The Atlanta Falcons enter Week 12 with uncertainty swirling around their quarterback position and frustration lingering from a season that has never found traction. At 3–7 and now traveling to face the 2–8 New Orleans Saints, while the matchup isn’t loaded with intrigue, for the Falcons, however, it carries real weight.
The loss of Michael Penix Jr. for the season due to another knee injury -- a partially torn ACL -- forces the franchise to confront both its present and future at quarterback. He's had two ACL tears in his right knee (in 2018 and 2020) and a season-ending joint injury in each shoulder (2019 and 2021) during his collegiate career, and it now clouds what Atlanta can expect in 2026 and beyond.
In the immediate, the job returns to Kirk Cousins, who has had minimal reps with the starters since the summer, and is reentering the offense with zero in-season rhythm. That’s exactly why Week 12 can only tilt in one direction if the Falcons want any chance of stealing a divisional win: everything must funnel through Bijan Robinson.
Bijan Robinson is the obvious key to success for the Falcons in Week 12
One of the most naturally gifted offensive players in football, Robinson has already shouldered a massive portion of Atlanta’s offense this season. His 158 carries for 783 yards showcase not only volume, but efficiency -- five yards a carry in an offense that has shuffled quarterbacks, struggled with injuries, and rarely controlled game script.
Even with the inconsistency around him, Robinson has found ways to deliver game-changing moments. His performance last week against Carolina --104 yards and two touchdowns -- was another reminder of just how explosive he is when given space, and just how much he can elevate the Falcons when the ball flows through him.
This week, the workload could be enormous. With Cousins still reacclimating and Atlanta needing stability, Robinson could see usage levels reminiscent of elite workhorse backs like Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, or even to the level of Christian McCaffrey back during his Carolina days. Thirty touches? Thirty-five? It’s entirely possible.
The Saints’ defense has been vulnerable to physical run games and perimeter quickness, and Robinson provides both. Inside zone, outside zone, gap looks, perimeter tosses, mismatches in the passing game -- there’s no role Robinson can’t fill, and Atlanta may ask him to fill all of them.
The Falcons need someone they can rely on, someone they can lean on to settle the offense and give Cousins manageable situations, and Robinson has been that player since the day he entered the league.
His blend of vision, balance, burst, and receiving chops makes him one of the most complete backs in football, and he’s capable of carrying an offense even when everything else around him feels turbulent.
If Atlanta is going to go into New Orleans and walk out with a divisional win to move to 4–7, it starts and ends with Robinson setting the tone from the opening series. His workload will be heavy, his impact will be essential, and he is the one player who can steady the Falcons in a season that desperately has searched for a direction.