Texas Professional Athletes

Bijan Robinson Is Rewriting the Record Books

The Barry Sanders comparisons aren't hyperbole anymore — they're a statistical argument.

Bijan Robinson turned Monday Night Football into a one-man clinic, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta's 45-24 demolition of the Saints. The performance extended his historic MNF numbers — a per-game average no other back in the league has matched on the sport's biggest midweek stage, according to The Sporting News.

CBS Sports went deeper, crunching Robinson's first 55 career games against the all-time greats. The verdict: his numbers stack up favorably against Barry Sanders and several modern legends, putting a legitimate Canton conversation on the table. Now the Falcons' bruising halfback has a new showcase: Sunday Night Football against the Ravens, where an injured Lamar Jackson is replaced by Tyler Huntley and a hobbled Baltimore defense faces the NFL's hottest running back. Derrick Henry — a man who held the crown for years — was asked whether Robinson was ready to take it. Sports Illustrated framed it as a passing of the torch moment. King Henry's answer was notably measured.

Robinson arrived in New Orleans already owning the most dominant Monday night average in the league. He left with two more touchdowns and a growing sense that 2026 might be the season that defines his legacy.

Jake Majors Gets His Shot — in London

Across the Atlantic, fellow Longhorn Jake Majors is set to make his first NFL start Sunday when the Eagles face the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. It's the third different center Philadelphia will deploy this season, and Majors steps into a high-profile moment for a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles lost to the Rams 24-20 in Week 4, a game in which fellow UT alum Andrew Mukuba notched an interception and Moro Ojomo held his own up front along the defensive line.

Majors' opportunity is real: the Eagles' offensive line musical chairs have created a window, and the former Texas starter will be protecting a championship-caliber offense on an international stage.

Other Longhorns Around the League

The rest of the alumni corps had a scattered but notable week. Matthew Golden continued to flash in Green Bay, hauling in 3 receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown in the Packers' 17-14 win over Tampa Bay — a promising sign for the rookie receiver's development.

In Chicago, Roschon Johnson got his number called with Kyle Monangai banged up, carrying the ball for 16 yards and adding a catch out of the backfield in the Bears' 23-12 win over the Jets. His power game, per Sports Illustrated, is suddenly useful again.

Xavier Worthy stayed productive in Kansas City, catching 4 passes for 70 yards in the Chiefs' 30-27 win over the Raiders. Ethan Burke recorded a sack for Baltimore, and Jahdae Barron — who spent the week trolling Oklahoma on social media ahead of the Red River Rivalry — played in Denver's 14-24 loss to San Francisco. Alfred Collins, meanwhile, was confirmed out for the 49ers with a season-ending knee injury, a tough blow for the defensive tackle.

Adonai Mitchell remains the concerning subplot in New York, ruled out for a third straight game with a finger injury that the Jets have been strangely tight-lipped about. DeMarvion Overshown is a game-time question in Dallas with a hamstring issue, though he made news off the field by honoring the late Jake Ehlinger with a custom Texas jersey before the Cowboys' Week 5 game against Tampa Bay.

A deep alumni class, a historic performance, and a London debut — Texas had a week worth watching.

Bijan Robinson Is Running Into Another Stratosphere

No Texas alum commanded the national conversation this week quite like Bijan Robinson. The Atlanta Falcons running back followed up a dominant Week 3 performance against the Green Bay Packers — a 35-14 blowout — with a wave of league recognition and a Monday Night Football spotlight on the horizon.

Robinson's effort against Green Bay was the kind of night that reshapes a player's national profile. The performance earned him an NFL weekly honor, according to Sports Illustrated, and landed him prominently on Fox Sports' NFL awards ballot as an Offensive Player of the Year contender — in the same conversation as MVP frontrunner Brock Purdy. The key factor: Robinson's chemistry with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back under center for Atlanta. With that pairing clicking, Robinson is showing what a full-featured version of this Falcons offense can look like.

He's leaning into the moment. Robinson invoked Kobe Bryant while reflecting on his primetime performances this season, according to Bleacher Report — a signal that he's not treating the big stage as added pressure, but as the point. His "peek-a-boo" running style, which uses misdirection and patience at the line, is what makes him particularly lethal, and SI's breakdown suggests the New Orleans Saints — his Week 4 Monday Night Football opponent — should be worried. Robinson ran so freely against Green Bay that the Packers are now reportedly being urged to pursue trade help on the defensive front to shore up what he exposed.

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Around the League: Texas Alumni Weekly Snapshot

Matthew Golden, WR, Packers — While Robinson feasted on Green Bay's defense, Golden was doing his part on the other side of the ball. The second-year receiver has become one-half of the Packers' go-to passing tandem alongside Christian Watson, earning praise from coach Matt LaFleur for bringing the physicality after the catch that LaFleur challenged him to develop. Golden has answered the bell three games in.

DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Cowboys — The Dallas linebacker was ruled out for Week 4 against the Texans, per multiple injury reports, though the Cowboys expressed optimism about his trajectory. Overshown is inching closer to a return and his presence could stabilize a defense that's been under scrutiny.

Andrew Mukuba, S, Eagles — It was a rough week for the Eagles' safety corps, and Mukuba was at the center of the criticism after Philadelphia's 27-7 blowout loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football. Missed tackles and coverage lapses drew attention, and the team was already evaluating options at the position heading into Week 4.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Jets — Mitchell was ruled out for both Weeks 3 and 4, leaving the Jets shorthanded at receiver during a stretch that also saw Breece Hall sidelined. His absence forced the team to find other answers in their 24-31 Week 3 loss to Detroit.

Joseph Ossai, DE, Jets — Ossai was on the field for that Lions loss but has yet to break through with the consistent pass-rush impact the Jets need. Sports Illustrated framed his Week 4 matchup against the Bears as a prime opportunity to quiet the doubters.

Byron Murphy II, DT, Seahawks — Seattle dropped a 33-31 decision to Washington, and Murphy was among those sending a pointed message after the loss — vowing the film didn't reflect a unit ready to accept that result as a true measure of their defense.

The week belonged to Robinson, but the breadth of Longhorns across NFL rosters made itself felt from Seattle to Philadelphia.

Bijan Robinson Puts His Name in the Record Books

Thursday Night Football belonged to a Longhorn. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson carried 29 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant 35-14 dismantling of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field — a performance that tied Jerry Rice and two others for a rare statistical feat in NFL primetime history, according to The Sporting News.

The numbers were staggering enough on their own. Robinson churned through a Packers defense that had no answer, racking up yards in chunks and finishing as the engine of an Atlanta offense that generated 498 total yards and averaged 7.5 yards per play. Drake London, Robinson's teammate, didn't hold back in the postgame: he called Robinson a future Hall of Famer after the historic night.

The performance also went beyond the field. Robinson made headlines off it, drawing viral attention for comparing head coach Kevin Stefanski's locker room speech to Martin Luther King Jr. — a remark he later clarified — after Atlanta snapped a two-game skid that had seen the Falcons outscored 54-16 by the Steelers and Panthers to open the season.

For Texas fans, this is the version of Robinson they've been waiting to see at the NFL level. He entered the week having managed just 72 rushing yards in a blowout loss to Carolina in Week 2, but looked like a completely different player on the national stage.

Fellow Longhorn Matthew Golden Shines — On the Losing Side

Green Bay wide receiver and fellow Texas alum Matthew Golden had a strong showing in defeat, catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against Robinson's Falcons. It's the second straight week Golden put up meaningful numbers for the Packers, having caught four passes for 58 yards in Week 2 as well. He's quietly becoming one of the more reliable young receiving options in Green Bay's offense.

Brooks Headed to IR, Season in Jeopardy

The week's darker storyline for Longhorn Nation came out of Carolina. Running back Jonathon Brooks, who suffered a groin injury during the Panthers' Week 2 win over Atlanta, was placed on injured reserve and is set to undergo core muscle surgery. Multiple reports indicate he will miss at least four to six weeks — and given Brooks' injury history, including an ACL tear that cost him much of his collegiate career, the news hit hard.

Brooks had only managed 16 rushing yards on limited carries before going down. The Panthers are now turning to Austin Ekeler to fill the void, with Brooks' 2025 season now very much in question.

Around the Rest of the Alumni Network

It was a mixed bag elsewhere for Longhorns across the league. Jets receiver Adonai Mitchell had a notable scare — a hand injury that set off alarm bells and sparked viral social media reaction — but avoided a fracture and was listed as questionable before playing through it. He had caught six passes for 63 yards in Week 2. Cowboys safety P.J. Locke, meanwhile, was placed on injured reserve ahead of Dallas's game in Brazil, adding to a wave of Texas alumni dealing with injury issues this week.

Kansas City's Xavier Worthy chipped in five catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs' 33-30 edging of Indianapolis — continuing to be a factor in the league's most dangerous offense.

Texas alumni made their presence felt across the NFL in Week 1, with Bijan Robinson delivering a masterclass in versatility, Matthew Golden announcing himself as a legitimate Packers weapon, and DeMarvion Overshown generating Cowboys headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Bijan Does It All — Just Not Enough to Win

Bijan Robinson was the most complete back on the field in Week 1. The Atlanta Falcons running back racked up 83 rushing yards, hauled in 8 catches for 90 receiving yards, and found the end zone through the air — a 173-yard all-around performance that would have been the story of most games. It wasn't enough. The Falcons dropped a 13-20 decision to Pittsburgh, leaving Robinson's eye-popping stat line without a win attached to it. The performance nevertheless cements his status as one of the NFL's premier dual-threat backs heading into Year 3.

Golden Silences the Doubters in Green Bay

Matthew Golden's rookie season in Green Bay was quietly forgettable. His sophomore campaign is off to a very different start. The former Texas wide receiver turned in 6 catches for 95 yards in the Packers' Week 1 loss to Minnesota, a performance sharp enough to have fantasy analysts already labeling him a must-add heading into Week 2. Heavy Sports reported that Golden's breakout has the fantasy community buzzing — a notable turnaround for a first-round pick who spent most of 2025 trying to find his footing in the league.

Overshown: Fined, Hurt, and Ruled Out

DeMarvion Overshown's Week 1 was a three-act disaster. The Cowboys linebacker drew an unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart during Dallas's 20-28 loss to New York — a play the NFL followed up with an $8,166 fine. Then came worse news: Overshown injured his hamstring in the game and was ruled out entirely for Week 2 against Washington. Dallas elevated two players from the practice squad to cover the void, and speculation about a Bobby Wagner signing began almost immediately. CBS Sports cited Overshown's absence as a key factor in Dallas's defensive communication problems. One mock draft already has the Cowboys taking a linebacker in the first round of the 2027 draft to address the position long-term. For a player who has battled injuries throughout his NFL tenure, it's a discouraging start.

Around the Horn

Several other Longhorns had moments worth noting. Anthony Hill Jr. impressed enough in the Titans' Week 1 loss to the Jets that head coach Robert Saleh named him a starter for Week 2 — a rapid ascent for a rookie linebacker. Gunnar Helm contributed 4 catches for 28 yards in that same game. Adonai Mitchell caught 3 passes for 60 yards in the Jets' win. Vernon Broughton recorded his first career forced fumble and fumble recovery for the Saints in a tight 30-31 loss to Detroit. Michael Taaffe picked off a pass for Miami in a Raiders win. Brandon Jones added an interception for Denver in a lopsided 10-31 loss to Kansas City. Xavier Worthy had a quieter day — 3 catches, 18 yards — but was involved in a miscommunication with Patrick Mahomes that resulted in an interception, a hiccup in an otherwise strong Chiefs victory. Finally, Lil'Jordan Humphrey made news off the field, issuing a pointed response after Denver released and re-signed him in a procedural move to avoid guaranteeing his contract.