Falcons running back usage in Week 12 was a thing of beauty

For much of the season, the Falcons haven’t been their usual self on offense and much of that falls at the feet of Arthur Smith.

Whether it’s abandoning the run game or his usage of the running backs, Smith has strayed away from what made him such a hot coaching candidate in Tennessee and got fans excited after the 2022 campaign. That changed in Week 12.

Atlanta returned to the offensive identity established last year, rushing for 228 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries. Rookie phenom Bijan Robinson went for over 120 yards from scrimmage including a pair of touchdowns. Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson combined for 107 yards on 18 carries, a chunk of which came in the final quarter.

The Falcons leaned on Allgeier — the bruiser of the backfield trio — in the fourth quarter to wear down the Saints’ defense. It’s the perfect role for him in this offense.

Patterson had been a minimal part of Atlanta’s offense for several weeks but played 16 snaps on Sunday, carrying it eight times for 43 yards, providing a change of pace, most of which came in the first half. His most successful touches came with Bijan Robinson on the field as well, which leads me to my next point.

The Falcons rookie only had 39 snaps on Sunday, which is actually the third-lowest of the season, but it’s how he was used that is important. Robinson got touches in critical moments — redzone and in the opponent’s territory. That is maximization. Of those 39 snaps, he rushed or was targeted 22 times. There needs to be improvement between him and Desmond Ridder in the chemistry department, but the intention is encouraging.

The Falcons trio have a particular set of skills that complement each other. Bijan Robinson deserves the most important touches — third downs, redzone, etc. Cordarrelle Patterson should be used as a swiss army knife throughout the contest as a change of pace running back, while Tyler Allgeier should be used as the finisher.

That is what happened this past Sunday against the Saints, and it needs to be the formula moving forward if the Falcons want to win the NFC South.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire