Falcons vs. Bills 2013, Week 13: Playing for pride only, Atlanta gets overtime win

Buffalo’s 34-31 overtime loss in Toronto on Sunday has their playoff hopes on life support, and Buffalo Rumblings’s Brian Galliford is ready to pull the plug.

The Falcons’ postseason dreams were buried weeks ago, but the one silver lining has been the inheritance of a top draft pick the unexpected death might leave them. There are, of course, a multitude of siblings left to squabble over the will, and Atlanta’s first win in over a month didn’t do them any favors in the pecking order.

Steven Jackson rushed for his second touchdown of the game -- he had two touchdowns all season coming into Sunday -- to tie the game at 31 with 1:28 remaining in regulation. The Falcons were given new life after a pass interference penalty wiped out a third-and-goal stand from the Buffalo defense, giving Atlanta a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Jackson would power in on the following play.

Roddy White, who had just 20 receptions coming into the game, led the team with 10 grabs for 143 yards. It’s a good sign that the veteran receiver, who has been hobbled with various injuries all season, may finally be healthy. Steven Jackson was resurgent as well, rushing for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Serves you right for not showing up to the Bills-Falcons game, Toronto. We all knew that Mayor Rob Ford was going to be there and hell and hilarity follows with him. But no, you had to stay home with your books and families.

Are you at the game seated next to Rob Ford? Please encourage him by buying him a beer and asking him if he’s just going to take this from some “artist” or if he’s going to stand up for himself. Just make sure to take pictures of it.

I’m not sure what else you need to convince you to go to an NFL game other than the promise that Rob Ford will be there surrounded by beers, cheerleaders, and Jason Snelling.

My guess is that they’re likely feeling the effect of most Bills fans not exactly having the ability to cross borders legally, or it might be the fact that Canadians just aren’t polite enough to attend our subpar NFL games that we allow them to have once a year.

The Bills are 4-7 coming off their Week 12 bye. Despite the losing record, they’re just one game behind in the wild card race. There’s a logjam of teams with 5-6 records ahead of them, though, and they need a win over Atlanta to keep pace.

Brian Galliford from Buffalo Rumblings takes a look back at the Bills’ history of playing in Toronto.

Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Dec. 1, 4:05 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada

TV schedule and distribution map: Fox; The506.com

And it’s Buffalo that’s fighting for a playoff berth.

Do the experts see that starting with a win over Atlanta on Sunday? Mostly.

Still, its the Bills who opened up as 5-point favorites for the game. They’ve simply looked the better team despite being over-matched on paper, and have the home-field advantage working for them as well. The line has narrowed slightly on some books, with the Bills going anywhere between 3 and 3.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark.

The over/under opened at 46 points for the game. That total has gone under in four of Atlanta’s five games, but over in five of Buffalo’s last seven. The total has gone over in five of the last six games between these two teams.

Gonzalez has proven to be extremely durable throughout his career, missing only two games. The former University of California star has been excellent once again this season, catching 58 passes for 611 yards and four touchdowns. In his career, Gonzalez is the all-time leader for tight ends with 107 touchdowns, 14,879 yards. His 1,300 receptions trails only former wideout Jerry Rice.

At 2-9, the Falcons are simply playing out the string before going into an offseason with plenty of questions.