Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson has quickly learned the ups and downs that come with being a rising star in the NFL.
The No. 8 overall pick in April's draft got his rookie season started with some highlight plays and impressive performances but has hit a skid as of late. After being under the weather and rushing just one time for three yards in the 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 22, Robinson seemed like he had bounced back well after finding the end zone the following week in the 28-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
But Robinson followed this up with another forgettable week in Atlanta’s 31-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, as he finished with just 59 total yards and lost his second-career fumble. The turnover was costly, as it marked the first of back-to-back offensive plays in the third quarter where Atlanta turned the ball over.
“One of those was on me,” Robinson said. “Like I was saying earlier, I have to know, as a guy who just got in this league, if I’m in the space, people are coming for the ball, and that’s what they’re going to do. I need to start working on that right now and just stop that from happening. We want to get the ball in the best position. It was hard to control in some of the situations, and we made some mistakes as well for offense. But we’ll look at the film and get back to getting right.”
Considering how wise Robinson is beyond his years as a 21-year-old rookie, it's no surprise that he's taking quick accountability and ready to learn from it.
Fumbling is not something that Robinson is used to. During his college career with the Texas Longhorns, he fumbled five times across three seasons, losing three of these fumbles. Two of these lost fumbles happened in the same game.
But now, Robinson already has two lost fumbles just nine games into his NFL career. Maybe the early learning lessons will be a blessing in disguise as Robinson and the Falcons get set to visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
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