Tyler Allgeier ties Michael Vick as the third-fastest Falcon to reach 2,000 rushing yards

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier posted the third-best rushing performance of his career, gaining 105 yards with a touchdown on 18 carries in Sunday’s 38-20 win over the Carolina Panthers. He also reached a very important milestone.

With a 3-yard carry in the fourth quarter, Allgeier surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards in his 39th NFL game. That’s the third fewest number of games it took for a Falcons player to reach 2,000 career rushing yards, and Allgeier shares that spot with none other than Michael Vick.

The former Falcons star quarterback finished his 39th game with 2,030 rushing yards and continued to establish himself as the epitome of dual-threat quarterback play in NFL history to that point. Vick totaled 3,859 rushing yards during his time in Atlanta from 2001 to 2006 and finished his career with 6,109 yards on the ground. Vick’s career average of seven yards per carry is currently the NFL’s all-time record.

This isn’t the first time Allgeier, a former fifth-round pick, has written his name in the Falcons’ record books. During the 2022 season, Allgeier finished with 1,035 rushing yards, breaking William Andrews’ long-standing franchise record for most yards on the ground by a Falcons rookie.

“Tyler was a pain in the ass for me in his rookie season,” said Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who was with the Los Angeles Rams at the time. “Being a defensive coordinator against him (and) finding out who he was. … Cordarrelle Patterson was the defenseman and (Allgeier) was the other one. I remember telling our guys when we met, ‘These guys run hard.’ I said, “I’m just telling you.”

“And if I remember correctly, I think it was (Rams defensive tackle) Greg Gaines who came out on the first drive and said, ‘Man, you weren’t lying. This guy is heavy.’ So we’ve known him for a while.