Tag: bijan robinson

Kyle Pitts’ huge catch sets up Bijan Robinson’s 2nd TD vs. Panthers

WATCH: Kyle Pitts’ 52-yard catch sets up Bijan Robinson touchdown run to give Falcons the lead vs. Panthers

The Atlanta Falcons finally took the lead in their Week 6 matchup against the Panthers thanks to a crucial Kyle Pitts catch and run to flip the field. The fourth-year tight end hauled in a 52-yard reception in the second quarter, which set up a seven-yard touchdown run by running back Bijan Robinson.

It was Robinson’s second touchdown run of the game. The second-year running back has eight carries for 41 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of Sunday’s contest. Pitts has two catches for 56 receiving yards. Check out both plays below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1845579086183514510

https://twitter.com/atlantafalcons/status/1845577781024874882?s=46

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Falcons need to flex their muscles against the Panthers in Week 6

The Falcons need to flex their muscles against the Panthers in Week 6..

As we approach Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons stand atop the NFC South after defeating the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in consecutive weeks. The team’s next test is a road matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

While the Panthers do seem to be more fluid on offense with Andy Dalton replacing Bryce Young at quarterback, they’re still a team in disrepair and in need of a major rebuild. Sunday’s game will be the Falcons’ best opportunity yet to flex their muscles and dominate an opponent.

The team pulled off two improbable comebacks to beat Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, but Atlanta has yet to win convincingly. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dropped a fourth-quarter pass that would have sealed a win in Week 2.

That blunder gave the Falcons new life, and to their credit, they took advantage. Atlanta needed to outscore the Bucs 13-6 in the second half just to force overtime before benefitted from winning the coin toss.

Obviously, it’s nice to win when you’re not playing your best football, but the Falcons have to prove they can play well for four quarters. Carolina is 1-4 this season with an average margin of defeat of 24 points.

The Panthers opened the season with a 37-point loss to the Saints and are coming off a 26-point loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday. The Falcons’ average margin of victory is just three points and all five games this season have been within a single possession.

In Week 5, Kirk Cousins showed the league that the team isn’t scared to throw the football by recording the 25th 500-yard passing game in NFL history against the Bucs. This should work in Atlanta’s favor in Week 6 as Carolina ranks 22nd in passing yards allowed per game.

Surprisingly, the ground game is where the Falcons need to show the most improvement. The Panthers’ run defense ranks 27th in the league, allowing just under 145 yards per contest.

The Falcons haven’t had a 100-yard rusher all season and are one of eight teams averaging under 100 rushing yards per game. When your backfield consists of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, those are unacceptably low numbers.

As highlighted above, the matchups favor Atlanta in Week 6. Now it’s time for this team to prove its early-season success wasn’t a fluke.

Sunda’s game starts at 4:25 p.m. ET inside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Check out the team’s latest injury report, depth chart, and 53-man roster entering Week 6.

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Vita Vea of Bucs storms through Bijan Robinson en route to sack

Vita Vea took care of Bijan Robinson before sacking Kirk Cousins

Vita Vea is one of the bigger players in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman checks in at a tidy 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson isn’t small at 5-foot-11 and 215.

However, when Vea charges at the quarterback with only Robinson in front of him it is no contest.

Vea stopped an Atlanta drive in its tracks on Thursday by blowing through Robinson and sacking Kirk Cousins.

Saints fans should be rooting for a Buccaneers loss on TNF

The Buccaneers and Falcons face off on Thursday Night Football. Saints fans will never root for the Falcons, but they should be pulling for a Bucs loss:

“Thursday Night Football” features an NFC South duel in Week 5 between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With these two being divisional opponents, the New Orleans Saints and their  fans should be glued to their screens.

An Atlanta win would further muddy the top of the divisional standings. Saying root for the Falcons doesn’t feel right, so let’s root for a Buccaneers loss. That would benefit the Saints.

It’s always important to remember the season is young, but the Saints face the risk of falling behind by a couple of games at the end of the week.

The Saints have a difficult game versus the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.” That isn’t necessarily the best game when looking to stop a two game slide.

Thursday’s outcome means more if the Saints lose, but the benefit is similar either way. You want to keep the Buccaneers from getting a two game lead on you. The Saints get the chance to handle business against the Buccaneers in Week 6.

If you enter that game only one behind, you get the chance to tie and pass Tampa Bay in the standings.

If you’re behind Tampa Bay by two games entering Week 6, this immediately feels like a must win. The worst case scenario gets worse.

The whole premise is a bit forward thinking. The point is, however, you want the Buccaneers to lose, so everyone is closer in record moving forward.

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Falcons RB Bijan Robinson earns sideline praise in game he’s not even playing in

The latest Cowboys’ Sounds from the Sideline video offers a glimpse into the Longhorn Legion as DeMarvion Overshown talks the difficulty in corralling his former teammate. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Anyone familiar with the state of Texas has a deep understanding of what football means to folks in that part of the world. Like Western Pennsylvania and several hotspots in California, the amount of talent from that part of the country is insane. And despite not winning a college football championship in some time, the brotherhood is extended to those who attend the University of Texas.

That was on display at an unexpected time in Week 4, when former UT and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was getting accolades from his teammates for yet another impressive defensive play. Overshown chased down speedy Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson on the left sideline to prevent a touchdown. When asked about it back on the sideline, he credited having to chase down former teammate and current Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson in practice.

It was all captured in the latest Dallas Cowboys Sounds from the Sideline video at the 3:52 mark.

“I used to practice against Bijan every [expletive day. At Texas? So I know… that’s where I learned. Bro when you close, don’t give ’em no time to think about a move.”

Overshown and Robinson were in the same draft class of 2023, but an ACL injury in training camp stole the Cowboys LB’s rookie season. Now that he’s back, he’s displaying an insane amount of closing speed and wrap-up tackling ability Dallas hasn’t had at the position in some time.

He’ll get a chance to show how capable he is in bringing down his former teammate when the Cowboys visit the Falcons in Week 9 on November 3.

 

Bucs defense among the leagues best in a critical category

Through the first four weeks, the Bucs have generated 77 pressures, earning a top-five spot in the league.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has largely been talked about due to the play of the secondary, with the emergence of CB Zyon McCollum and the play of S Christian Izien while Antoine Winfield Jr. remains sidelined with a foot injury. Through the first four weeks, the Bucs have generated 77 pressures, earning a top-five spot in the league.

Yaya Diaby’s 21 pressures not only lead the Bucs but also tie him with Micah Parsons for fourth-most in the NFL. While registering a sack is the ultimate goal, it doesn’t tell the full story. Pressuring opposing quarterbacks into moving around the pocket only creates more opportunities for mistakes. As fans saw during Sunday’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts was never able to get comfortable in the backfield, as the Bucs generated 26 pressures on the day.

Through four games this season, the Atlanta Falcons’ 26th-ranked pass-blocking offensive line has allowed 45 pressures on Kirk Cousins. For context, the Bucs’ offensive line has allowed eight fewer pressures, with 37. Expect Todd Bowles to exploit matchups on Thursday as the Falcons’ running game has a setback with RB Bijan Robinson not playing at 100% with a hamstring injury.

Falcons list four players on simulated Monday injury report

Bijan Robinson and Kaleb McGary were limited on the Falcons’ simulated Monday injury report..

It has been less than 24 hours since the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the team has little time to recover before Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Falcons did not hold a formal practice on Monday but were required to release a simulated injury report. Linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) was listed as out while three other players were included on Monday’s report.

Right tackle Kaleb McGary (knee), running back Bijan Robinson (hamstring) and wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (ankle) were each listed as limited participants. McGary was held out of Sunday’s game but is trending in the right direction for Week 5.

Falcons simulated Monday injury report:

Player Injury Mon Tue Wed Status
Troy Andersen Knee DNP      
Kaleb McGary Knee LP      
Bijan Robinson Hamstring LP      
Ray-Ray McCloud Ankle LP      

If Andersen can’t play against the Buccaneers on Thursday, the team could look to linebacker Rashaan Evans. Atlanta signed the former first-round pick to the practice squad on Monday afternoon. Evans has a ton of starting experience, including 17 starts for the Falcons in 2022.

Atlanta sits at 2-2 entering Thursday night’s matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Buccaneers currently lead the NFC South with a 3-1 record after four games.

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Saints pick college football’s most exciting running back in 2025 mock draft

We have the Saints picking college football’s most exciting running back in this 2025 mock draft. Ashton Jeanty just might win the Heisman Trophy:

How can the New Orleans Saints get better in the 2025 NFL draft? After a 2-2 start with Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, they’re slotted in at No. 13, per Tankathon, and they clearly have some problems. It’ll take more than one draft pick to cure what ails them.

So is a running back the answer? No, not for everything. But Boise State prospect and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty was too good to pass up when we got on the clock with the Pro Football Focus 2025 NFL mock draft simulator.

Nerds will tell you not to draft a running back in the first round, but NFL teams are showing us they disagree. Bijan Robinson was picked at No. 8 in 2023. A few minutes later Jahmyr Gibbs went at No. 12. Jeanty might be better than both of them. He was certainly the best prospect when we made our pick. There weren’t any offensive linemen available at No. 13, and the defensive ends on the board didn’t fit the Saints’ established preferences. So Jeanty it was.

It’s underselling his season so far to say he’s dominated his competition. Jeanty has logged 82 carries in four games, gaining a ridiculous 845 yards — and he was pulled at halftime against Portland State after picking up 127 yards on just 11 attempts. He’s already scored 13 touchdowns this season after totaling 14 last year. A few weeks ago he ran for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on an Oregon defense full of future NFL players.

He’s a big-play threat with 78 runs of 10 or more yards, and 17 alone this year. For context, the Saints have combined for 15 gains of 10-plus on the ground this season. And he can catch. Jeanty has caught 65 receptions on 74 targets in his three-year career, gaining 758 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. He’s only dropped two passes in that span while shaking 30 tackles and converting as many first downs.

There have been concerns about his size but he’s an inch taller than Alvin Kamara while hitting the same listed weight (215 pounds), and he just looks faster. Jeanty is averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. That’s incredible.

And that brings us to Kamara. He chose to table contract talks with the Saints until after the season and there’s a real chance things don’t work out, which would lead to his leaving the team. You hope it doesn’t come to that. Especially if he wins the franchise rushing yards record and continues to overtake Hall of Famers in career touchdowns scored. There’s plenty of motivation to cut a deal, but until it happens we can’t assume it’ll get done.

There’s also an argument for drafting Jeanty even if Kamara signs a contract that will let him play out his career in black and gold. Neither of them should be touching the ball 30 times each week, but together they could give the Saints one of the best one-two punches in the NFL with Jeanty taking on a heavier workload as Kamara enters the last leg of his career. Right now the Saints don’t have a proven commodity backing Kamara up. They don’t trust Jamaal Williams to do it (4 carries for 10 yards the last two weeks), and Kendre Miller hasn’t shown he can get on the field to try. No one further down the depth chart has made much noise.

Situations can change. We don’t know where the Saints are going to be picking in 2025 or what their needs will be after free agency. We’ll just have to wait and see. But the way things stand right now? Jeanty is the most exciting runner in college football and he’s pushing Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter hard for the Heisman Trophy. He’d bring a real spark to an offense that could use it. If nothing else, it’s a fun possibility.

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Saints’ big defensive ends will be key in stopping Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson is looking to run outside the tackles, so Carl Granderson and Chase Young will be key to the Saints stopping the Falcons’ leading rusher:

The defensive ends will be a critical part of helping the New Orleans Saints stop Atlanta Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson. When you think about containing a running back, you typically think of linebackers. Their job got more difficult with Demario Davis ruled out, but they’ll need the help of Carl Granderson and Chase Young.

Robinson likes to gets around the corner, and he’s extremely productive when he does. The running back has 196 yards on the season, and 155 of them are from runs outside the tackle. If you expand that range to Robinson’s career, he’s racked up 950 yards outside the tackle. Only Christian McCaffrey has more yardage since Robinson came to the NFL.

Robinson is looking to stretch the defense, and the play-side tackles are going to attempt to hook the defensive ends inside.

Granderson and Young are athletic players. If they can shed their blockers, they should do a good job turning Robinson back inwards. That’s where Willie Gay and Pete Werner should be to finish the play.

Continuing to force Robinson horizontal is also effective. Granderson and Young’s ability to keep Robinson from getting outside and down hill is key. If they can consistently force him to the sidelines or back towards hell then they’ve done their job.

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Falcons receive good news, bad news on final Week 4 injury report

Falcons receive good news, bad news on final Week 4 injury report…

In Week 4, the Atlanta Falcons will play the first of three consecutive NFC South games when they host the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sunday’s game could be heavily influenced by injuries as both teams will be without multiple offensive linemen.

The Falcons ruled out right tackle Kaleb McGary (knee) despite his return to practice on Friday. Center Drew Dalman (ankle) was placed on the injured reserve list following Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. Ryan Neuzil will take Dalman’s place and Storm Notron is in for McGary.

The Saints placed center Eric McCoy on injured reserve earlier this week and ruled out guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) for Sunday’s matchup. New Orleans has also ruled out linebacker Demario Davis due to COVID.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (shoulder) and linebacker Matthew Judon (hamstring) both returned to full participation after being limited at Thursday’s practice.

Defensive linemen David Onyemata and Grady Jarrett were given a rest day while Ta’Quon Graham was limited. Check out the team’s complete Week 4 injury report with game designations below:

Player Injury Wed Thu Fri Status
Kaleb McGary Knee DNP DNP LP OUT
Bijan Robinson Shoulder   — LP FP   —
Matthew Judon Hamstring   — LP FP   —
Jake Matthews Personal   — DNP   —   —
Ta’Quon Graham Rest   —   — LP   —
David Onyemata Rest   —   — DNP   —
Grady Jarrett Rest   —   — DNP   —

Sunday’s game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET in Atlanta. The Falcons are slight favorites but must take care of business to avoid losing the series lead over the Saints. Both teams have won exactly 55 games entering matchup No. 111 this weekend.

Make sure to check out Atlanta’s updated 53-man roster and depth chart heading into Week 4.

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