After dropping to 3-6 and becoming trade-deadline sellers, the resounding narrative has been that the Atlanta Falcons are mailing it in on the 2026 season and building for the future.

That’s not the case, says Bijan Robinson.

“I know people outside of here think that we’re just plummeting the season,” Robinson told reporters on Wednesday. “Nah man, we’re focusing on this week, going to take it one game at a time, and go from there. Try to make a push; that’s where we’re at right now.”

Robinson said head coach Kevin Stefanski met with the Falcons’ leadership committee to ensure players remained on the same page and weren’t moping after the team’s trade-deadline moves. The running back said the committee took Stefanski’s message to heart and described the atmosphere inside Atlanta’s locker room as “positive.”

On Monday, a day after the 34-17 Madrid debacle against the Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta made shocking moves to trade safety Jessie Bates III after four years with the team. Center Ryan Neuzil was moved on Tuesday in a buzzer-beating deal to the Baltimore Ravens.

For Bates, Atlanta got a 2027 NFL Draft second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder. In exchange for Neuzil, Atlanta received guard Andrew Vorhees and a 2028 sixth-round pick.

“We’re trying to win regardless, man,” Robinson said. “We understand that we got to make some moves, but it doesn’t [change] the fact that we’re still trying to get to where we want to get to in the season.”

Losing four of its last five, the Falcons look to be on a downward trend.

They aren’t giving up.

“I truly believe that we have the team and the guys that are going to rally and flip the script,” said quarterback Michael Penix Jr. “We got a lot of guys that care. Not just sitting here, sulking like, ‘We’re at 3-6 right now.’ We have to focus on what’s in front of us.” 

But the fact of the matter is the Falcons are very much still in play for the NFC South divisional title, winning which would advance the franchise to the NFL playoffs for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.

Entering Week 10, Atlanta is a half game back from No. 1 in the NFC South, trailing the Carolina Panthers (3-5), New Orleans Saints (3-5), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6) in that order.

“We’re still in it,” Penix said. “We got an eight-game season left, and we really want to win all eight.”

But welcome to the NFC South, where you can simultaneously compete for the division crown and draft positioning. If the season ended today, the Falcons would have the 10th overall pick and pick Georgia linebacker Chris Cole, according to Tankathon.

The absurdity of taking a linebacker at No. 10 notwithstanding, the Falcons find themselves balancing two competing timelines: a front office making moves with the future in mind and a locker room still fighting for the present. Whether intentional or not, Atlanta’s trade-deadline decisions suggest a different direction from the one its players envision.

“That’s in no way a focus for me and us,” Stefanski said of Atlanta’s current draft standing. “We talk about long-term, short-term, but that’s not really a focus for us.”

Atlanta’s coming weeks are unrelenting. 

This Sunday, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) come to town. Then is the bye week. 

Afterward, Atlanta will head to the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 29 for the “Kirk Cousins Bowl,” then return home to face the Detroit Lions.

Whether the Falcons can turn their belief into wins remains to be seen. But with the front office already looking toward the future, the remaining schedule will test just how much this team has left to play for.

Falcons-Chiefs kicks off at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. CBS will air the game.