Why Kyle Shanahan sees Falcons star Bijan Robinson as ‘huge' challenge for 49ers
The 49ers know they’ll have their hands full against Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” in Week 7 at Levi’s Stadium.
Regardless of his team’s injuries, coach Kyle Shanahan explained how Robinson — and the entire Atlanta offense — poses a well-rounded matchup for San Francisco in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco for the latest edition of “49ers Game Plan.”
“I mean, it’d be a challenge whether we had everyone out there or not,” Shanahan said. “[Robinson] is that type of player. He was that good coming out of college. Getting to study him through college, [he was] one of the best I’ve seen coming out of college. Whether it’s the pass game or the run game, he’s shown that throughout the NFL, I mean, throughout his career. And he’s playing at his highest level right now.
“You can tell he’s got a lot of confidence in running the ball, a lot of confidence in the pass game, and he is put in there with a very good O-line, very good quarterback. It surprised me, but when I was actually looking at the [Falcons’] roster, you know, they do have a top-10 pick at every position on offense. … And they’re all playing like that. And when you put a guy like [Robinson] in the backfield, that’s that talented and only getting better? He’s a huge challenge.”
Robinson, whom the Falcons selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has anchored Atlanta’s offense for the last three seasons.
He has produced 4,172 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns on 744 touches over 39 career games.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh must go deep into his bag of tricks to give San Francisco, down All-Pros Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season, a chance at slowing Robinson down.
And, as Shanahan alluded to, that’s before mentioning the other issues Atlanta’s first-round-pick-riddled offense presents as led by up-and-coming quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
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Why Kyle Shanahan sees Falcons star Bijan Robinson as ‘huge' challenge for 49ers
