Denard Robinson proves his worth against Colts

Denard Robinson came in for an injured T.J. Yeldon and helped turn a close game into a rout for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

T.J. Yeldon didn’t have a bad day against the Indianapolis Colts, managing to put up 62 yards on just 11 carries (5.6 yards per carry) but was taken out of the game when he injured his knee.

Yeldon’s impressive pace was continued by Denard Robinson, who managed to step in and prove that he is still a threatening running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Scoring his first rushing touchdown since Week 10 of 2014, Robinson also posted 75 rushing yards on 14 attempts (5.3 yards per carry) and caught one ball for 12 yards. The offense didn’t miss a beat with Robinson inserted at running back following Yeldon’s removal from the game.

This was critical for the Jaguars as it proved that behind Yeldon they are capable to fielding a rushing attack with Robinson. After trying Toby Gerhart and Bernard Pierce, it is promising to see that someone can actually step up behind the workhorse back that Yeldon has become.

As a backup, Denard Robinson still has that impressive value. Last season he showed that he could be an NFL-caliber running back, this season he is proving that he is a professional who can handle being shuffled to the depth chart and still produce when called upon.

This has been most apparent over the last few weeks. After posting just 15 rushing attempts up to Week 10, Robinson has had 27 since then and the Jags are attempting to get him more touches elsewhere, notably on special teams as a returner.

If Robinson can continue to make every snap count (he has averaged over five yards per carry in Week 12-14), he should see increased reps and maybe finally lead into the one-two punch many anticipated when the team drafted Yeldon early in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

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It would be great to see this hot streak continue from Robinson, who was almost written off earlier in the season as any running back without the last name Yeldon struggled. Hopefully he can keep it up either as a backup or more involved, balancing option.