Arthur Smith explains lack of touches for Bijan Robinson in Week 7
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was missing in action during the first half of Atlanta's pivotal game against Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South, leading to multiple questions about what was going on with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Robinson played six snaps during the first half and didn't record a touch.
At halftime, head coach Arthur Smith was asked about Robinson's disappearing act and said that the running back wasn't "feeling all that great."
As big of a game as their showdown with the Bucs is, it's unfortunate for the Falcons that Robinson is battling an illness preventing him from being a factor.
He certainly would have helped the team in the red zone. Three Atlanta drives ended inside the Bucs' 20-yard line with fumbles by quarterback Desmond Ridder.
That's not to suggest Smith used Robinson particularly well in the red zone through Week 6. This season, running back Tyler Allgeier has twice as many red zone rush attempts (14) as Robinson (seven).
Because of that, and the team's misuse of other top-10 draft picks Kyle Pitts and Drake London, no one was willing to give Smith the benefit of the doubt when it came to Robinson's absence. It's a bad sign that everyone immediately rushed to blame him. Smith has developed a reputation for mishandling his valuable assets and just because he wasn't responsible this time, that doesn't mean he's out of the woods.
More must-reads: