ATLANTA – Bijan Robinson drifted into the right flat and looked at the Carolina Panthers defense, trying to identity either man or zone coverage. His eyes shifted back toward Desmond Ridder and, in a flash, the ball was upon him, and so was Carolina linebacker Frankie Luvu. Robinson stopped suddenly to make his man miss, and then sprinted forward, split two defenders and scored his first NFL touchdown in Sunday's season opener against the Panthers.
Nearly two quarters later, Tyler Allgeier took a handoff and ran toward a designed gap in the offensive line that never materialized. He didn't panic, instead waiting patiently for another opportunity, which he found by sprinting off the left flank. He found the right angle, powered forward and got the football just inside the pylon.
These described moments were two effective plays featuring two contrasting styles. Both worked well for the Falcons in a 24-10 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, but especially when combined.
"Having Tyler and Bijan is an asset for us, and we're going to try and take advantage of it," left tackle Jake Matthews said. "We have some really good guys running the football and our job as an O-line is to make some holes for them and watch them run."
Both running backs ran well on Sunday afternoon. They were explosive. They were elusive. They were efficient as heck.
Allgeier had 94 yards of total offense and two touchdowns on 18 touches. That's 5.2 yards per touch. Robinson had 83 yards of total offense on 16 touches. That's 5.18 yards per touch, or, 5.2 if we're rounding up.
Ain't symmetry grand?
They did all that while assuming a shocking amount of the offensive workload. Our resident statistician Tori McElhaney (she'll love/hate that name) did some quick math and realized that Allgeier and Robinson accounted for 70.8 percent of the total offensive touches against Carolina.
That's, you know, a lot. And it rebuts a lazy post-NFL-Draft narrative that Allgeier's significance in this offense would dwindle after the Falcons selected Robinson at No. 8 overall.
Take a look at Sunday's stat sheet. Then, go alert Freezing Cold Takes.
Talk to both backs and they'll say they love working in tandem, sharing the spotlight in a productive run game.
"I think (Bijan and I) just feed off each other and create explosives whenever we can," Allgeier said. "If it's not an explosive, just gaining positive yards. I think that's a big thing. A big goal for me and him was really just feeding off each other and then, whoever's in, just being that catalyst to really boost the offense and lift each other up."
Going back to the early stages of the offseason program, the young runners talked about learning from each other and building a strong relationship as part of a talented position group. Those things happened over the spring and summer, helping prepare them for Sunday's performance.
They have become each other's champion, something clear when Robinson scored his first NFL touchdown. Tyler Allgeier was also on the field for that play and was the first person to reach him in celebration.
"I almost tripped trying to get there," Allgeier said with a laugh.
There's a genuine support system and healthy competition between the two, which isn't always the case in these type of situations.
"I want to compliment him and he wants to compliment me," Robinson said. "And then the different things we can do like run routes, catch the ball out of the backfield or play receiver, that's what makes us unique. So, I think it was pretty cool to be a part of that with him. Now we've got to keep it rolling."
In the second quarter of the Falcons' game against the Carolina Panthers, the rookie RB crossed the goal line on an 11-yard pass reception.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 carries the ball during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 reacts after a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates with quarterback Desmond Ridder #9 after a touchdown during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
General view of fans during the second quarter of the Week 1 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 10, 2023. (Photo by AJ Reynolds/Atlanta Falcons)
