Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Falcons might be a surprise, but Bijan Robinson is not
Through two games the Atlanta Falcons are one of the major surprises of the NFL season, as they are one of the nine remaining undefeated teams.
Rookie running back Bijan Robinson, however, has lived up to expectations.
The RB has shined through two games, giving the Falcons offense an explosive option in both the running game, and the passing game. Robinson’s first NFL touchdown was a thing of beauty, and he followed up that effort with 124 rushing yards in Atlanta’s 25-24 win over the Green Bay Packers.
But this overhead angle of one of Robinson’s longer runs of the day — a 19-yard run to the right side early in the second quarter — has to be seen to be believed:
This run has everything you want to see from an NFL running back: Vision, footwork, explosiveness, and power. The juke in the open field, when a defender had a chance to hold him to a minimal gain, is something you will see kids mimicking in the streets and on the playgrounds before the week is over.
However, it is just one play from a game that, when taken together paints this picture: Robinson is the complete package. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last winter, Robinson talked about how he is more than a three-down RB, in fact, he is a four-down RB. Why? Because in his mind while he can certainly help on third downs in the passing game, when it is fourth and one he can get you that one yard too.
As a matter of fact, late in the game the Falcons needed that yard, and Robinson got that as well:
Through two games, Robinson has looked every bit the part of the NFL’s next dynamic running back.
This angle, and that run on fourth down late in the game, help make that case crystal clear.
