Tevin Coleman considered not playing in the Atlanta Falcons' Week 5 victory over the Denver Broncos. The second year running back has sickle cell anemia, and he worried the Colorado altitude would affect his performance.
It ended up being a non-factor. Coleman had two big catches, including 31-yard touchdown over the middle of the Broncos defense. And the win — in which Coleman had 132 receiving yards and his backfield partner Devonta Freeman ran for 88 yards — served as something of a notice to the rest of the NFL, or at least to other Falcons.
Atlanta receiver Taylor Gabriel said that game was when he realized the Falcons had a special running back duo.