FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Monday night’s effort against the Philadelphia Eagles was the fourth-best game of Bijan Robinson’s career as measured by offensive efficiency.
How important is that for the Atlanta Falcons? They’ve won all five games at the top of that list.
“We expect nothing less from him. He is Bijan,” Falcons wide receiver Drake London said. “He’s one of the better backs in the league. That’s who we expect him to be.”
And the numbers suggest they need him to be that. Robinson had 14 carries for 97 yards and four catches for 25 yards against the Eagles, which added up to .34 expected points added per play. That makes it one of five games in his 19-game career in which he’s had a positive number in that category, according to TruMedia.
The Falcons are 3-11 in the games Robinson has a negative number.
“I thought he saw the game really well the other night,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “He was hitting everything that was there. I know he feels like he left a couple things on the table, just in terms of attacking the third level of the defense, but those things will come with more reps, with just getting used to the game flow and how the speed of the game is in these live game situations, but really, I mean, you love Bijan for everything he does for the team.”
Bijan Robinson, whose 97 yards were the third-highest total of his career, spread the credit around. Or tried to.
“It was the O-line, Chris (Lindstrom), Kaleb (McGary), Drew (Dalman), Berg (Matthew Bergerson). I’m missing one more, who am I missing? Jake (Matthews), the main one. And Charlie (Woerner) and Kyle (Pitts) and (Drake) Mooney and Ray-Ray (McCloud) and Drake, all of them what they did from Week 1 to Week 2 was completely different,” he said.
The Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 held the Falcons to 89 rushing yards and Robinson to minus-.33 EPA per play.
“We hadn’t played together yet, and we didn’t play in preseason so those were like bullets firing all over the place and we had to buckle down and get used to it, but in Week 2 we had a different mindset and all of those guys were amazing,” Bijan Robinson said.
.@Bijan5Robinson laid down a nasty chip block 🫢💥 pic.twitter.com/rTm26Z15sK
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2024
The Falcons won’t completely turn the run game over to Robinson, though. Tyler Allgeier had nine carries for 53 yards (.32 EPA per play) against the Eagles. Allgeier was limited in Wednesday’s practice because of a hip injury but returned to full participation Thursday.
“A little bit of combination with those two guys is going to continue to be a good balance for us,” Zac Robinson said.
Robinson and Allgeier are running with purpose. Through two weeks, they are the two fastest backs at the line of scrimmage in the league (among players with at least 12 carries this season). Robinson is averaging 12.05 mph when he gets to the line of scrimmage, and Allgeier is averaging 11.87, according to TruMedia.
“Obviously, people saw what we can be,” Bijan Robinson said. “I think Zac got comfortable in just calling plays and seeing the field and what we’re comfortable with. When we’re all on the same page, that’s the kind of production we put out. That was just the beginning of the standard. We have so much more in the tank. We can do something really special.”
The Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs defense
Kirk Cousins keeps watching film of Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones and hoping to see the drop-off that comes with age. He hasn’t seen it yet.
“You keep waiting for really good players as they get older to fall off and you kind of cross your fingers, ‘Maybe this guy will fall off,’ but that’s not the case with Chris Jones,” Atlanta’s quarterback said. “He’s still at the peak.”
The 30-year-old Jones has been an All-Pro defensive tackle five of the last six seasons. Two seasons ago, he finished third in defensive player of the year voting. He has 76 1/2 career sacks, including one this season.
In the first two weeks of the season, the Falcons’ interior offensive linemen have faced Pittsburgh’s Cam Heyward and Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter. They are great players but not as great as Jones, left guard Matthew Bergeron said.
“He’s tall, he’s lengthy. He’s got great pass-rush moves,” Bergeron said. “We have to come up with a plan and make sure we execute that plan.”
Jones’ biggest strength is his first step, which Bergeron called “crazy” fast.
“He’s on you faster than you think he is,” Bergeron said. “He has longer reach so his moves are harder to stop. You have to play with good pad level, good hands and be ready for a dogfight. In the individual and team period, we’re going to have to give a good look to each other, but come Sunday it’s going to be a different beast.”
Travis Kelce’s connection impossible to emulate
Justin Simmons knows what everyone watching on television is screaming every time Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce catches a pass these days.
“Why is he open?”
The answer is simple, said Simmons, who faced Kelce twice a year during the eight years he played in Denver.
“It’s because they’re really good at what they do,” the safety said. “We know we have our work cut out for us with that.”
The relationship between Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is borderline mystical at this point in their careers, he said.
“They just have a unique connection,” he said. “They are able to just kind of look at each other and telegraph what they are going to do. Kelce can line up and kind of diagnose what the defense is presenting and they can adjust what they do.”
Since Mahomes became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018, Kelce has 9,076 receiving yards, 2,746 more than any other tight end. He is second among all positions in receiving yards in that time.
“You can’t necessarily go and draw his routes up on a card,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “I’m not even sure what his routes are. I’m not sure if (Mahomes) knows. I’m not sure if he knows, but they work. They’re very hard to emulate. You definitely got to play for a very long time when you’re covering Travis Kelce. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Kelce has started slow this season with four catches for 39 yards, which is not a surprise considering he’s 34 years old and the Chiefs have shown a tendency lately to ramp him up slowly so he’s fresh for the playoffs. The Falcons hope they keep that up Sunday.
Will she show? No one seems to know
As of Friday, there was no word on whether Kelce’s world famous girlfriend, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, will attend Sunday night’s game.
“I know she owns a couple private jets and that is very convenient for getting to things, I’ve learned,” Cousins said. “So, if she wants to be here, I’m sure she has the logistical means to make that happen.”
Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake is hoping she shows.
“I love her music, I love her performances,” Lake said. “I haven’t been to a concert. I’d love to go to a concert. But yes, it is in my iTunes.”
London’s up-and-down week
London’s week has been all over the place. He caught the game-tying touchdown on “Monday Night Football” with 34 seconds left but then drew a flag by mimicking a weapon in his celebration, which was especially poor timing because the Falcons had hosted the football team from Apalachee High three days before the game against the Eagles. Two students and two teachers were killed earlier this month in a shooting at the school. On Saturday, the NFL announced London received a $14,069 fine for the celebration.
“Drake’s was a celebration that we actually don’t want to have happen because of the violence that goes on in our country that we’re very sensitive of, but he had no ill will and no ill intent,” Morris said. “That’s a mistake by all of us — on all of our parts — to have those things come out with what was going on in our country and not being sensitive to those situations that we definitely are. That was just Drake having fun with his fan base and his people up in the stands. You don’t really think about those things in the moment, but you’ve got to be sensitive about all those things.”
London immediately apologized to Morris after the play and said Wednesday in the locker room that he “just lost myself.”
“Won’t see that celebration from me again at least,” he said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
London’s week got a little better when he got the “Falcons Finisher” wrestling-style belt that offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford gives to the player who strains the most in the run-blocking game.
“Really happy I got it, it’s my first one,” London said. “Week 1, I wasn’t really straining as much as I should have to spring some runs. Moving forward, I will definitely block my tail off.”
Cousins praised London’s blocking in Week 2 but also suggested he’d like a shot at the belt.
Ledford “told me I have a chance to win it. If my bootleg fakes are good enough, that maybe someday I’ll have a chance to win the belt,” Cousins said. “I think he was just kind of gassing me up, more posturing than reality, but Drake is doing a phenomenal job in the run game. Not many receivers take the level of pride in it that he does, and it will make a difference for our football team and will help us win games.”
(Top photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
