Five things to watch when Falcons host rival New Orleans Saints at home in Week 12 clash

Robinson — and his usage — has been a major topic of conversation in Atlanta for the last few weeks. Robinson headlined this week’s Nerdy Birds report, with Matt Haley and John Deighton providing a plethora of statistical advantages when the Falcons use Robinson.

Simultaneously, Scott Bair wrote about Robinson and what Smith said about the rookie running back this week. Asked if Robinson’s season-high carries against the Cardinals last week was a sign of his expanding role, Smith said Robinson is always a major part of any game plan the Falcons put together.

“He’s exceeded our expectations,” Smith said of Robinson, who has averaged 4.9 yards per carry through his first 10 NFL games. “… Like all of us, (he) would love to be undefeated, would love to score 500 touchdowns, but he’s a guy that continues to work. He understands (that), too. … However it divvies out, he’s going to have a huge role in our game plan.”

Smith continued by saying he has been pleased with the fact that he hasn’t seen Robinson hit a wall, or the “rookie fatigue,” as he named it. The key, Smith said, is for the Falcons to continue to evolve in their usage of Robinson.

“Go back to the Green Bay game, it’s like, ‘Hey, are you using him too much? This pace isn’t sustainable.’ Then, things happen. So, as you’re going through it, and people may have seen what he’s doing, and they may focus on him more and try to take him away,” Smith said. “And maybe, the way you’re using him early in the season somewhat ends, so you have to adapt and what not. … There are a lot of reasons, but he’s a huge part of the game plan.

“To me, it’s what he can handle. And you try not to do too much to overload one player, but he’s very unique, in that regard, for a young player.”

The prevailing theme of the week in Flowery Branch as the Falcons prepare to face the Saints is that everything the Falcons want is still ahead of them. Despite the fact the Falcons have been on a slide in the last month, the NFC South is still a wide-open contest.

One game separates first and third place in the division. The Saints are 5-5. The Falcons are 4-6. The Falcons, though, have two divisional wins already, having defeated Tampa Bay and Carolina before the bye week. With a win on Sunday, they would remain undefeated in the division and would move into first place, tied at the top.

This season is far from over, and it really could come down to every divisional game acting with the value of two wins to one. If the Falcons win out in the division, losses to Tennessee, Washington and Arizona don’t pack as significant of a punch. But only if the Falcons win, starting this Sunday.

“We have everything in front of us. We still have the division in front of us,” Ridder said. “We have everything we want to get in front of us.”