Bijan Robinson was the last Falcons player to gather his belongings at his locker Sunday. The entire place had cleared out besides staffers and a few reporters who were waiting to talk with the Falcons’ running back.
Finally, Robinson jogged into the locker room gleaming and laughing. He explained to reporters that he was hopping between the hot tub and cold tub. That’s a justifiable reason for his delayed presence; after all, he just had an illustrious day, logging a career-high 26 touches while helping guide the first-place Falcons to a 27-21 home victory over the Cowboys.
“A little soreness, but I feel good,” Robinson said afterwards with a bright smile.
While the value of drafting a running back in the top 10 – No. 8 overall in Robinson’s case – will always be debated, the Falcons acquired an elite talent by doing so. Robinson looks like an All-Pro (even if his lack of touchdowns angers the fantasy-football crowd). There might be an abundance of capable running backs, but there are few with this all-around ability.
Robinson, who played collegiately at Texas, tormented many Cowboys fans who used to fervently root for him with the Longhorns. He had 86 yards on 19 carries along with another 59 yards on seven receptions. Whenever he’d get into the open field, Cowboys defenders seemed to pray. He again looked like the best talent on the field for either team.
“It’s incredible; you see him spin out of things, you see him make a guy miss, you see him get open and you’re just like, ‘wow,’” guard Chris Lindstrom told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The inner fan in you comes out and you’re like, ‘That looks different.’ He’s great, I’m really glad we have him.”
It was Robinson’s fourth straight game exceeding 100 total yards. During his rookie season, there was sometimes outside frustration in Robinson’s usage (or lack thereof) with the previous coaching staff. Robinson had 1,463 yards from scrimmage in 17 games (roughly 86 yards per game).
In year 2, he’s the most dynamic piece of a vastly improved unit. He has 935 total yards in nine games (around 104 yards per game).
“Just my confidence level,” Robinson said of his personal growth over the past year. “My confidence was growing throughout the season last year. But for us, I’m out there now not thinking about anything. Just going out there and having fun, knowing that God has me, and just being a dynamic force for this offense. A year ago, I was still kind of hesitating a little on some things, but now I’m just all-out with it.”
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is established. Receiver Drake London has become a bona fide No. 1 target. Receiver Darnell Mooney was an underrated acquisition who’s proven invaluable. Tight end Kyle Pitts, when involved, is a behemoth.
But Robinson is the player who is costing opposing defensive coordinators the most sleep.
“I do whatever I can to be the best for (the team),” Robinson said. “Whether that’s me being a decoy and taking two guys out of the play and opening up Mooney on a route, little things like that. For me, I just want to be at my best every single game. So that means doing what I need to do day-to-day during the week so I can be the best I can be for this offense.”
The Falcons have a lot of football remaining, but they’re in an advantageous position. They’re 6-3, which includes a 6-1 NFC record and 4-0 NFC South record. The Saints and Panthers look like cross-offs, while the second-place Bucs are injured and have already been swept by the Falcons.
Barring a collapse – yes, never say never here – the Falcons should qualify for the playoffs in a couple months. And when they’re in, their opponent(s) will prioritize slowing Robinson. He could be a differentiating factor in a playoff game.
That’s what the team would’ve envisioned when investing a premium pick in a back. It’s looking like a brilliant investment as Robinson is becoming one of the faces of the Falcons’ rebirth.
“He does everything; I can’t say enough positive things about Bijan,” coach Raheem Morris said. “Running the football, blocking, catching the ball out of the backfield, scoring touchdowns, cheering for his guys, being locked and loaded, being a positive leader, being an inspiration behind everything we do, what he does in our community. He is the definition of what is a Falcon.
“When we put that slide up, (general manager) Terry (Fontenot) and I, and we talk about going to look for these people and our process of bringing them in here, you can just put up a picture of Bijan and say, ‘that is it at the highest level,’ and we’ll work from there.”
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