Atlanta Falcons star Bijan Robinson turned in one of the finest Monday night performances in recent memory — and then turned the microphone toward heaven.

In a 45-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 5, the fourth-year running back rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns. According to ESPN Research, Robinson has now averaged more scrimmage yards per game in primetime — with a five-game minimum — than any NFL player since the 1970 merger.

But when ESPN's Laura Rutledge caught him on the field afterward, Robinson spoke about God before he spoke about the game. “First off, I gotta give honor to God,” he said. “Without him, I wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be here, so just I gotta give thanks to him in all he's blessed me to do… I just gotta give thanks to Jesus.”

The pattern continued in the locker room. Asked how good the Falcons can be, Robinson answered the same way: “First off, I got to give honor to God…and everything that he's blessed us to do and blessed me to do.” He added that he wants to “keep playing for [God]… 'cause without him, like, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here, playing how we're playing. So, got to give him all the glory.”

For Robinson, this is nothing new. He has spoken openly about praying since childhood that God would “take me to the NFL,” even carrying a football around like a security blanket — once sneaking it into church. His grandmother was his Sunday school teacher, and his grandfather helped him with sports.

Robinson starred at a Catholic high school in Tucson, Arizona, where he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019, and he has credited his time at the University of Texas with helping him grow spiritually. “None of us would be here if God wasn't a part of our life,” he said during his college years. “[God] blessed us to do something. So when he's the center and the focal piece of a team, then that's when you start to see where you want to go and how you want to do it.”

Robinson's night is a reminder of a simple biblical truth playing out on a national stage: talent is a gift, and the One who gives it deserves the credit first.