South Atlanta News

After years of covering Falcons games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the sounds have become familiar. Among them is a phrase that often follows a Tyler Allgeier run: "Give the ball to Tyler!" Its origins are unknown, but it has become a notable part of game day.

In the recent home win against the New Orleans Saints, Allgeier stood out despite no offensive touchdowns from the Falcons. He recorded eight carries for 60 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Over four games this season, he has amassed 166 rushing yards on 27 attempts with an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

Allgeier's success can be attributed to his playing style, characterized by breaking tackles and gaining extra yards after initial contact. This was evident in his college days at BYU and continues with the Falcons since being drafted in 2022.

"More than 60 of Allgeier's 166 rushing yards this season are what I consider to be yards after initial contact," noted one observer. "These aren't broken tackles, per se... according to my calculations and film review, Allgeier has picked up at least two yards after initial contact on 16 of his 27 total rushes."

The Falcons' offensive strategy also plays a role in Allgeier's performance. They often position him six or seven yards behind the line of scrimmage to build momentum before receiving the handoff from Cousins.

A key aspect of their play design is misdirection within stretch plays. An example is from Week 1 against the Steelers where both Robinson and Allgeier were in the backfield. The motioned Robinson mimicked a screen option while blocking slid left for Allgeier’s handoff.

By Week 2, this misdirection became more frequent with pre-snap motions creating confusion for defenders. In Week 3 against the Chiefs, back-to-back play designs using misdirection resulted in significant gains for Allgeier.

However, there were instances when abandoning misdirection led to less effective runs as seen in late-game scenarios against Kansas City.

In Sunday’s game against New Orleans Saints, incorporating these learnings resulted in productive runs for Allgeier through elaborate pre-snap motions and opposite-loaded personnel alignments.

Overall, while Allgeier’s physicality remains crucial to his performance, strategic play designs by the Falcons have significantly contributed to his success this season.