Falcons star makes surprising admission about Bucs you don't hear often

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers threw the Atlanta Falcons for a loop on offense during Week 1 with a new offensive line formation, but it seems like that wasn't the only way they were able to mess with Atlanta strategically.

The Bucs raised some eyebrows in Week 1 when they revamped the left side of their offensive line, moving center Graham Barton to tackle, guard Ben Bredeson to center and had practice squad lineman Michael Jordan come in at guard. The Bucs ended up grinding out a tough 23-20 win over the Falcons to get to 1-0, and it seems like the defense also pulled out some new looks for the Falcons to help get that victory.

Falcons star Bijan Robinson says Buccaneers switched it up

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) tackles Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7). | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was asked about the team's run game vs. the Buccaneers in that 23-20 loss, and he admitted something you don't hear all the time from players — the Falcons were unprepared for the looks Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was giving them.

“They came out in a look that we haven’t seen,” Bijan Robinson said, per the Athletic's Josh Kendall. “Our playbook got shorter, and we were trying to run other plays to outscheme them. We prepared for something completely different. It wasn’t about effort or anything like that. We were just outmatched in that game.”

Bowles has always been vaunted as a defensive mind, and it looks like he did well to stifle the Falcons in Week 1. Atlanta's rushing game has been a focal point of its offensive attack, but Robinson was held to just 24 yards on 12 carries against the Bucs. The Buccaneers also stuffed the Falcons' other running back Tyler Allgeier, holding him to 24 yards on 10 carries. Tampa Bay's defense executed the game plan well, and taking away the ground game was a big reason for the win.

The Falcons swept the Bucs in 2024, and if Bowles can get in Atlanta's head once again in Week 15 this year, the Buccaneers could return the favor in 2025.

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