Commanders' rookie goes from under the radar to undeniable as hype explodes
The Washington Commanders took a chance on running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt at No. 245 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. To say he's repaid this faith so far would be a massive understatement.
It's been a meteoric rise for Croskey-Merritt. He's gone from a Day 3 afterthought to a prominent feature in Washington's offensive strategy. And the hype reached a new level thanks to a blistering performance early in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Commanders were getting Croskey-Merritt involved a lot more. It took a while for the offense to click, but a forced fumble from safety Quan Martin that was recovered by cornerback Marshon Lattimore gave them an unlikely chance when hope was fading.
Commanders rookie Jacory Croskey-Merrit is proving he belongs
Washington put together a masterful drive. It was well-balanced, fluid, and aggressive. And unsurprisingly, it featured a heavy dose of the seventh-round rookie.
The decisiveness with which Croskey-Merritt runs the football is nothing short of outstanding. He's a firecracker out of the backfield, exploiting seams for significant gains with smooth contact balance. He's also got enough speed to bend around the edge, as evidenced by his touchdown run that got Washington back into the contest.
UNTOUCHED
#WASvsLAC FOX pic.twitter.com/rJ4nhRT2gY
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 5, 2025
Croskey-Merritt has proven he belongs. He's proven capable of handling big-time responsibilities for an offense in desperate need of inspiration. More importantly, he's taking absolutely nothing for granted after overcoming genuine adversity to reach this point.
The first-year pro arguably has more buzz around him than any seventh-round pick since Brock Purdy, who was also drafted by a team where Adam Peters held influence in the front office. Croskey-Merritt appears to be an absolute steal, transforming his narrative through a supreme work ethic and seizing every moment. And the best part? He's just getting started.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is gradually increasing Croskey-Merritt's workload. But we're getting to the point where he must be unleashed as a focal point of Washington's ground attack.
Based on what fans have witnessed so far, the man they call Bill looks ready.
Dak Prescott brushes off ‘MVP’ chants after Cowboys’ dominant win
There's something about playing in MetLife Stadium that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott must enjoy. After all, he's lost just one time there since his rookie season, and that came against the New York Jets in 2019. While Prescott is unbeaten against the Giants since his sophomore campaign, he entered Sunday with a 1-1 record against the Jets.
To make things even more complicated for the Cowboys, they were without four of five starting offensive linemen and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
None of it mattered.
Cowboys' Dak Prescott had an amazing performance vs. Jets
Prescott's encore performance, following a stellar 319-yard passing game with three scores the week prior against the Green Bay Packers, was even more impressive in the Cowboys' 37-22 win. The 32-year-old signal-caller threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns, pushing the game nearly out of reach around halftime, when the Cowboys led 23-3.
However, one noteworthy question directed at Prescott was about a chant coming from the MetLife crowd—and it was something he certainly never hears when Dallas faces the Giants. Prescott received a loud "M-V-P" chant during the victory, but as The Athletic's Jon Machota revealed, he was quick to brush that aside.
When asked if Prescott heard the chant, he responded:
“My ears work, so I did hear it. But I didn’t hear it. It’s Week 5," Prescott responded. "I didn’t play near as well of a game as I wanted to.”
Dak Prescott when asked about the fans chanting M-V-P: “My ears work, so I did hear it. But I didn’t hear it. It’s Week 5.
“I didn’t play near as well of a game as I wanted to.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 5, 2025
It's hard to find much that Prescott didn't do right in the Week 5 victory. However, his mindset of essentially ignoring the MVP chants is the right approach.
Prescott knows how the grind of an NFL season goes, and he's well-aware of the ups and downs. Not surprisingly, a bit of early-season MVP buzz isn't something the Cowboys star is going to entertain, but after his past two weeks and start to this season, that buzz will only get louder if he keeps playing at this level.
