Falcons season grades: Bijan Robinson was spectacular on offense

Running back Bijan Robinson turned in one of the more spectacular seasons in Falcons history this season.

After a dazzling display, which included long touchdown runs of 93 and 81 yards, he was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro in his third season in the NFL.

“The ball is going to be in Bijan’s hands, pass game, run game for a long time here as a Falcon,” Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “He has to stay disciplined taking care of himself. I think there’s a lot to look forward to (for the) fan base watching him carry the ball.”

However, the decision to hand the reins to Michael Penix Jr., without any competition nor any time played in the exhibition games, led to an overall uneven performance that included Cousins coming on to finish the season.

There was some drama with the firing of respected wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard after only three games and the release of slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, who was coming off his best season as a pro.

Robinson compiled 1,478 rushing yards and seven touchdowns and added 79 catches for 820 yards and four scores. His 2,298 scrimmage yards led the league and set a new single-season franchise record, breaking William Andrews’ previous mark of 2,255 yards in 1983.

A first-round pick in 2023 (eighth overall), Robinson has been electric since coming out of Texas. His rushing total this season surpassed his 1,456 rushing yards from last season, when he totaled 14 rushing touchdowns. Robinson became a bigger receiving threat out of the backfield, adding 18 more catches this season and almost doubling his yardage output, from 431 to 820.

In addition to Robinson, wide receiver Drake London caught 68 passes for 919 yards and seven touchdowns, and tight end Kyle Pitts had a career year with 88 receptions for 928 yards and five TDs.

Here’s a unit-by-unit evaluation of the offense:

Quarterback

Penix started the first seven games before he was injured Oct. 19 against the 49ers and missed the Miami game the following Sunday. Cousins played against the Dolphins, as the Falcons were beaten 34-10 to drop to 3-5. Penix was the starter as the Falcons lost the next three games, before he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Panthers on Nov. 16.

Both quarterbacks were pretty average, although Cousins found the end zone more. Penix passed for nine touchdowns and threw three interceptions, a 3:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while Cousins was an acceptable 2:1 ratio (10 touchdowns and five interceptions).

Penix completed 166 of 276 passes (60.1%) for 2,314 yards, and he had a passer rating of 88.5. Cousins completed 166 of 269 passes (61.7%) for 1,721 yards and a passer rating of 84.8. Penix will need to improve his accuracy moving forward. He had 24% of his throws, excluding spikes and throwaways, that were off the mark. Cousins had 16.1%. Grade: C

Falcons quarterbacks Kirk Cousins (left) and Michael Penix Jr. attend a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans last summer. Penix was the starter before he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 16, leading to Cousins taking the reins for the remainder of the season. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2025)

Running backs

In addition to Robinson, Tyler Allgeier turned in a fine season. He had 143 carries for 514 yards and eight touchdowns. He also picked up 36 first downs. Nathan Carter had nine carries for 60 yards. The Falcons will want to keep Allgeier, but the market may be too robust for a backup running back. Some team will view Allgeier as a No. 1 running back on the open market. His value is projected at $1.8 million, per Spotrac.com. Grade: A

Offensive line

Right guard Chris Lindstrom earned second-team All-Pro honors, his fourth consecutive in his career. Right tackle Kaleb McGary went down with a season-ending knee injury in training camp. Elijah Wilkinson took over and started all 17 games at right tackle. He played 1,096 snaps and had a 62.9 grade by Pro Football Focus. He had a 61 grade on run plays and 68.3 in pass protection. He had 12 penalties, six sacks allowed and nine quarterback hits. He tied cornerback A.J. Terrell for the team lead with 12 penalties. An impending unrestricted free agent, Wilkinson’s market value is $1.7 million per Spotrac.com.

Ryan Neuzil took over at center, started all 17 games and had a 77.4 overall grade (seventh of 40 centers). He had an 82.1 grade against the run (eighth), but he has to improve his pass-protection grade of 59.3 (30th). Jake Matthews gutted out 17 starts while playing through a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 6 against the Bills. He ranked third on the team with seven penalties. Left guard Matthew Bergeron was steady. He had PFF grades of 70.8 overall (22nd of 81); 65.7 in pass protection (28th); and 71.3 run blocking (18th). Guard Kyle Hinton was the top backup. Rookie tackle Jack Nelson played only four snaps from scrimmage. Cousins and Penix were sacked 26 times.

“Everyone in the building knows that we’re here to do a job,” Neuzil said. “We’re here to win.” Neuzil acknowledges there is room for improvement. “I’d say it’s not really much of an individual sport,” Neuzil said of starting. “It’s all team-based. So, it’s definitely a lot of things we can all improve on, including myself. Just hopefully something to build on for the future.” Grade: B-minus