The New Orleans Saints return home after their bye week for a week 12 rivalry showdown at home vs the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons enter this matchup in a slump, having gone more than 30 days without a victory.
Their path becomes even steeper, as they’ll be without quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is out for the season with an ACL tear, as well as wide receiver Drake London, sidelined with a PCL sprain. These loses leave Atalanta relying heavily on its depth and resilience. Running back Bijan Robinson is the lone bonafide stud they have left.
Kirk Cousins will get the start at quarterback and the Falcons will look for Robinson to carry a larger share of the offensive workload. His impact may ultimately determine how far the offense can go.
Saints game plan centers on stopping Bijan Robinson
Robinson provides a huge challenge for the Saints. Through 10 games, he has rushed for 783 yards and 4 touchdowns. This just builds off an impressive season a year ago. He has the power, shiftiness and long speed you want out of a running back.
Meanwhile, the Saints have struggled to consistently tackle, not necessarily the problem you want to have when playing a running back of Robinson's caliber. He can turn a missed tackle into a 40 yard gain. Being fundamentally sound is going to be the key on Sunday.
Robinson also enjoying a career year as a receiver, hauling in 47 passes for a career best 506 yards and 2 touchdowns, with seven games left on the schedule. His dual threat production has become one of the few constants in the Falcons offense.
Outside of the Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts is the only skill player expected to play Sundays who has generated significant production this season. With that in mind, the Saints will likely focus heavily on slowing Robinson down, and they’ll have their hands full containing the superstar running back. New Orleans enters the ranked 21st in the league against the run, but 9th in passing yards allowed. If he wasn't already, that makes Robinson the clear focal point of Atlanta’s offense and Saints game plan.