Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt notched his second 100-yard rushing game and multi-touchdown game of the season in the 30-23 home loss against the Dallas Cowboys.
While Thursday was expected to be an uphill battle for a Commanders team battling injuries at a premium position with Josh Johnson ultimately drawing the start, his first with the team since 2018 and first in the NFL since 2021.
While the defense was tasked with eliminating the big plays, something they struggled to do with Dak Prescott posting over 300 passing yards and running back Malik Davis eclipsing the century mark to lead the Cowboys to 211 rushing yards, the offense had to lean on the ground game.
Optimism of doing so took a hit when running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was listed as questionable hours ahead of kickoff due to illness, which ultimately sidelined him, but that gave the rookie a chance to step up. And that he did as head coach Dan Quinn pointed to “the competitor’s mindset” out of his rookie
Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt finished with 105 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, marking his second 100-yard rushing game and his second-multi touchdown game this season after doing both in the week five win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Croskey-Merritt recorded both of Washington’s touchdowns in the loss, but it was his 72-yard touchdown roughly five minutes into the second half that gave the Commanders life in what marked his longest rush of the season and recording a top speed of 21.62 mph, per Next Gen Stats.
“I saw daylight and I was like this is my chance to show in this open field, I can take it the distance,” Croskey-Merritt said postgame. “It worked out perfectly.”
“For an extended role for Bill going into it, I knew he was ready. You can see he’s mad, disappointed after the game and I know we’ll get his best every time.”
Croskey-Merritt wasn’t the only one with a handful of others stepping up to serve as outlier bright spots for the Commanders.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was the first after recording 93 of his 98 total yards of offense in the first half, including a season-long 41 yard catch and run that ended in a big hit from Samuel in the redzone. Second-year defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton recorded three sacks and finished second on the team with nine tackles, becoming the first Commander to record three sacks in a game in nine seasons.
But in a lost season and ahead of an offseason with more questions than answers, the running back room has its own uncertainty. Both Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols on expiring contracts, while Austin Ekeler could enter free agency with his contract also expiring as he battles back from a torn ACL. With Chase Edmonds rounding out the 2025 room, performances like Thursday continue to add juice to Croskey-Merritt as a key part of the future Commanders’ offense.
“He works on those moves every day,” quarterback Josh Johnson said after the loss. “And it shows up in the game. [Chris Rodriguez Jr.] was down today so he had to carry the load and I just think Bill - the sky is the limit for Bill. Bill can be as great as he wants to be.”