Bijan Robinson already knew the headline before Sunday’s home game against the Chicago Bears. Grady Jarrett is coming back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a different uniform, and Atlanta’s leading rusher framed it as a full-attention problem in the run game and the pass game.
“It’s going to be great to go up against him for the first time, because I just know what kind of competitor he is on the field and how much he affects an offense,” Robinson said. “We got to make sure we get hands on him … we got to make sure we know where he’s at on the field at all times.”
Robinson said he is not a big smack-talk guy even with the reunion angle. From practice and now the game tape, he sees Jarrett as “all about ball” — and still playing at a level that forces the Falcons to treat him like a constant.
A physical Bears front, and finishing games
On Chicago’s defense in general, Robinson pointed to physicality and takeaways. He has faced this coordinator before and expects a group “super juiced up” for a trip to Atlanta, especially with Jarrett leading that charge.
Through five weeks he called the Falcons’ season a roller coaster — blowouts both ways and two fights that came down to the wire — and said the identity is still being built. The next step is finishing. “We can’t put ourselves in some situations that we put ourselves in on the losses that we did take,” he said. “Now it’s time to stay consistent.”
Workload, Penix, and the zone foundation
Asked how he balances a heavy early-season carry load while leading the league in rushing, Robinson kept it to recovery. “My body comes first before I step on the field,” he said. “I need to make sure that I’m great with my body first before I go out there and use a God-given ability.”
He was relieved to hear Michael Penix Jr. is lined up to start if the week goes well after the scary sequence in which Robinson tripped and helped knock the quarterback. “I’m happy that he’s all right,” Robinson said. “It’s a blessing that he is back. We got to take advantage of it.”
On why outside zone keeps producing for Atlanta, he credited the offensive line’s shared experience — “they know every angle” — and his own years in a wide-zone system setting up blocks. Newer gap concepts from the coaching staff, he added, are another change-up he wants to keep running: “You just really don’t know what we’re going to come out with.”
He also said a physical run game wears a front down by the fourth quarter, and that Brian Robinson Jr.’s style keeps the room fresh while punishing tacklers.
Dexter on Jarrett, Caleb and winning one-on-ones
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who spent years with Jarrett in Chicago, called him a friend and a model for younger players. “If you want to learn how to do it the right way, just watch Grady,” Dexter said. On facing Caleb Williams versus backup looks, he kept it simple: a first-overall quarterback changes what a defense has to account for. Interior pressure with Brandon, he said, comes from both winning their one-on-ones and covering for each other.
Atlanta hosts Chicago on Sunday looking to turn a five-game mix of results into the kind of finished game Robinson said the locker room is chasing.
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