Running back Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons, who was significantly limited during Sunday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will “be fine,” according to head coach Arthur Smith.
Robinson claimed following the game that he had headaches and had started “feeling weird” on Saturday night. He had trouble falling asleep, and on Sunday he awoke “feeling completely out of it.” Although he tried to feel better by taking medication, his headache persisted.
Robinson claimed he never thought about skipping the 16-13 victory on Sunday, but he only managed to play 11 snaps and had only one touch, a 3-yard run on the final drive of the game to set up Younghoe Koo’s game-winning field goal.
Smith deferred to the play itself when asked why Robinson was granted a carry in that circumstance given that he hadn’t played the entire game.
Smith remarked, “He was in a two-minute predicament. “They gave us three yards, and the game was situational.” He alters what people choose to name it, which is the reason. It’s not that difficult.
The Falcons either had another guy run the ball on the other snaps when Robinson was on the field or they had him run a route without looking at him.
It was fortunate that he would be available. We’d simply have to watch how the game went as to how much, Smith remarked. He asked if he could leave. “The way the game proceeded, [Cordarrelle Patterson] & Tyler [Allgeier] did a nice job. I think he does a terrific job, especially with the two-minute stuff, but we’ll never know how the game was affected or whether certain calls were impacted.
But Kyle Pitts’ play gave us the look we were going for, gained us a few yards, helped us win the game, and brought the field goal closer. But issues constantly arise. The players were informed, and unusual things have occasionally occurred on game days, but we would never send him on the field if we believed it would be harmful in the long run.
On Sunday, Allgeier gained 59 yards through 21 carries and three receptions while Patterson gained 56 through 10 carries.
Robinson said during the game that his head was still bothering him but that neither a COVID test nor a concussion test had been performed on him. During Monday’s open media session, he wasn’t seen in the locker room.
The draft’s eighth overall choice this year has logged 81 carries for 404 yards. This season, he has also caught 26 passes for 189 yards and two scores.