Saints' Tyrann Mathieu Hypes Bijan Robinson, Calls Out Falcons amid NFC South Rivalry

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu knows his team will have its hands full for years to come when dealing with Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

"He's going to be special," Mathieu said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast (h/t Grant Gordon of NFL.com). "Marshall Faulk, you know. Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn't think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he's going to be good."

That is quite the comparative list of running backs, although it should be noted Mathieu still managed to get a shot in at the rival Falcons in regard to their usage of Robinson.

Former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith, who is now the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was consistently criticized for failing to properly use stars such as Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.

Perhaps the Falcons would have been more of a threat in a winnable NFC South that saw them finish two games behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—who won the division for the second straight year despite a combined 17-17 record during that span—if their stars got the ball more.

New head coach Raheem Morris will be tasked with maximizing Robinson, who is just 22 years old and already on the short list of the best running backs in the league.

Even splitting carries with Tyler Allgeier, Robinson ran for 976 yards and four touchdowns while adding 58 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver during his rookie campaign in 2023. Mathieu saw just how dangerous he can be, as Robinson posted 123 total yards and two touchdowns in his first game against the Saints.

All he did was follow that up with 131 total yards and one touchdown in the second matchup.

If New Orleans wants to have bragging rights in the rivalry moving forward, it will need to figure out a way to better contain Robinson in future showdowns.