The Atlanta Falcons didn’t just beat the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. Bijan Robinson spent much of the 35-14 win making Green Bay defenders look helpless in space.
Robinson ran 29 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns at Lambeau Field, finishing one yard shy of his career high. Afterward, the Falcons running back offered a revealing glimpse into what he was seeing while breaking down the Packers’ defense.
Apparently, he could see the concern on defenders’ faces.
Bijan Robinson Saw Packers Defenders’ Eyes Get ‘Really Big’
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported from Robinson’s locker after the game that the Falcons star said he can see defenders’ eyes get big as he makes them miss.
“Their eyes were really big” Thursday night, Robinson said, according to Fowler.
It was difficult to argue with him after what Green Bay had just endured.
Robinson averaged 6.7 yards per carry, broke loose for a 55-yard run and scored twice. His 194 rushing yards were one shy of the career-high 195 he posted against the Los Angeles Rams last December.
The performance was even more striking because of what Green Bay had done against the run before Robinson arrived.
The Packers entered Thursday allowing only 2.85 yards per rushing attempt, second-best in the NFL through two games. They had surrendered 174 rushing yards total and only two runs of at least 14 yards.
Robinson nearly topped that two-game rushing total by himself.
Atlanta finished with 244 rushing yards while Green Bay managed only 17. The Falcons controlled possession for more than 37 minutes and piled up 498 total yards, their first offensive explosion after opening the season with losses to Pittsburgh and Carolina. The victory also gave Stefanski his first win as Atlanta’s head coach and ended Green Bay’s 13-game home-opener winning streak.
Kevin Stefanski Praises Bijan Robinson’s Unique Running Style
Kevin Stefanski had his own explanation for why Robinson made the Packers look so uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s fun to watch. He’s got a very unique style into how he runs the ball, and some of the stop and start, and he does have the ability just to put his head down and gain hard yards as well,” Falcons SI’s Darius Hayes
Both sides of that description showed up Thursday.
Robinson’s 55-yard burst in the second quarter displayed the open-field ability that can turn a routine handoff into a game-changing play. Later, Atlanta leaned on him to keep moving the chains as it protected a multi-score lead.
His final touchdown came with 3:35 remaining, a 2-yard run that pushed Atlanta’s advantage to 33-14 before Michael Penix Jr. completed the two-point conversion.
The night also continued Robinson’s remarkable production since entering the league. He now has 349 rushing yards on 66 carries through three games this season, along with 13 receptions for 118 yards and a receiving touchdown.
His 213 yards from scrimmage against Green Bay pushed him past 6,000 for his career before his 25th birthday, making him the 10th player in NFL history to reach that mark before turning 25.
But the numbers only tell part of what Green Bay dealt with.
Robinson could apparently see the rest every time a Packers defender realized he was about to have to tackle him in space.
On Thursday night, those eyes kept getting bigger.
Falcons’ Bijan Robinson Gets Candid About Packers Defenders