Is Bijan Robinson REALLY the best player in football right now?

Copied!

Bijan Robinson stole the show to cap off Week 6, producing a career effort on Monday Night Football , racking up 238 scrimmage yards (a single-game franchise record for an RB) in Atlanta’s dominant win over Buffalo. Highlighted by a career-long 81-yard touchdown run, Robinson’s effort prompted head coach Raheem Morris to double down on a strong statement he made early in the season.

“He’s the best player in football,” Morris said after the game. “I’ve said it multiple times. I can’t say it enough. You can always have your pick. You can always go out there and figure out who you want to vote for, but in my opinion he’s the best player in football.”

Entering Week 7, Robinson leads the NFL with 822 scrimmage yards despite only playing five games. He and Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas are the only players in NFL history to have at least 450 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards in their first five games of a season (Thomas accomplished this en route to being named MVP in 1991). In addition, Robinson is on pace for 2,795 scrimmage yards this season, which would set the NFL’s all-time single-season record, besting Chris Johnson’s mark of 2,509, set in 2009. He’s also on course to join Christian McCaffrey (2019), Marshall Faulk (1999) and Roger Craig (1985) as the only players in NFL history to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

Robinson is off to historic start — which is why we’re asking this question:

Is Bijan Robinson the best player in football?

I can appreciate the love Raheem Morris has for his star running back, and the best player in football right now is in the NFC South. It just so happens that his name is   Baker Mayfield   . Tampa Bay leads the division and is tied for the best record in football (5-1). The Bucs are doing all this despite dealing with injuries to four of their top receivers, their best running back and an assortment of offensive linemen. That’s because of the job Mayfield has done leading this team to close wins, week in and week out. He’s already the early favorite for MVP. And if he keeps this up, he’s going to run away with it.

Read More