Falcons RB Bijan Robinson barely plays in 16-13 win over Buccaneers due to apparent illness
Younghoe Koo hit a 51-yard field goal to lift the Falcons past the Buccaneers on Sunday
Bijan Robinson wasn’t on the field much Sunday afternoon.
The Atlanta Falcons rookie running back played in just three snaps on the team’s first three drives, and then got his only carry of the game — a three-yard rush — on the final drive of their 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida. He wasn’t on the injury report headed into the game at Raymond James Stadium, either, which left fans puzzled.
Then at halftime, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith revealed that Robinson was “just not feeling all that great.” Robinson revealed after the game that he started getting a headache on Saturday night, and it was much worse Sunday.
"I was feeling weird," Robinson said, via the team. "I woke up, just completely out of it. I tried to take medicine so I could be good for the game. But my head was hurting. Bad. I don't know what was going on. I tried to go in pregame, but then coach Smith said, 'We'll be all right. Let's get you right.'"
Robinson played in 72% of offensive snaps this season entering Sunday. He had 401 rushing yards on 80 carries, and 189 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 26 catches this season. The Falcons took Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas.
Robinson was a big fantasy player this weekend. He was started in 99% of Yahoo Sports leagues, and was the consensus No. 10 running back through six weeks. He was projected to score just shy of 15 points in 0.5 PPR scoring leagues on Yahoo Sports.
"I don't care what I'm going through, I'm going to push through," Robinson said. "But at the same time, I know it's a long season. I know that Coach Smith has the best interest at heart for me. Knowing when he has a plan and we have a plan, I'm going to go with it and not bother with it. I'll be good next week."
The Falcons were tied with the Buccaneers 10-10 at halftime, and took a brief lead in the third quarter after Younghoe Koo drilled a 41-yard field goal.
Desmond Ridder marched the Falcons down the field in the fourth quarter and seemed to have a 12-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 92-yard drive. That would have put Atlanta up 10 points late in the game, and likely would have sealed the win. Ridder, however, fumbled the ball through the end zone right before he crossed the goal line which resulted in a Buccaneers touchback after a review
Desmond Ridder’s THIRD fumble of the day… One at the one yard line and now THIS. At MINIMUM his three fumbles have cost Atlanta 17 points. Possibly 21 pic.twitter.com/Apq3MiTGlI
— Thumser (@JeffreyThumser) October 22, 2023
It marked Ridder’s third fumble of the game, all of which occurred in the red zone.
The Buccaneers tied the game up after quarterback Baker Mayfield broke out for a 31-yard run, which set up a 36-yard field goal. Koo, however, hit a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired to give the Falcons the three-point win.
Mayfield went 27-of-42 for 275 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rachaad White had 34 rushing yards on 13 carries, and had another 65 yards on six catches for the Bucs. Mike Evans finished with 82 yards and a Tampa Bay touchdown.
Ridder went 19-of-25 for 250 yards for the Falcons. He also scored the team’s only touchdown on a 2-yard rush in the first quarter. Without Robinson, Tyler Allgeier led the ground game with 59 yards on 21 carries. Cordarrelle Patterson had 56 yards on 10 carries. Drake London had 54 receiving yards on six catches.
The Falcons have won two of their past three games. They’ll take on the Tennessee Titans next week in Nashville.
