Future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson never played for the Atlanta Falcons during his NFL career, but he is still pissed off at the team. The reason is just the way in which they have used another player.
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Peterson posted a video on Instagram after the Falcons delivered a 27-24 upset win over the Rams. He questioned why the team chose to give the ball to another player on its final drive instead of continuing to rely on Bijan Robinson, who had dominated the game.
Robinson had rushed for 195 yards and one touchdown against the Rams. He had also tallied 34 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
#Vikings legend Adrian Peterson says he was “pissed off” that the #Falcons didn’t let Bijan Robinson get the final handoff to potentially reach 200 rushing yards for the game:
“Towards the end of the game, you see Robinson ended up with 195 yards. I’m sitting there wondering why… pic.twitter.com/xgod0A7cPd
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 30, 2025
"Towards the end of the game, you see Robinson ended up with 195 yards," Peterson said. "I'm sitting there wondering why on the last run of the game, they give the ball to somebody else. This kid been ballin' all game, play after play, big play after big play.
"You guys are just handing the ball off to get a couple more yards to get a closer field goal. Why not give it to the kid and let him get his 200 or give him a chance to get 200 yards? I don't know. Make it make sense to me. I don't know. I was pissed off about that."
Peterson continued and said that this was a good win for the Falcons and "a hell of a game" by Robinson. But as a running back, he just didn't understand why the team didn't give their star player another opportunity to seal the win.
The sequence Peterson referenced occurred late in the fourth quarter. Robinson helped drive the offense down the field with fewer than two minutes remaining in the game. He carried the ball three consecutive times, totaling 19 yards and setting the Falcons up at the Rams' 35-yard line.
Instead of continuing to utilize Robinson, who had set a franchise record with a 93-yard touchdown run earlier in the game, the Falcons proceeded to hand the ball off to Tyler Allgeier.
The backup running back rushed three times for a total of two yards. The Falcons kicked a field goal with 21 seconds remaining and ultimately won after shutting down the Rams' final drive.
Peterson was in similar situations numerous times throughout his career. The Vikings frequently relied on him to close out games in which he had delivered dominant performances, especially if the various quarterbacks struggled.
The Vikings also provided Peterson with a chance to get records. They continued relying on him during a 2007 win over the Chargers, which opened the door for him to set the single-game rushing record of 296 yards.
The Vikings also leaned on him during the 2012 regular-season finale as he pursued history. He rushed for 199 yards, joined the 2,000-yard club, and came within nine yards of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record (2,105 yards). He also carried the Vikings into the playoffs while upsetting the favored Packers.
