The Atlanta Falcons are going to face their biggest challenge yet this season as the San Francisco 49ers arrive to town with an undefeated record and seemingly cutting down everyone in their path.

Pulling off a win like this, while certainly possible on any given Sunday at the NFL level, is going to require a collective team effort the likes of which Atlanta has not put together in a couple of weeks now.

In order to get it done though, perhaps the most important thing is the stars on the team actually being stars. This week, that player absolutely has to be running back Bijan Robinson. After largely abandoning the run game in the second half last week against the Chicago Bears, Robinson has to be a key part of the game plan from the opening whistle, because in games the Falcons do not establish the run, they wind up getting smoked.

In terms of yardage, San Francisco has been one of the best run defenses in football so far this season with just over 90 yards per game allowed on the ground. Part of this is because from a game script standpoint, teams cannot commit to the run when they are down in the second half.

This is what the Falcons simply have to avoid if they are going to have any chance of pulling off the upset here. From the opening drive, Atlanta should be riding Robinson early and often, because keeping pace with an effective rushing attack may be the only way they really can stay in this game.

For the faults of Michael Penix Jr., he has done a good job throughout his career when playing with a lead and where the offense can keep the defense guessing rather than just teeing off on him with an aggressive pass rush.

Robinson is the X-factor in a game where he may be the best player on the field, and after getting away from him against Chicago, that simply cannot be the case again this week versus the 49ers.

This is already a very tall task, and the Falcons would do well not to take their biggest star out of the game plan by refusing to commit to running the football. Beating a team like San Francisco is never going to be easy, but if Robinson does not have a big day, it might just be impossible.