The last time anybody but a quarterback won the MVP award was back in 2012, when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had a season for the ages. AD posted an insane 2,097 rushing yards to go with 12 touchdowns, 88 first downs, 131.1 rushing yards per game and 2,314 total yard from scrimmage - all league high marks.
These days running backs are back end vogue and as important as they have been in two decades. The latest MVP candidates list from CBS Sports reinforces that point, as two of the top three names are running backs.
At the top is reigning Super Bowl MVP, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III. In second is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, followed by Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson in the No.
3 spot.
"Robinson's last two games have reinforced his status as one of the NFL's elite players. A week after running roughshod for 194 yards and two scores against the Packers, Robinson ran circles around the Saints' defense to the tune of 145 yards and two more touchdowns. His 59-yard scoring jaunt less than two minutes into the game set the tone for Atlanta's 45-24 win."
Next up Bijan will face a relatively stingy Baltimore Ravens team, who rank 10th in run defense, giving up 100 yards per game on the ground. That mark makes them the toughest rush defense that the Falcons will have played so far this season.
If Robinson and his partner Brian Robinson Jr. can go wild on the Ravens, it may prove that no team can slow down this rushing attack right now.
While he's red hot, it's still a long shot for Bijan to get serious MVP consideration - which tends to go only to the best players on teams with the best records in the league. Dominating the NFC South is not going to get the Falcons in that conversation. Robinson will have a really strong case for the Offensive Player of the Year award, though.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: CBS Sports ranks Bijan Robinson among early MVP candidates
