Bijan Robinson, Kevin Stefanski Want to Spread the Love against Panthers

The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for their first NFC South matchup of the 2026 season, and much of the attention heading into Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers is centered on how Atlanta will move the football.

That challenge starts with Bijan Robinson.

Robinson was the Falcons’ only effective offensive weapon in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing with 173 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. With Atlanta still working through uncertainty at quarterback, Robinson could once again play a major role in the offensive game plan.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski acknowledged Robinson’s importance while also stressing the need to keep the rest of Atlanta’s playmakers involved.

“Bijan’s a great player,” Stefanski said. “We’ve going to keep leaning on him in all these games. But we’ve got to find a way to get all of our guys touches.”

Bijan Robinson was a VERY large part of the Falcons offense in Week 1 pic.twitter.com/vp11TNov2N
— PFF (@PFF) September 15, 2026

Robinson echoed that sentiment when discussing the Falcons’ offensive playmakers and the importance of spreading the ball around.

“I know those guys want to have the ball in their hands as much as possible,” Robinson said. “We’re trying to get the ball in all of our hands, because they’re all threats to everybody on the defense.”

That balance could be especially important against Carolina. The Panthers surrendered 291 rushing yards in their Week 1 loss to Chicago, giving Atlanta an obvious opportunity to establish its ground game.

Still, Robinson knows the Panthers will be motivated when they arrive in Atlanta.

“It’s different motivation for us,” Robinson said. “We know they beat us twice last season, and we have to take that into account. They’re going to come in hungry, so it all starts with our mentality and how we approach this game.”

The Falcons also know they cannot afford to repeat the mistakes that allowed Carolina to come away with victories last season. The Falcons lost the turnover battle to the Panthers 4-1 in their two losses.

“I remember that loss,” Robinson said. “You can remember all the good stuff in the game, but when it comes down to it, we have to finish the game. It’s going to be a four-quarter fight.”

That mentality will be important as Atlanta prepares for a Panthers team entering the matchup with a loss. Carolina lost 59 to 37 against Chicago in Week 1, while Atlanta fell 20 to 13 to Pittsburgh.

For Robinson, however, the stakes are bigger than what happened last season or the result of Week 1.

“It’s not only a big game, but it’s a division game and it’s our next game, so we have to treat it as the biggest game.”

With the Falcons still determining who will start at quarterback, Stefanski and Robinson both understand that Atlanta’s offensive identity cannot depend on one player. Stefanski said Wednesday that the team had not ruled out its available quarterback options, adding another layer of uncertainty heading into the matchup.

Robinson’s message remains consistent regardless of who takes the snaps.

“If it’s Cooper or Mike, it doesn’t really matter who it is,” Robinson said. “I want to make sure they know they have me as an outlet at all times on the field.”

Bijan Robinson logged 173 of Atlanta's 263 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, a whopping 65.8% share of the team's total offense.

Per NFL Research, that's the highest percentage by any player in a team's season opener since Eric Dickerson had 66.6% for the Rams in 1986. pic.twitter.com/kj4jRp5UQQ
— QBgami (@QBgami) September 15, 2026

For Atlanta, that could be one of the keys to handling Carolina on Sunday. Get Robinson involved, find opportunities for the rest of the playmakers and avoid allowing another divisional game to slip away.

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