The Pittsburgh Steelers face a tough task in Week 1 when they head to Atlanta to take on a Falcons team that’s added two big pieces in Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons on defense. However, Atlanta’s offense could cause problems for Pittsburgh too. They added Kirk Cousins at quarterback this offseason, and in the backfield, they have one of the better backs in the league in second-year running back Bijan Robinson.
Robinson began his career as a rookie last year in Atlanta with current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as his head coach. During an interview with Kay Adams on her Up & Adams Show, Robinson said he’s looking forward to matching up on the opposite sideline as Smith in Week 1.
“The Steelers,” Robinson said when asked what game he’s looking forward to this year.
When Adams asked him about playing against Arthur Smith, Robinson said it would be “awesome.”
“That’s gonna be awesome. And then after the game, I’m gonna go to Art [Smith], say ‘man, I love you, man, I appreciate you,’ give a big hug, and then just keep walking. Because Art, that’s still my dawg, right, I still had him all last year, that’s my dude. And I wish him big success over there. But yeah, after that game, I’m ready to get it. It’ll be fun.”
Despite fantasy football players often criticizing Smith for his usage of Robinson, the eighth overall pick still had a productive rookie year with the Falcons. He had 976 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and added 58 receptions on 86 targets for 487 yards and another four touchdowns. With better quarterback play in Atlanta and Cousins in the fold, the offense should elevate as a whole, and Robinson could be due for a breakout second season in the league.
It’s cool that Robinson still has a good relationship with Smith and is looking forward to seeing him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind putting on a good performance in front of his old coach. Smith won’t have much of a hand in stopping Robinson, given that he’s going to be worried about Pittsburgh’s offense, but the Steelers defense is going to need to key in and not let Robinson beat them.
Atlanta is a tough opponent to open the season against, especially with some of the pieces they’ve added on defense in the last week. However, their offense is going to be good with Cousins, WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and Robinson. It will take a lot to open the season with a win, and Robinson will be looking to put up a big game and make his former coach 0-1 with his new team.
