There are many rules, proverbs, and truths that have circulated the NFL in 2025. But perhaps one of the more popular can be summed up as thus:
You can run on the Buffalo Bills.
Blame whatever you want, but if there has been a strategy to beat the odds-on Super Bowl favorites through the first half of the NFL season, it has been to run the ball. That's because their third-most lenient run defense is one of only two weaknesses that the Bills can be expected to have week to week.
But even against a soft matchup, there is running...and then there is running.
One of the major headlines of Buffalo's goose egg loss against the Atlanta Falcons was the Falcons' two skill position stars showing out, and that certainly describes Drake London's performance (10/16 receptions, 158 yards, 1 TD). But for Robinson's night, rare is the superlative that could accurately described what he did to Buffalo's helpless defense. Robinson's 238 total yards from scrimmage has only been eclipsed this season by Rico Dowdle's freak detonation against the Cowboys -- by one yard. And if that didn't drive the point home enough, Robinson's 170 rushing yards came on just 19 attempts, as opposed to Dowdle's 30. And if that doesn't drive the point home, Robinson's 81-yard touchdown run should.
Bijan wasn't just a freak on Monday Night Football -- he was a freak that sparked Atlanta's David-esque upset over the Bills' Goliath, from the ground and air (6/8 receptions, 68 yards).
Does Bijan Robinson have an MVP case?
Here's the thing about the NFL MVP. For better or for worse, it is largely a quarterback award -- and 2025 is no exception. Case in point, despite getting absolutely shut down by Atlanta's defense, Josh Allen still has top three odds to take home the trophy. Equally as deserving is Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield, the Falcons' biggest hurdle to NFC South supremacy.
And in today's NFL, that ranking makes a lot of sense. Quarterbacks are clearly the most important players on the field at any given point, thus a quarterback putting up numbers for a winning team should be a favorite in any MVP race.
But the Falcons, now 3-2 and having comfortably left a popular Super Bowl pick trashed in their wake, were not supposed to be here. Regardless of how you think they got above .500, they are here. As for who their MVP is, we know that it's not Michael Penix, Jr. And in spite of his recent explosion, Drake London still needs a quarterback to get him the ball (easier said than done if your QB was the early-season version of Penix).
But QB's make up only the vast majority of MVP's throughout NFL history (48), not all. In fact, the second-most MVP's come from the running back position (18), which is also the only other position to boast more than one MVP through history.
it's rare, but Robinson is making a legitimate case for himself. The only other competitor at the position is Jonathan Taylor, but weirdly enough I trust Daniel Jones more to complete passes than Michael Penix, Jr. Let's not forget that even if it's just the Buccaneers, the NFC South is tougher than its AFC counterpart on Baker's strength and grit alone.
Bijan can and has done anything on a football field (he has never totaled less than 100 total scrimmage yards in five games this season). He's also one of the core members of what could sneakily be one of the NFL's best pass blocking schemes.
All of this, mixed in, make Robinson the best running back in football. And if the Falcons continue their momentum from dunking all over Buffalo and even challenge the Bucs, Robinson deserves to be on that MVP shortlist.