back.

"The other guys are going to get paid, too," Allen said of the Falcons' play on Monday. "They're game planning just as hard as we are. Flat out, they just played better than us tonight."

The Falcons have another opportunity to make a statement with their play in front of a national audience on tap in Week 7. This time, Atlanta will have to prove its style of play can travel across the country for a "Sunday Night Football" showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

That's what is required of good teams in a league where the next humbling experience could be just a week away.

"We want a playoff organization," Morris said from the podium Monday. "We want to be able to compete in those type of games, and we played one tonight. There's going to be no secret. Nobody is going to shy away from those moments. We've got to go do it, but those are the moments you want."

With wins against the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Bills, the Falcons are 3-1 against playoff teams from last season. Atlanta's only loss came in Week 1 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Falcons had a chance to send that game into overtime.

Now that the Falcons have shown — not talked about — what they are capable of, the internal confidence of the group is rising. And because Atlanta withstood a lapse in momentum against the Bills, it's beginning to gain some on its own.

"To come out here and execute with night football in front of our crowd and in front of the Bills crowd too, it felt great," Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss said. "So, we just want to stack wins like that, change the culture here, and make something beautiful."