FLOWERY BRANCH — In the offseason, the new Falcons coaching staff was hoping that running back Bijan Robinson could be the team’s version of Christian McCaffrey.
As the season progressed, the Falcons have leaned more on Robinson, who’s having a spectacular second season in the NFL that could lead to his Pro Bowl selection Thursday.
Robinson will be a key factor when the Falcons (8-8) host the Panthers (4-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with their playoff hopes on the line. The Falcons need a victory coupled with a Saints (5-11) upset of the Buccaneers (9-7) in Tampa. That game also starts at 1 p.m.
When the offense became unsettled at the quarterback position, the Falcons relied more on Robinson’s unique skill set. Robinson, who was taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, has rushed 276 times for 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has caught 59 passes for 428 yards and a touchdown.
He is one of three running backs in the league with more than 1,700 yards from scrimmage this season. The others are Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. McCaffrey has been injured for most of the season after he amassed 2,023 scrimmage yards and helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl last season.
“God is good, man,” Robinson said about being in such select company among running backs. “It’s all for God, man. And just how (he’s) been just blessing me, letting me help this team as much as I can. And, you know, 1,700 yards is a great feat for a player. But I just thank God every single day for letting me do what I do on the field and for the gifts that he’s given me.”
After Barkley, Robinson’s main competition for the Pro Bowl is the Rams’ Kyren Williams, who’s rushed for 1,299 yards.
After posting two rushing touchdowns against the Commanders, Robinson now has four games with multiple rushing TDs this season. He’s tied for the most multiple TD games in a season in Falcons history with Michael Turner (2008), Gerald Riggs (1984) and Eddie Ray (1973).
The Falcons rushed for 126 yards against the Commanders, which was the team’s fifth consecutive game with at least 115 rushing yards, the ninth longest streak in franchise history. The Commanders started running to keep it away from the Falcons and their rushing attack.
“This is not for me individually, but the (offensive) line,” Robinson said. “Without (the offensive line), it would have never happened. I give them all the credit for everything. Hopefully we just keep on rocking this year and for years to come.”
The Falcons even put in the wildcat formation for Robinson last week. The Falcons scored a touchdown and tried to run it in from the 5-yard line in the fourth quarter when the ball sailed past Robinson on the snap.
“We were working on it all week,” Robinson said. “It’s been looking good all week.”
Robinson hustled back and recovered the errant snap from Drew Dalman for a 21-yard loss. Two plays later, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tossed a dart to tight end Kyle Pitts for a 13-yard touchdown that would force overtime.
“I know with noise and things like that, you might not see the leg too quick,” Robinson said. “Or, just little things like that. I don’t want to blame it with (anyone). It was one of those things where I had to catch it. Get it in my hands so that we can try to get that touchdown.”
Robinson believes the wildcat formation is here to stay. The Falcons used to run a version of it with former wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who was a college quarterback.
“It’s definitely a great play for us,” Robinson said. “I think we’re going to keep running it.”
Robinson has gained 688 of his yards after contact and has broken 19 tackles, according to Pro Football Reference’s advanced statistics.
Robinson has a missed-tackle rate of 31.2% over the past two seasons, according to Next Gen Stats. He has forced 140 missed tackles on designed runs, which is the third most in the NFL since 2023.
“It’s more so like making sure that I’m anticipating a move and there are moves already in my head that I had when I went one-on-one with the defender,” Robinson said. “It happens in a split second. But for me, I tend to try to make defenders be uncomfortable as I can when I’m in those one-on-one situations.”
Robinson said he watches film of NBA players such as Allen Iverson, Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving to come up with some of his open-field moves.
“I watch a lot of Allen Iverson because he played football and was really good at football. It helped him out a lot,” Robinson said. “Setting up a defender one way, and then making his move going the other way. I do this dead leg (move) that came from him.”
Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss is glad that Robinson is on his team.
“When he’s in space, he’s just so hard to deal with,” said Elliss, who leads the team with 139 tackles. “You know, my first four years in the league, I had Alvin Kamara on my team. He’s pretty awesome. ... Bijan, I’ll put him up against anybody in the NFL.”
About the Author
