The Atlanta Falcons haven't won much since Matt Ryan's MVP season back in 2016 - both as a team and as individuals. This year looks like things might finally be changing in both departments.
At the moment Atlanta is tied with Carolina at the top of the NFC South, while they have an early MVP candidate in red-hot running back Bijan Robinson.
While actually winning MVP is a long shot, Robinson does have a great chance to win the Offensive Player of the Year award.Bill Barnwell at ESPN has Robinson tied in that race going into Week 5 along with Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III.
"Robinson and Walker average 0.15 EPA per touch. Robinson has been slightly more consistent, with 53.5% of his touches producing successful snaps in terms
of staying on schedule to Walker's 50.5% ... but Walker has created more big plays. Robinson has fumbled this season, which is also a point in Walker's favor, given that he hasn't. Yet Robinson has been better in short-yardage situations... I wouldn't fault anyone who prefers Walker, but I think Robinson has had to do a little more to create his 2026 season on his own."
Last year this award went to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who posted 119 catches, 1,794 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Besting that production should be no problem for Robinson, provided he can stay healthy and play the entire 17-game regular season. The only real question is if he can compete with Walker for that entire time.
Odds are the Chiefs are going to be playing with a lot more leads than the Falcons are, which may give Walker the edge he needs in rushing attempts.
That said, Robinson's explosiveness is on a level that no other skill player can match right now, Walker included. A lot of factors will go into deciding this race, but Robinson's ceiling is in a league of its own.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons RB ranked top Offensive Player of the Year candidate by ESPN
