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
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 profession excessive as he now has 283 dashing yards and 322 complete yards this season. He is fifth amongst all rookie operating backs in complete yards this yr forward of “Sunday Evening Soccer.”
When it comes to touchdowns, Croskey-Merritt’s 4 are tied with Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders for essentially the most amongst rookie operating backs this season. Croskey-Merritt’s first dashing landing got here within the second quarter, operating a sweep for a 15-yard rating that reduce the Chargers’ result in 10-7. His second got here within the third, dashing for a 5-yard landing as he junked the Chargers’ line of defense within the backfield earlier than operating into the tip zone untouched to present his crew a 17-10 lead.
Croskey-Merritt continued to make key performs after that second landing. He picked up three first downs over the Commanders’ last two drives, dashing for 34 yards on three carries in Washington’s last possession because it ran the clock down. That led Brady to inform him to “maintain profiting from these alternatives.”
In fact, we would be remiss if we did not point out Croskey-Merritt’s nickname. The rookie has been referred to as “Invoice” since he was a child as a result of his haircut resembled the principle cartoon character in “Little Invoice.”
As Croskey-Merritt seemingly turned all of his touches into first downs or touchdowns, a number of “Invoice” chants rang all through SoFi Stadium.
“I undoubtedly hear them,” Croskey-Merritt mentioned of the chants. “I adore it. I am so grateful that they help me. It simply make me wanna give my all to them.”
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