Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a big day in the Washington Commanders‘ 27-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, but he’s remaining humble amid his breakout.
The Commanders’ rookie running back took home Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game with his 111-yard rushing performance on Sunday, adding multiple touchdowns in Washington’s victory. Croskey-Merritt was also efficient with his carries, going for 7.9 yards per pop and adding 39 receiving yards.
As Croskey-Merritt had nearly 10 yards per touch on Sunday, it might seem hard to believe that he was just a seventh-round rookie looking to make the Commanders’ roster just a couple of months ago. But Croskey-Merritt is crediting those around him for setting him up for success so early in his NFL career.
“It feels amazing,” Croskey-Merritt told Brady of his performance on Sunday. “I’m so thankful for this organization — for believing in me, for trusting me. I’m so thankful and just excited to be here.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt 🏆 Week 5 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
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Croskey-Merritt’s rise to become Washington’s lead back happened pretty quickly. He outperformed Brian Robinson in training camp, leading the Commanders to trade the veteran to the San Francisco 49ers in August. It appeared that Croskey-Merritt would split touches with Austin Ekeler, but the former Chargers star suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2.
So, the Commanders have had no choice but to give Croskey-Merritt opportunities, and he’s made the most of them.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence,” Croskey-Merritt said of his continued touches. “I wanna say thanks to God, my teammates, my family for just being with me the whole way. It definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
[Related: Meet Commanders Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt]
Croskey-Merritt’s 16 touches on Sunday marked a career high as he now has 283 rushing yards and 322 total yards this season. He’s fifth among all rookie running backs in total yards this year ahead of “Sunday Night Football.”
In terms of touchdowns, Croskey-Merritt’s four are tied with Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders for the most among rookie running backs this season. Croskey-Merritt’s first rushing touchdown came in the second quarter, running a sweep for a 15-yard score that cut the Chargers’ lead to 10-7. His second came in the third, rushing for a 5-yard touchdown as he junked the Chargers’ defensive line in the backfield before running into the end zone untouched to give his team a 17-10 lead.
Croskey-Merritt continued to make key plays after that second touchdown. He picked up three first downs over the Commanders’ final two drives, rushing for 34 yards on three carries in Washington’s final possession as it ran the clock down. That led Brady to tell him to “keep taking advantage of those opportunities.”
Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Croskey-Merritt’s nickname. The rookie has been called “Bill” since he was a kid because his haircut resembled the main cartoon character in “Little Bill.”
As Croskey-Merritt seemingly turned all of his touches into first downs or touchdowns, several “Bill” chants rang throughout SoFi Stadium.
“I definitely hear them,” Croskey-Merritt said of the chants. “I love it. I’m so thankful that they support me. It just make me wanna give my all to them.”
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