Bijan Robinson, Falcons Entering 'Learning Stage' After Loss to Lions
After a hot start to his rookie year, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson finally had a bit of a wake-up call in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Atlanta suffered its first loss of the season in a game that got away early. The Falcons and Lions were tied 3-3 in the second quarter, but Detroit regained the lead on a 45-yard touchdown from rookie tight end Sam LaPorta and never looked back.
The Falcons were unable to stick to their ground-and-pound identity against a stout Lions defense. As a result of the deficit, Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder had to attempt a career-high 38 passes while Robinson and fellow running back Tyler Allgeier became afterthoughts in the second half.
Robinson, who finished with just 10 carries for 33 yards and four catches for 27 yards, talked about the struggles the run game faced against the Lions.
"They were just fast movement," Robinson said. "They were getting downhill fast. We were just trying to find some creases, find some holes. We'd try to find some, and they'd come down. For us, it's all a build-up stage. The o-line blocked their butts off. On some of the runs, we've got to make them right. For us, it's a learning stage and understand that we've got to come back at practice, look at the mistakes, look at what we've done, and come back for next weekend and do what we do."
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) has his helmet knocked off while being tackled by Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32).
© Lon Horwedel, USA TODAY
The Falcons are currently one of the better teams in the league when it comes to running the football. Despite Robinson and Allgeier's disappearance against Detroit, Atlanta is still averaging the ninth-most rushing yards per game (128.3) through three weeks.
Sunday's loss might just be the early-season adversity that Robinson and the Falcons need in order to bring the franchise back to relevancy.
The Falcons will travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
