Tyler Allgeier is coming off his best game as a pro, and he is now in line for a bigger role after Atlanta Falcons starting running back Cordarrelle Patterson went on injured reserve.
Patterson joined fellow Falcons running back Damien Williams on IR on Monday. Patterson has been dealing with a knee injury, and will now miss at least the next four games.
What does that mean for Allgeier, the former BYU running back who was a fifth-round draft pick this offseason?
He ran for a team-high 84 yards on 10 carries Sunday in Atlanta’s 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns, including a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter that set up a game-tying field goal.
Tyler Allgeier could be next up. pic.twitter.com/YQrn2aX4zY
— PFF ATL Falcons (@PFF_Falcons) October 3, 2022
He also had a 20-yard reception in the game, finishing with 104 yards of offense.
Allgeier has rushed for 139 yards this season on 26 carries, with a 5.2 yards-per-carry average, through the first four weeks.
He was placed on the inactive list for the Falcons’ season opener even though he was healthy, though Allgeier has been Patterson’s lead backup recently with Williams on the mend.
The 31-year-old Patterson has been solid as Atlanta’s lead back, running for 348 yards and three touchdowns so far in 2022, with a 5.8 ypc average.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Patterson “was dealing with (the knee injury) last week and played through it despite serious pain.”
Williams, a veteran who’s in his ninth NFL season, is eligible to return in Week 6 after going on injured reserve on Sept. 17 with a rib injury.
With Patterson going on IR, the Falcons also signed running back Caleb Huntley to the 53-man roster off the team’s practice squad.
Huntley was elevated to the active roster on Sunday and ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, while Avery Williams broke off a 21-yard run.
Over the next four weeks, the Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers.
The 49ers lead the NFL in rush defense, giving up just 2.8 ypc heading into their Monday night game this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bengals are tied for seventh, allowing 3.8 ypc.