FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons running back Bijan Robinson needs 88 yards rushing in the regular-season finale Sunday to break the franchise record for rushing yards in a season by a rookie.
The record of 1,035 yards was set last season by Tyler Allgeier. Before that, William Andrews’ mark of 1,023 stood for 43 years.
The Falcons will face the Saints at 1 p.m. at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Robinson, who was the eighth player taken in the 2023 draft, has rushed 203 times for 948 yards for four touchdowns. He also has 51 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
“That would be a blessing to get Tyler’s (record),” Robinson said. “We are always competing for everything that we do. I think that just me supporting him and him supporting me, that would be a cool feat because he broke it last year, and God willing, I can get it this year.”
Robinson has rushed for more than 88 yards in four games this season. He had a season-high 124 yards rushing against Green Bay on Sept. 17.
“This year, it’s been a good year,” Robinson said. “It’s been fun to be a part of it with this team. Obviously, we faced adversity. But I think for me being in my high faith, everything that’s a setback is for a huge setup. I think it was really cool to get to experience a lot of things this season.”
The Falcons need a win over the Saints and a loss by the Bucs (8-8) against the Panthers (2-14) to win the NFC South title and go to the playoffs.
The Falcons have rushed for 228, 231 and 201 yards in the past three meetings with the Saints.
“It needs to go through us for this game,” Robinson said of the rushing attack. “We’ve got to set the tone when it comes to the rushing attack.”
The Falcons defeated the Saints 25-14 on Nov. 26. Robinson rushed 16 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.
“We have to understand that everything that we are preparing for this week is to give everything that we have,” Robinson said. “Whether it’s rushing game or the passing game, it’s going to be important for me, Tyler and (Cordarrelle Patterson) to get rolling early and to sustain that all game.”
Running back coach Michael Pitre has been pleased with Robinson’s season.
“‘B’ has done a really good job doing the things we’ve asked him to do,” Pitre said. “He’s done a great job proving that he can be a three-down back in this league. He’s done a great job of showing what he can do in the pass game. He’s averaging almost 5 yards a carry.”
Robinson’s future is bright.
“Most importantly, his teammates around him are giving him the opportunities to continue to showcase what he can do to try to help us win games,” Pitre said. “We have been very happy with his progress throughout this season.”
