Just a month prior, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris proclaimed his star running back to be the best player in the NFL.
As Bijan Robinson sped past and through Buffalo Bills defenders on Monday night, it was hard not to nod in agreement with Morris’ proclamation.
Highlighted by a career-long 81-yard touchdown run, Robinson had a sensational evening to help the Falcons to a 24-14 win and again elicit the ultimate compliment of being the best in the business from his coach.
“He’s the best player in football,” Morris said of Robinson, who posted a team-record 238 scrimmage yards. “I’ve said it multiple times. I can’t say it enough. You can always have your pick. You can always go out there and figure out who you want to vote for, but in my opinion he’s the best player in football.”
For the majority of Monday night, it was rather clear who the best player was in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Robinson’s final staggering numbers saw him tie his single-game high with 170 rushing yards on 19 carries (8.9 yard per attempt!). He added six receptions for 68 yards to add up to the aforementioned 238 scrimmage yards — the third-highest tally in Monday Night Football chronicle, per NFL Research. Through six weeks, Robinson has 484 rushing yards and 338 receiving, having joined Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1991 as the only players to rack up 450-plus rushing yards and 300-plus receiving through the first five games of a season. Thomas was voted AP NFL Most Valuable Player that year.
“It’s like a three-point shooter,” Robinson said of having a showing such as Monday’s. “I’ve heard that analogy with Steph Curry, like when he starts getting in the groove, the basket looks this big to him and it seems like he can’t miss. With me, with the [offensive] line, I feel like with them, they’re all three-point shooters. They’re all spot-up shooters and they’re just creating space for me, for Ty (Allgeier) to do what we do. When those guys are on, when those guys are clicking … with me, I just use the God-given talent with the vision and stuff like that. It just opens up and when I find those creases, you’ve got to take advantage of it and you’ve got to make those guys miss tackles and make them not want to be there anymore. That’s what we did tonight.”
Robinson was a whirling blend of speed, quickness and might for much of the game, but it was one particular play that will be run on loop to spotlight his performance.