FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons running back Bijan Robinson hopes to have a bounce-back performance against the Saints at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After rushing for 3.78 yards per carry and 6.93 in the first two games, Robinson was held to his second-lowest yards per game (1.94 per carry, 16 for 31 yards) as a pro Sunday night. He had 1.57 per carry (7 carries for 11 yards) in the 9-7 loss at the Panthers on Dec. 17.
After Robinson amassed 111 and 122 scrimmage yards, the Chiefs held him to 52 yards and dropped him for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-inches with the Falcons trying to keep their hopes alive in the final minute of what would become a 22-17 loss. “I want to get those, (keep) those in me and Tyler (Allgeier’s) hand,” Robinson said. “Watching that play, it’s something that motivates me. I don’t want it to happen again.”
Allgeier double-teamed Kansas City’s Bryan Cook. That left a hole for linebacker Nick Bolton to shoot through and grab Robinson’s right leg.
“We’ll keep the kind of schematics and everything in house on it,” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “We felt collectively good about that play in that situation. Unfortunately, it just didn’t go our way.”
Bijan Robinson believes he had a chance for a big play.
“Most definitely, if he’s blocked, there was actually nobody left,” Robinson said. “That could have been a touchdown. It didn’t happen. I can’t really go back. So, it didn’t happen. If the situation were a little different then the outcome would be different. But what happened, happened. You’ve got to move on from it.”
Robinson rushed 18 times for 68 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards against the Steelers on Sept. 8. He rushed 14 times for 97 yards and caught four passes for 25 yards against the Eagles on Sept. 16. In addition to the rushing yards, Robinson had two catches for 21 yards against the stingy Chiefs’ defense.
The Falcons hope to get rolling against the Saints, who gave up 172 yards rushing in a 15-12 loss to the Eagles. Saquon Barkley rushed 17 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yarder.
“We’ve got to do good in the run game,” Robinson said. “So, we can get the defense on their toes and attack them. It’s something we have up our sleeves.”
Under former coach Arthur Smith, the Falcons finished in the top 10 in rushing in each of the past two seasons (third, 159.9 per game in 2022: ninth, 127.0 per game in 2023).
“With our identity, it starts with being more physical than the guys on the other side,” Robinson said. “Making sure that run game is spot on.”
The Chiefs kept eight to nine defenders close to the line of scrimmage and dared the Falcons to throw deep. That plan backfired when quarterback Kirk Cousins found tight end Kyle Pitts for a 50-yard gain.
“We’ll unlock the playbook when we start going how we want to go in the run game, but I think that’s where we need to start,” Robinson said. “That was a challenge last game. The Chiefs, hats off to them.”
With the rushing attack working against the Eagles, Cousins tossed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney. Robinson picked up a blitzer on that play that allowed Cousins time to get the ball out to Mooney.
“We need to be explosive in the run game and the pass game and make sure we are doing it at a high level,” Robinson said.
Because of injuries, the Falcons will try to get the rushing attack moving with two new starters. Ryan Neuzil is set to take over for Drew Dalman (high left ankle sprain) and likely right tackle Storm Norton for Kaleb McGary (left knee).
“Just staying good with the operation,” Neuzil said about the rushing attack. “It’s got to start with me up front. Just getting everybody on the same page, making sure we are working smoothly.”
All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom said, “The Chiefs brought a lot of pressure. Just handling the pressure and different line movements. New Orleans has a great front, so it will be the same thing.”
The Falcons don’t plan to abandon their rushing attack.
“So, we’ll always focus on the plays,” Robinson said. “Obviously, there’s going to be some schemed-up things that we have, but then the staple plays that we do have, we’ve got to execute.”
Robinson wants the offense to attack the Saints.
“As soon as we hit the field, we need to make our presence felt right away,” Robinson said. “We did that in the Eagles game, and we kept on going.”
If they get stopped, they have to keep pressing on.
“Obviously, there is some bad plays that happen,” Robinson said. “We can’t let that creep in our minds or affect what we are trying to do. We (must) continue to execute.”
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