Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt Breaks Out

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October 8, 2025

by David Earl

Revisiting Previous Statement

Some people have reminded me of my statement on Jacory Croskey-Merritt back in August and I 100% stand by that within the contexet of that moment. Croskey-Merritt was a 7th-round draft pick, and there is a very low probability of these selections becoming productive. The probability of success for a running back in this round is approximately 2.15% as pointed out by Steve Thomas in the odds of success for a draft pick. Going based on his college journey, Croskey-Merritt may have passed some fans’ eye test, but there is also a reason general managers allowed him to slip that late into the draft.

He was a zero-star recruit who played for Lanier High in Montgomery, Alabama. He played 3 seasons for the Alabama State Hornets, finishing with 1,053 yards, an average of 3.7 yards per attempt, and 27 receptions for 259 yards and 12 touchdowns total. After receiving a 3-star rating, he transferred to the New Mexico Lobos in the 2023 season. There, he had 1,190 yards rushing, averaging 6.3 yards per carry and hauling in 72 yards from 7 receptions. He amassed 1,262 total yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. That said, he did not face any high-level defenses during this time either so cautious optimism was certainly warranted. For more on the level of competition Croskey-Merritt faced, check out this column: How good is Jacory Croskey-Merritt, really?

Now, let’s talk about the present and just how good he’s looked so far. His breakout performance this past week produced 150 total yards on 16 touches and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry on 14 carries and 6.4 yards per carry when taking away his 27-yard run. Croskey-Merritt is 4th among rookie running backs, rushing for 283 yards despite nearly half the carries of the Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, with 43 attempts to Jeanty’s 82. Jeanty, the 6th overall pick, is currently averaging 4.3 yards per carry for the season versus Croskey-Merritt’s 6.6 yards per carry. He has also scored more touchdowns than last year’s two first-round picks, Aston Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. Croskey-Merritt has certainly exceeded any of my expectations and, most importantly, has performed to the level Adam Peters believed he could achieve. While I remember the backlash to the trade of Brian Robinson Jr., it has clearly worked out best for this organization. What Croskey-Merritt brings in vision and decisiveness, accompanied by such a quick first-step burst, is something Brian Robinson Jr. did not bring to this offense. Now we all hope for not only him proving my initial statement foolish in your eyes but his continued growth and development ion the top running back role.

Turnover That Swung Momentum

Washington entered the second quarter down 10-0 and the Los Angeles Chargers driving too open the quarter. Quarterback Justin Herbert connected with receiver Quentin Johnston inside the 30 yard line. That’s where safety Quan Martin forced a fumble at the 23 yard line that completely swung the momentum in Washington’s favor. Washington responded with a 9 play, 74 yard drive that ended with a 15 yard touchdown run by Croskey-Merritt. From this point, Washington controlled this game with a dominate run game and a defense that was not perfect but very efficient. They were fortunate not to lose their momentum after a 57 yard punt return for a touchdown was called back due to a roughing the punter call. Then the immediate play by Washington to wide receiver Luke McCaffery for 50 yards helped set up a 29 yard field goal that essentially solidified Washington’s control of the game heading into halftime.

The defense was aided by the Chargers offensive miscues by offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III as a holding penalty negated a 23-yard completion followed by an illegal formation call erasing a 31-yard completion. This was after Washington opened the 3rd quarter with a 7 play 69-yard drive ending in Jacory Croskey-Merritt netting his second touchdown of the game and taking a 17-10 lead. The Chargers were could have very easily changed the direction of this game at this point, so Washington’s secondary was very fortunate in this scenario. After this series the game was well in hand by Washington as they scored an additional 10 points capping off a run of 27 unanswered points.

Washinton’s offense exploited a suspect Chargers rush defense that ranked 19th allowing 4.5 yards per carry. Their run game tallied 5.8 yards per carry and 6.2 yards per carry when taking away what Jayden Daniels did on the ground. As mentioned earlier, Croskey-Merritt averaged 6.4 yards per carry when taking away his 27 yard run. Washington, as expected, garnered little resistance running the ball. Entering this matchup the Chargers have allowed a 59.4% completion rate and the second lowest total quarterback rating of 72.7. The Chargers also presented a second-best pass rush as well with a 10.07% sack rate. Washington’s offensive line held up well allowing minimal pressure that resulted in 1 sack and additional quarterback hit. While Jayden Daniels did show some clear timing issues in the passing game early and finishing with a 57.6% completion rate, he did not turn the ball over. He completed 2 very key passes, one a 50 yard strike to Luke McCaffery in the second quarter and an 8-yard touchdown pass while running to his right. Both passes were perfectly placed and only the receivers had any play at the ball.

Aside from a few bail out plays that helped the defense, they played a good game overall but still have things to clean up absolutely. The Chargers run game came into this game ranked 10th averaging 4.7 yards per carry and Washington’s defense held Chargers running backs averaging 3.5 yards per carry on 21 rushing attempts. While Justin Herbert did complete 76% of his passes, he was held to 4.8 per completion which is nearly half of the Chargers season average of 10.5 yards per completion. The secondary did a great job keeping much of the pass plays in front of them, limiting the big plays that have haunted this group much of the season. The defensive line took full advantage of a diminished offensive line of the Chargers tallying 5 sacks and 9 additional quarterback hits. This was not a perfect game for the defense but there were noticeable improvements within the scheme Joe Whitt Jr. ran compared to the weeks prior to.

Heading into their Monday Night matchup with the Chicago Bears, they would be wise to lean heavily on their top league ranked running game. The Bears’ defense has allowed the worst 6.1 yard per carry average and giving first down runs on 40.51% designed runs against their defense. It will be imperative to control the game through the ground keeping a Ben Johnson offense on the sidelines as long as possible. The Bears’ offense is generating about the same in points per game as Washington averaging 25.3 points to Washington’s 26.8. Their running game does not pose a significant threat averaging 3.8 yards per carry against Washington’s 10th ranked rush defense allowing 4.0 yards per carry. They do gain significant yardage in the air averaging 10.9 yards per completion while providing Caleb Williams with good pass protection allowing a 5.00% sack rate ranking 14th in the league. Considering Washington is dead last in allowing 11.8 yards per completion, they cannot lean on a defensive line ranked 6th in sack rate (8.77%) against a very mobile and athletic Caleb Williams. Control this game on the ground, because Caleb Williams has not been highly prone to mistakes thus far in the season only throwing 2 interceptions and fumbles.

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