Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson Earns NFL Honor
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There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes and Atlanta Falcons offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson running hard.
On the heels of a breakout age-30 season that he parlayed into a two-year contract, Patterson has picked up right where he left off and turned in his best performance yet in Atlanta's 27-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The 6-2, 220-pound Patterson ran through, above and around Seahawks defenders all game, finishing with a career-high 141 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries, averaging over eight yards per touch. He also had one reception for 12 yards, bringing his total yards from scrimmage above 150.
As a result of his stellar performance, Patterson was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday.
For the season, the 2013 first-round pick has totaled 302 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries, an average of 6.2 yards per rush, while adding four receptions for 28 yards. Through three weeks, Patterson ranks first in the league in rushing first downs, third in rushing yards and seventh in yards per carry.
Thus far, Patterson has eased all of the concerns surrounding his age and ability to repeat last year's production. With two 100-yard games under his belt already, Patterson is on pace to surpass his rushing totals from a season ago by Week 7.
Moving forward, the goal for the 31-year-old will be avoiding the late-season slump that struck last year, starting with Sunday's 1 p.m. home matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
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