Bijan Robinson Rejects 'Best' NFL Player Talk After Loss to Christian McCaffrey, 49ers

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is shunning any talk of him being at the top of any NFL individual player rankings after being outdueled by Christian McCaffrey in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

"All that best player in the NFL, that stuff is dead," Robinson told reporters in the aftermath of the game.

Robinson got off to an incredible start this season going into Week 7. He averaged 164.4 yards from scrimmage per contest in his first five starts, including a career-high 238 yards in Atlanta's 24-14 upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football on Oct. 13.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters last month that Robinson was "definitely the best player in football, without a doubt."

Playing in another primetime game against a 49ers team missing Nick Bosa and Fred Warner seemed like a prime opportunity for Robinson to have another big showing.

Instead, the shorthanded San Francisco defense did as good a job as any team has this season in containing Robinson. He still finished with 92 yards from scrimmage, but his 40 rushing yards and 2.9 yards per carry were his fewest in both categories since Week 1.

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The 49ers got the win thanks in large part to McCaffrey doing to the Falcons what Robinson did to Buffalo. He had 201 scrimmage yards (129 rushing) and two touchdowns on 31 touches.

"I mean, for him, that's what he does," Robinson said of McCaffrey. "He's been doing it for a long time, and for me, I got a lot of work to do."

One game doesn't change the fact that Robinson is still incredible at what he does. The 23-year-old is probably the closest avatar to McCaffrey given what he can do as a running back and receiver.

Fortunately for Robinson and the Falcons, they have a great opportunity to get back on track right away. They will host the Miami Dolphins, who just lost by 25 points to the Cleveland Browns, on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET