Falcons HC Responds To Speculation About Bijan Robinson

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Falcons have gone through plenty of misery ever since they blew a 25-point lead in Super Bowl LI and lost to the New England Patriots, but now they have a glimmer of hope.

They have somehow taken over first place in the NFC South with a 4-3 record, and they appear to have a new star in rookie running back Bijan Robinson.

Robinson has 404 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry plus 189 yards and two touchdowns in the air so far this season, and he seems to have at least an outside shot at winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

But he was suffering from an undisclosed illness during Atlanta’s Week 7 contest versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and per Dov Kleiman, head coach Arthur Smith responded to the team’s failure to let the NFL know about the nature of Robinson’s illness.

#Falcons coach Arthur Smith responded to questions failing to update the status of RB Bijan Robinson ahead of the #Bucs game.

“I understand outrage and drama sells.”pic.twitter.com/1UdFyW6Pt5https://t.co/6iie71FkeK

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 25, 2023

Sunday’s game against the Bucs gave Atlanta first place in the division, as Atlanta won, 16-13, even though Robinson had just one carry for a paltry three yards.

Tyler Allgeier, Cordarelle Paterson, and quarterback Desmond Ridder picked up the slack when it came to the Falcons’ run game with a combined 153 rushing yards.

Defensively, they held down Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield to just 27 complete passes out of 42 attempts.

The biggest positive for the Falcons this season is their ground game, which ranks eighth in yards thanks in part to Robinson’s talents.

Next up for them will be a road contest against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, followed by games against the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.

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