Could Falcons RB Bijan Robinson Make NFL History on Sunday?

PHOENIX – The Atlanta Falcons are heading west in Week 16, facing off with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. They will look to continue to build some momentum from their outstanding finish against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Can they get the job done on Sunday? See below for some keys to this matchup between the Falcons and Cardinals.

CAN ATLANTA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A STRUGGLING CARDINALS DEFENSE?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Falcons’ offense rebounded in a major way against the Buccaneers on Thursday night after a dismal performance against the Seahawks the Sunday before.

Kirk Cousins led the Falcons’ offense to a season-high 476 total yards of offense and 29 points, their highest scoring total since Week 4. Kyle Pitts Sr. was awarded the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, David Sills V rebounded after a tough drop to finish with a career-high 78 yards, and Bijan Robinson topped 100 or more scrimmage yards for the ninth time this season.

In addition to those strong performances, the Falcons are optimistic that the return of wide receiver Drake London could be coming this Sunday in Arizona.

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They will look to continue their success into Week 16 against a struggling Cardinals defense. This unit has allowed 27.7 points per game this season (27th in the NFL), but 40 or more in four of their last six games and 20 or more in 11 of their 14 games.

Atlanta has reached the 30-point threshold just once this season, but with how the Cardinals have surged on offense with Jacoby Brissett and his arsenal of weapons, they may need to reach that total if they want to feel comfortable in this game.

CAN THE FALCONS SLOW DOWN THE JACOBY BRISSETT, TREY MCBRIDE, AND THE CARDINALS’ PASSING ATTACK?

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Speaking of the surging Cardinals offense, the Falcons' sagging secondary will need to handle this passing attack.

Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been strong this season after coming off the bench for the injured Kyler Murray. The 10-year pro has put together what is becoming a career year, throwing for 2,708 yards (66.5% completion), 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions across just nine starts.

His 300.9 yards per game lead the NFL by more than 20 yards, while the Cardinals’ scoring average actually improved from 20.6 to 22.1 points per game, and their total offense saw an immediate jolt from 288.4 to 358.4 yards per game. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris understands that they will need to be mindful of what he is capable of this Sunday.

“He's a really good football player,” Morris said. “He really is the ultimate backup in this league, and he's been that for a long time and goes out there and gets the job done.”

Aside from the surging play from Brissett, tight end Trey McBride has been the engine for the Cardinals. The tight end has exploded during his fourth season in the league. He leads all NFL players in receptions (105) and is just 11 catches away from breaking Zach Ertz’s single-season record for tight ends (116).

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At wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to return after missing the last two games. In his stead, Michael Wilson stepped in with 39 receptions for 481 yards since Week 11 (both are the highest totals in the NFL in that span).

For the Falcons, rookie UDFA Cobee Bryant could get another extended look with starter Mike Hughes out for Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Falcon coaches and players praised Bryant’s confidence and ability heading into this game, and the rookie will have a big opportunity to make an impact.

CAN KYLE PITTS FOLLOW UP HIS BIG GAME AGAINST TAMPA?

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Kyle Pitts Sr. took home the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his career week on Thursday night in Tampa. The tight end reeled in 166 yards and three touchdowns on 11 catches, all career-highs.

Even before last Thursday, Pitts had steadily improved in the box score on a week-by-week basis, with games of 82 and 90 yards through the air. His last three games have accounted for 42.4% of his total yardage this season.

Pitts, operating as the Falcons’ No. 1 receiving option due to the Drake London injury, was able to record the first 100-yard receiving game since his rookie season and just his second-career multi-touchdown game. He was clearly the hot hand for the Falcons, but with the looming return of London to this offense, the involvement of Pitts moving forward comes into question.

If he can continue to make an impact, the Falcons would need to consider bringing him back for 2026 and beyond.

COULD BIJAN ROBINSON MAKE NFL HISTORY ON SUNDAY?

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Bijan Robinson has been an absolute menace in 2025. The running back leads the league in scrimmage yards (1,858) this season, and going back to his first season in 2023 (5,208). According to an NFL communications release this week, the star player has a chance to make his mark in the record book.

With just 90 scrimmage yards in Arizona, the 23-year-old Robinson can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James (5,297) for the fourth-most scrimmage yards by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history – only Christian McCaffrey (5,443 scrimmage yards), Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (5,391), and Clinton Portis (5,327) have more.

If he hits his season average for total yards per game on Sunday (132.7), then he would move to third on this list. It would take a herculean effort to surpass McCaffrey (335 yards), but Robinson has three weeks to reach that total this season.

WILL JAMES PEARCE JR. CONTINUE HIS DOMINANT STRETCH?

Atlanta Falcons edge James Pearce Jr. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich referred to what James Pearce Jr. has done during his rookie season as ‘borderline historic.’

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Not only does Pearce lead all rookies in sacks (8.0), but he stretched his streak of games with a sack to six straight on Thursday after he notched two more against the Buccaneers. The rookie has also joined some of the league's elite players as one of just 17 players in the NFL with eight or more sacks this season, and he has done it on just 259 pass-rushing snaps when most have 300 or more.

“There is so much more meat on the bone. He is finding his way, and he's growing. He's getting better every week, process included,” Ulbrich said. “But there is still so much more out there for him. When this game starts to slow down, he really starts to figure out the game and his own skill set, and his self-awareness goes to another space. He's got a bright, bright future.”

If he were to reach 11.0 sacks, he would become one of just 19 rookies to record that many (since 1983). Nine of those players finished as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and five more finished as runner-up.

The pass rusher moved up to third on BetMGM’s odds list (+900), behind Nick Emmanwori from Seattle and Carson Schwesinger from Cleveland, but he still has a path. He already has the most sacks in a season for the Falcons since 2019, but he could also finish as the first double-digit sack finisher in Atlanta since 2016.

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Only four teams have allowed more sacks than the Cardinals this season (47), and Pearce has a chance to continue his exciting stretch of games.

CAN THE FALCONS START JUST THEIR SECOND TWO-GAME WINNING STREAK OF THE SEASON?

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The 2025 season has not gone the way anyone at Flowery Branch would have hoped, but they still have it in their control to finish the way they want to. Sitting at 5-9, the Falcons are guaranteed to miss the postseason and finish below .500 for the eighth-straight season, but they could still close out strong.

They have not won back-to-back games since Week 6 – and even then, a bye week separated their victories over Washington and Buffalo.

Atlanta is favored by three points this Sunday against the Cardinals, and a win would help them build some momentum into a difficult matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football next week.