The Falcons Have a Chance in a Wide-Open NFC South

It took just one play this preseason to see what Bijan Robinson will add to the Falcons’ run game:

The vision and quickness in confined spaces is immediately apparent. There are not that many backs who can turn nothing into something like that. Here’s a still shot from the moment right after Robinson got the ball. Does it look like this will be a 12-yard run?

Robinson’s vision, quickness, and ability to accelerate are going to be a perfect fit in an offense that led the league in zone-run frequency in 2022 (according to PFF).

Even without Robinson, the Falcons still finished 4th in rushing yards per attempt last season. They’re also returning 4 players from an offensive line that was arguably the best in football at run blocking a year ago. Expect Atlanta to have another huge year on the ground in 2023.

The passing game is where the bigger questions still linger. The Falcons finished 2nd-to-last in passing yards per game a year ago and will need to improve substantially regardless of how potent their rushing attack is.

Earlier this offseason, Nick wrote about how improvement in this area is likely given the addition of Robinson’s diverse skillset to an offense that already had several Swiss-Army Knives.