Bijan Robinson says Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Santiago Bernabéu can be “a culture changer in the building,” and Michael Penix Jr. says he wants to be great after a four-interception loss in Tampa. The 3-5 Atlanta Falcons are in Madrid for a Week 9 International Series matchup with the 5-2 Bengals, and on Thursday the Falcons’ stars spoke at Real Madrid’s training base about bouncing back, the run game and what the game means for the rest of their season.
Kickoff is Sunday, November 8, at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Bernabéu, which is 4:30 p.m. in Cairo. Atlanta has lost three of its last four, and Robinson has not scored a touchdown since a 59-yard run against the New Orleans Saints on October 5. He still ranks among the league leaders in yards from scrimmage, but he did not sound satisfied.
Robinson: “a culture changer”
Robinson framed the Bengals game as more than another road trip. “I think every game is a statement game, but for us, this game right here is something that can be a culture changer in the building,” he said. “And for us, we know what this game means and what it’s going to mean at the end of the season.”
He called it a playoff-type test for a Falcons team trying to find midseason momentum. “This would be up for us to come together and even closer as a team and just see who we are,” Robinson said. “And yeah, this is a great team that we’re playing up against. But for us, we got to come in here with the mindset of we have to get the job done and we’ll see what the rest happens later on.”
Asked about his standing among the league’s top running backs, he was blunt. “I’ll be honest, I don’t feel like I’m playing like that right now,” Robinson said. “I got to be better. I got to be better for this team. I got to be better for the offense.” He added that he knows what he has to do and that he has to take advantage of “this gift that God has given me,” and that Atlanta wants the run game to be dominant no matter the opponent.
Penix: “I want to be great”
Penix threw four interceptions in the rain in a 16-0 shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a performance he said was hard to watch on film and necessary to correct. “I want to be great,” Penix said. “I want to win football games for this team. And whenever you have a game like last week, you kind of point the finger at yourself. And for me, I never want it to be on me for some of the things that happened.”
On the week in Spain, he said the Falcons have to clean up details. “We have to correct things,” Penix said. “We have to pay attention to the details and practice at a high level. We have to make sure we conduct ourselves like professionals.” He called the Bengals “a really good defense” and “a really good group,” and said he is “super excited” to play in the Bernabéu, a stadium he described as huge and important in European soccer, and that he wants fans to come see the American game the way soccer is watched around the world.
London: a chance to show the game
Wide receiver Drake London said Madrid is a chance to introduce the sport to people who have never seen an NFL game. “We have a perfect opportunity to show how spectacular our sport is to people who have never seen an NFL game,” London said. He added that the Falcons are excited to play in a legendary stadium that has hosted so many historic moments, and that Penix moves past bad games — a message that fits a short week of practice before Cincinnati and Joe Burrow.
First-year coach Kevin Stefanski, who spent six seasons in Cleveland facing Burrow’s Bengals, said it is “a different deal when you go up against Joe Burrow and this offense,” and that the Falcons have to pour everything into the week. For Robinson, Penix and London, the tape from Tampa is already in the rear-view. The next statement is Sunday afternoon in Madrid.
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