Falcon Report

Falcons Bright Spot Bijan Robinson Poised for Big Game vs. Raiders

Bijan Robinson is becoming the player the Atlanta Falcons hoped he'd become when they took him No. 8 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Clint Goss

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has become one of the top offensive weapons in the NFL in his second season.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has become one of the top offensive weapons in the NFL in his second season. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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After four-consecutive losses following an emphatic 6-3 start, what bright spots can be singled out for an Atlanta Falcons team teetering on the brink of disaster.

Second-year running back Bijan Robinson has become a shining star even when other lights are dimming in Atlanta.

Thankfully, Head Coach Raheem Morris knows it.

Raheem Morris in defense of his quarterback has said Cousins has “carried this team.” While no one actually believes the coachspeak, say the same about No. 7, and you'll get a lot of nodding heads in return.

“That's what I love to do, be an all-around player," Robinson said. "When you got a guy that can be effective in the pass game and effective in the run game — you're a dynamic player at that point." 

Most of the time, the pass game is considered being a receiver, but Robinson's game has evolved into one of the best blitz protectors in the league.

Among running backs, Robinson is the only one who is top-seven in both rushing (7th) and receiving yards (4th). Of those seven, Robinson is the youngest, has the cleanest bill of injury, and his average salary of $5.5 million is lower than Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley (nearly half), Alvin Kamara (half), Josh Jacobs (half), etc.  

From a cost / age / production standpoint, Robinson's closest peer is fellow first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions. Ironic, considering this is what ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder had to say about the Falcons taking a running back at No. 8 (Gibbs went a few picks later at 12).

Running back Bijan Robinson to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8," wrote Walder of his least favorite pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. "Taking a running back in the top 10 -- a low-value position where veterans are available on the cheap -- is almost indefensible. For a team likely without a franchise quarterback on its roster and with another young back already on the team, it's even worse. Defenders of the move will say the Falcons are a run-first team, so this fits. That isn't a good thing. Running a lot is just what you do when you don't have good enough quarterback play, as the Falcons didn't last season."

To be fair, the Falcons are 13-17 since drafting Robinson and are still plagued by poor quarterback play, but where would they be without him right now?

Robinson has nearly identical numbers through 13 games in 2024 as he posted in 17 games last season, 1,378 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns vs. 1,454 and eight respectively.

Next he gets to face off against a Las Vegas Raiders defense that is 14th in the NFL against the run at 117.6 yards per game.

The struggles of Kirk Cousins have taken center stage in Atlanta, and that's overshadowed the fact that Bijan Robinson is playing like a Pro Bowler for the Falcons.

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Clint Goss
CLINT GOSS

Clint Goss is an NFL & SEC football writer, as well as the on-air co-host of The Falcon Fade radio show at 99.1 WDJY and lead NFL Draft Analyst for Stadium Rant. He is a Rhetoric graduate of Georgia College & State University. A Roswell resident, find Clint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every Sunday covering the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow Clint actively on Twitter/X @NFLDraftDome