Bijan Robinson, Drake London power pistol formation clap-back
There was a major clap-back to those folk who were dissing the Falcons’ pistol formation.
The Falcons came out, running mostly out of the pistol and amassed 435 yards and 24 first downs in the 34-27 win over the Commanders on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
They deserved the criticism after being shut out by the Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons, with Robinson leading the way, scored on their first three possessions.
Robinson finished with 17 carries for 75 yards and a 14-yard rushing touchdown. He also caught five passes for 106 yards.
Wide receiver Drake London caught 8 of 10 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown.
“It was very important,” Robinson said. “It breeds confidence.”
Robinson looked back fondly on the loss to the Panthers.
“But you know I felt like last week was supposed to happen,” Robinson said. “It put us in a new mindset, and it drove us to a different (place) … We understood that if we put that stuff on film, it’s not good for (anybody). Teammates, coaches …”
Wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard was fired on Monday after the debacle against the Panthers. That got the player’s attention.
“Now, as a leader on offense, I can let us do nothing that’s less than,” Robinson said. “I have to make sure that we are always urgent, that we have so much urgency in practice and we are not taking plays off. We are finishing. We are doing all of the little things so that we can put up results.”
Robinson got loose on a 69-yard swing pass out of the backfield, but was tripped up on his way into the end zone.
“That’s a fine,” Robinson said. “That’s a fine in every room, too. I was so mad. I’m not going to lie. He had an angle on me. I saw him and I was going to outrun him. He got my foot. … I saw my coach (Michael Pitre) and was like (disappointed look) … I’ll get it back.”
The 106 yards were a career-high for Robinson.
“That’s what I like to do.” Robinson said. “Be an all-around player. Doing it in the run game. In the pass game. That’s why I’m here, to show the gifts that God had given me on both sides, running routes, being a receiver to being a running back. That’s what I like to do. It only helps this offense. It only helps this team.”
London was off to a slow start this season. He suffered a shoulder injury in the season opener. He took a big hit early against the Commanders and kept on playing.
“Spread the wealth,” London said. “That’s what it is. It’s simple. Everybody gets touches. Everybody gets a piece of the pie. It was good.”
London was elated to get the victory.
“It meant the world to me,” London said. “Everybody making plays that may not been shown in the public eye, but it’s springing Tyler (Allgeier). It’s springing Bijan or me. Pass blocking. All of that stuff. It does wonders.”
London needed a big game.
“I don’t really like to talk about my personal stuff,” London said. “But it did feel good.”
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson called the game from the sideline. He called the three previous games from the press box.
“I really can’t say. I’m not the one getting the play calls on the headphones or anything like that,” London said. “So, I don’t see a difference. The thing that I did see a difference is that we can see his face. You can see his demeanor. He can see our demeanor when he’s down on the field.”
The Falcons set the tone early offensively with outside zone runs by Robinson.
“I think with just the week as an (offensive) lineman, we wanted to run the ball really well this game,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “We challenged ourselves. We said when we get our opportunities let’s make them count.”
Overall, the Falcons rushed 37 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
“We did a pretty good job of that for the most part,” Matthews said. “That’s a really good front. When you get that many attempts running the football, we were trying to wear them down and it helped.”
The Falcons only averaged 3.5 yards per carry, but stayed with the run to set up the pass.
“We kept going back to it,” Matthews said. “That’s awesome for an offensive lineman to keep mixing it up like that. When we had to throw the ball, man, Mike (Penix Jr.) did a great job hanging in there, making great reads and getting the ball out.”
With Robinson and London stacking up the yardage and getting into the end zone, the offense showed new signs of life.
“As an offense, there is still stuff to improve on,” Matthews said. “Just a really good way to bounce back after last week and get that bad feeling out of there.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
