Bijan Robinson, running back for the Atlanta Falcons, achieved several career milestones during the team’s Week 16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game was notable for Robinson, who grew up in Tucson, just two hours from the stadium.
Robinson reached 5,376 career scrimmage yards on Sunday, making him third all-time among NFL players aged 23 or younger in this category. He also became only the third player in Falcons history to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards in a single season. William Andrews previously accomplished this feat in 1981 and 1983, and Jamal Anderson did so in 1998. Robinson now has a career-high of 2,026 scrimmage yards for the current season.
He joins five other active NFL players—Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor—who have surpassed the 2,000-scrimmage-yard mark.
Robinson’s performance was witnessed by hundreds of friends and family members. His grandmother was seen celebrating enthusiastically after he scored a touchdown following a sequence that included a long pass reception and a significant run.
Reflecting on his achievement after accumulating 168 total yards from scrimmage during the game, Robinson said: “It meant a lot. To do this in front of Arizona, in front of people who supported me as a kid, obviously with my whole entire family being here; for me, this is a huge moment.”
Former Falcon and current Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell commented on Robinson’s abilities during an NFL on FOX broadcast: “If you were going to create a running back in ‘Madden,’ it would look a lot like Bijan Robinson.”
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins recalled watching Dalvin Cook approach but not reach the same milestone due to missing his final game that season: “I always thought that was a real-deal stat,” Cousins said. “If you can get 2,000 from scrimmage, you’re the real deal.”
Despite challenges faced by the team this season, Robinson continues to be seen as an important contributor for Atlanta. He credited his faith and perseverance: “It’s all God,” Robinson said. “Countless prayers this offseason for this season. Just trying to do as much as I can for my team, for my offense. To see what the Lord has brought me through throughout this time — and brought the team through as well. The ups and downs, they are learning lessons and how we come out of that is what drives us as players.”