He’s rushed for almost 500 yards in just four games this season, but two All-Pro stars for the Baltimore Ravens’ defense are confident they’ll stop Atlanta Falcons’ marquee running back Bijan Robinson in Week 5.
Robinson’s topped the 100-yard mark and scored two touchdowns on the ground in back-to-back games. He’s going to be a marked man when the Ravens arrive at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Sunday Night Football, but veteran middle linebacker Roquan Smith and do-all safety Kyle Hamilton aren’t fazed.
Smith predicts it’s going to be a “front seven game,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. For Smith, stopping Robinson is “about showing up. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re all excited for it.”
“It’s about showing up. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re all excited for it.”
Excitement isn’t the conventional response to facing a Robinson-led Falcons’ rushing offense that’s on a remarkable run in prime-time games. Smith and Hamilton are instead relishing the challenge.
Hamilton’s adamant “all 11 players need to run to the ball when Bijan Robinson has it ‘because he can make 10 miss,'” per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
Those words are a demand for focus from a defensive leader who hasn’t been shy about calling out an underperforming unit this season. Hamilton wants higher standards, and the Ravens’ defense has two good reasons to set them against Robinson and a dominant rushing attack.
One involves the front seven Smith referenced. The other involves Hamilton’s key role alongside an intriguing new sub-package favored by head coach Jesse Minter that’s perfect for the Falcons.
Bijan Robinson Enjoying Dominant Run Before Baltimore Matchup
The Falcons’ dominance in the running game is best summed up by their last two prime-time outings. Robinson and Co. amassed 242 yards and three touchdowns on the deck against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football in Week 3.
Things got even better when the Falcons rushed for five scores and 205 yards during a historic win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Robinson accounted for two of those TDs and ran for 145 yards, one week after clocking 194 yards against the Pack.
Robinson’s dominating because the Falcons are combining his preternatural physical skills with superior blocking. The best example of this blocking occurred on Robinson’s 59-yard touchdown run against the Saints.
Baltimore’s defensive line can still make this what Smith calls a “front seven game.” They’ll fare better in the trenches because nose tackle Travis Jones and ageing but still effective defensive end Calais Campbell are exceptional run-stuffers.
The recent return of star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike only makes the front stronger. He’s surprising his team by quickly getting back to his best, following a potentially career-threatening neck injury.
Madubuike showed he’s still got what it takes against the run by stuffing this 4th-and-goal rush during the 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans.
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The Ravens have the right front three to take inside running lanes away from Robinson. Madubuike and Co. can also keep Smith and the AFC’s most-active linebacker clean to pursue the Falcons’ lead workhorse.
That combination is how Smith and the front seven shut down one part of Robinson’s game. Hamilton must help take care of the other.
Ravens Can Use Special Roles to Stop Falcons
Robinson’s breakaway speed should be the Ravens’ biggest concern. Particularly after he “reached a top speed of 21.78 mph on his 59-yard TD run, the second-fastest speed by a ball carrier this season and the second-fastest of Robinson’s career,” per Next Gen Stats.
A play like this why the Ravens need Hamilton closer to where Robinson gets the ball. Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver must put more speed onto the field to counter Robinson’s field-stretching talents.
It could mean more of Hamilton playing closer to the line of scrimmage and blitzing, the way he did in Week 1. Putting their best athlete into the box to stop the Falcons’ most dynamic scoring machine makes sense, but the Ravens have other schematic twists to corral Robinson.
One strategy can involve Minter and Weaver’s desire to put three playmaking off-ball linebackers into the lineup at once. It would mean overloading the front and showing potential 4-4 or 5-3 looks.
Those fronts would be vulnerable to the pass, but the Ravens have to take that risk. Stopping Robinson is the only route to victory for a team likely to be without its own talisman on offense.
Ravens’ All-Pros Reveal How They’ll Stop Bijan Robinson