Longhorns Ex Bijan Robinson Entering 'Learning Stage' With Falcons

Former Texas Longhorns star and current Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson talked about the struggles the run game faced in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions.

After a hot start to his rookie year that saw him show fans quickly why he was the No. 8 overall pick, former Texas Longhorns star running back Bijan Robinson finally had a bit of a wake-up call with the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Robinson and the Falcons suffered their first loss of the season in a game that got away early. The Falcons and Lions were tied 3-3 in the second quarter, but Detroit regained the lead on a 45-yard touchdown from rookie tight end Sam LaPorta and never looked back.

The Falcons were unable to stick to their ground-and-pound identity against a stout Lions defense. As a result of the deficit, Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder had to attempt a career-high 38 passes while Robinson and fellow running back Tyler Allgeier became afterthoughts in the second half.

"They were just fast movement," Robinson said. "They were getting downhill fast. We were just trying to find some creases, find some holes. We'd try to find some, and they'd come down. For us, it's all a build-up stage. The o-line blocked their butts off. On some of the runs, we've got to make them right.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) warms up before the Detroit Lions game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023 / © Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press

Robinson, who finished with just 10 carries for 33 yards and four catches for 27 yards, talked about the struggles the run game faced against the Lions.

"For us, it's a learning stage and understand that we've got to come back at practice, look at the mistakes, look at what we've done, and come back for next weekend and do what we do," he said.

The Falcons are currently one of the better teams in the league when it comes to running the football. Despite Robinson and Allgeier's disappearance against Detroit, Atlanta is still averaging the ninth-most rushing yards per game (128.3) through three weeks.

As for Robinson, he's posted 39 carries for 213 yards and 14 catches for 102 yards and one touchdown through his first three games as a pro.

Sunday's loss might just be the early-season adversity that Robinson and the Falcons need in order to bring the franchise back to relevancy.

The Falcons will travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.