Bijan Robinson’s Atlanta Falcons took on the Carolina Panthers in the final week of the 2024 NFL regular season. They could have won the NFC South Championship with a win and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss, but neither game fell in the Falcons’ favor. They lost 44-38 while Tampa won the division with a Week 18 thriller.
It was a tough bite to swallow for Robinson, who was nearly in tears after two consecutive losses. The Falcons were 8-7 after the win against the New York Giants in week 16. Atlanta had one foot in the postseason, but it didn’t go according to plan, succumbing against the Washington Commanders in Week 17. With the Falcons’ playoff hopes in the hands of the New Orleans Saints, their chances grew increasingly slim throughout Sunday’s games.
At nearly the same time as Tampa Bay’s division-clinching victory, Panthers running back Miles Sanders scampered into the end zone in overtime, ending Atlanta’s season and sending Robinson home with a loss. The heartbroken running back opened up to the media about missing out on the playoffs after the game.
Bijan Robinson Reacts to Atlanta Falcons Missing Playoffs
Robinson now has five games this season with multiple rushing touchdowns, which is the most in a season in Falcons history. On Sunday, he ran 28 times 170 yards, a career-high, and two scores. He finished the season with 1,456 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 304 carries.
Despite Robinson giving it his all, Atlanta’s eight-win season wasn’t enough to win the NFC South. He addressed the media on the season and his future after the defeat at Mercedes-Benz stadium.
“You know, it’s tough. It’s tough not completing the goals you guys have set, you know as a team, falling short of that,” Robinson said. “And for us, like we had such a bright mindset to want to go out there and be best every single game or every single play. But we understand that in the NFL, we got to do it every single week. We can’t hold ourselves back from anything on the field.”
It might be a shattering loss, but the Falcons star wants to go out and do it all over again.
“I’m ready to go. Like, I could play another season right now. It’s how fired up I am about what we have got. And I think that this offense in this team shows what we can do and how it’s supposed to be,” Robinson added.
The 22-year-old also revealed his offseason plans and the next step for the organization.
“Now it’s attacking the offseason in the right way, in making sure that we are feeling this anger that’s building up. You know, making sure just even Drake (London) and Mike become leaders of our team. And that we get everybody together so we can have the most successful season.”
How Did Bijan Robinson Impact the Falcons Offense in 2024?
It’s a small sample, but there has been an increase in running room for Robinson with rookie Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback:
- Desmond Ridder under center: 2.71 yards per carry before contact
- Kirk Cousins under center: 2.99 yards per carry before contact
- Penix under center: 3.13 yards per carry before contact
There was a lot of discussion about how former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith used Bijan Robinson during his rookie season in 2023. In 2024, Robinson’s production has increased in several areas, but his red-zone usage has seen a significant jump under head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
He played a significant role in Atlanta posting the league’s 14th-best unit by Pro Football Network’s Offense+ metric entering Week 18, something Sunday’s shootout should only help — even if it wasn’t enough to extend Robinson’s season.