GLENDALE, Ariz. — Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had some 200 family members and friends in the stands at State Farm Stadium on Sunday to witness his return to the desert.
They got a chance to see the Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic High School football star reach a milestone.
Robinson, who was selected by the Falcons with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 draft out of the University of Texas, became just the third player in the 60-year-old franchise’s history to eclipse 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season as he totaled 168 yards with a touchdown catch in Atlanta’s 26-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The versatile Robinson rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries and caught seven passes for 92 yards. He has 2,026 total yards, joining running backs Jamal Anderson (2,165 in 1998) and William Andrews (2,036 in 1981; 2,176 in 1983) in the Falcons’ 2,000-yard club. With two games remaining in the regular season, he’s 151 yards short of setting the franchise record.
His 5,376 scrimmage yards in three seasons is third most in NFL history for a player age 23 or younger.
“I meant a lot to me to do that in Arizona, in front of the people who supported me as a kid,” Robinson said. “It was a huge moment, not only for me but everyone who was watching.”
They’ve been watching since Robinson starred at Salpointe. During his college days with the Longhorns, he showed he could be a reliable part of the passing attack beyond his duties in the ground, and the Falcons had every intention of using him that way in their offense when they selected him at a time when the value of running backs as high draft picks was hotly debated.
This season has been his best yet.
A year after rushing for 1,456 yards, Robinson is within reach of a career high this season, at 1,250 yards with two games left. He has also become even more of a threat catching passes out of the backfield, pulling down 71 catches for 776 yards and three touchdowns after finishing with 64 catches for 684 yards during the 2024 season.
Robinson is behind Christian McCaffrey (5,443) and Barry Sanders (5,391) for most scrimmage yards in NFL history before turning 24 — and he has two more weeks to add to those totals.
“I’ve got got a lot of love for that guy, what he brings to football team, not just as a player but a human,” Falcons second-year head. coach Raheem Morris said.
Robinson entered the game leading the NFL with a per-game average of 132.7 scrimmage yards and again showed off his versatility against the Cardinals.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder caught a 41-yard pass in the second quarter, broke off an 11-yard run and capped the Bijan-only three-play drive by turning a swing pass into a 13-yard touchdown that pulled the Falcons within 13-10.
Robinson added a 29-yard run in a drive spanning the third and fourth quarters that led to a touchdown as the Falcons overcame their early 10-0 deficit to win for the second week in a row and improve to 6-9 in what has been a disappointing season for the team — but not for anyone rooting for Robinson.
“Sometimes you think you’re going to have him bottled up,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said, “and he makes productive plays.”