Is Bijan Robinson the NFL's best running back? He is when he's in primetime — SkimNews
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- Bijan Robinson leads all players since the 1970 NFL/AFC merger in primetime scrimmage yards per game at 145.4 across 11 games (minimum five), ahead of Barry Sanders (126.3), OJ Simpson (123), and Jonathan Taylor (121.8), per ESPN Research.
- Robinson torched the Packers in Week 3 with 29 carries for 194 yards and two touchdowns plus 19 receiving yards, fueling Atlanta's 35-14 road win that drew praise from Green Bay's Matt LaFleur, who called him "one of the best in the league at any position."
- Robinson signed an offseason extension that briefly made him the NFL's highest-paid running back: three years, $66.75 million base ($22.3M per year), potentially reaching $75M; Jahmyr Gibbs now holds the top average at $22.5M.
- Robinson leads the 2025 league in yards from scrimmage (467) and ranks second in rushing yards (349), picking up where his 2024 first-team All-Pro season left off.
- Robinson's two longest career runs — 93 yards against the Rams and 81 yards against the Bills — both came on Monday Night Football, and he has averaged 213.8 scrimmage yards over his past four primetime games, more than 20 yards per game ahead of any other running back in primetime since his 2023 debut.
- The Falcons (1-2) host the Saints (1-2) on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, with new Falcons defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. declaring Robinson "the best player I've ever seen play football."
Why it matters: Robinson's primetime production gap — 20+ scrimmage yards per game more than any other running back on big stages since 2023 — is the kind of statistical outlier that can reset a franchise's identity and a player's market value, especially as Atlanta just committed $22.3M per year to keep him.
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