The Atlanta Falcons are not hiding it – they want to make it to the playoffs next year.
The Falcons have come up a bit short in recent seasons, with Atlanta entering the final week of this past season with an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth. However, the Falcons surprisingly lost to the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints as Atlanta finished just outside of the playoff bracket with an 8-9 record.
Running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier obviously want to win a Super Bowl, but they know they need to make it to the playoffs first in order to make that happen.
"For sure, the playoffs," says Allgeier in a one-on-one interview with RG when asked if playoffs are the goal. "Obviously, you want to go to the Super Bowl, but you gotta handle what's in front of you first. Going to the playoffs and then having that Super Bowl push, but the playoffs is for sure the first thing for me."
Robinson doubles down on the "playoffs" mindset entering the 2025 season, but also says the Falcons need to be more consistent. During Robinson's rookie year in Atlanta in 2023, the Falcons finished 7-10. It was the third straight season Atlanta had finished with a 7-10 record.
"I'll just say like being consistent, like being consistent from week to week," says Robinson in a one-on-one interview with RG on behalf of the duo's partnership with Bounty. "I don't look ahead. Obviously, we want to go to the playoffs and have big goals and be in the Super Bowl.
"We've got to focus on one week at a time, one day at a time, because obviously in this league, when you start looking ahead, you start getting smacked in the mouth, you start losing," Robinson continues to say. "I would probably say just be consistent week to week and take it one game at a time so we can be in the playoffs."
"Just worry about the present, man," Allgeier agrees as he finishes off Robinson's statement.
The Falcons are already in the mix of being a potential NFC South champion, as they're not too far behind the Buccaneers for division supremacy. They have arguably the league's top running back duo in Robinson and Allgeier, who combined for 2,100 yards. Each running back averaged at least 4.7 yards per carry as Robinson was named to his first Pro Bowl after ranking third in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns this season.
"For me it's been three years in a row having that possible playoff push," says Allgeier. "It was the last two years, but then this year I feel like we're always just in it. It's just that little final push. We were 7-10 my first two years, but now we finished 8-9.
"I think slowly we're getting there," Allgeier continues to say. "I think it should be exciting. Just get the pieces that we already have and upgrade whatever we need. It really should be interesting and I'm grateful for a fruitful future."
For the first time, they'll enter a full season with Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback. The No. 8 overall pick in last year's draft started the last three games of the season and impressed in his first few starts, posting four total touchdowns against three interceptions.
He capped off his rookie season with a 312-yard performance in a 44-38 overtime loss to the Panthers.
Robinson – who has also seen Kirk Cousins, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke start for Atlanta – details what Penix brings to the table when he's on the field.
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When asked if he was surprised that Cousins was benched with three weeks left in the season as the Falcons were chasing a playoff berth, Robinson says, "You can't really be surprised" when things happen in the NFL.
"That's the NFL, so you can't really be surprised when things happen," says Robinson. "You just gotta learn how to adapt, learn how to go with it, learn how to support one another, support one quarterback, support the other, always throughout the whole season."
The Falcons will move on from Cousins in the offseason, which means there is no quarterback competition entering training camp next year – Penix is the guy.
"We had to make sure Mike was ready to go, because he's obviously a young guy," says Robinson of Penix. "He had his first three starts, so I always made sure he was always dialed into the game.
"I think Kirk did a good job with that as well," says Robinson. "He didn't make it a scene. He didn't make himself look like a bad teammate or a bad person. He just stepped right in and helped Mike become the best player he could be. Obviously, all of us did too."
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
