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If once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern, then by the fourth time it becomes standard.
For the fourth time this season, Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt earned Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week honors after his 105 rushing yards and two-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
Croskey-Merritt finished the game with just 11 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per touch, and tied his career-high in rushing touchdowns (2). His first score of the game came late in the second quarter, when he capped off a five-play, 60-yard drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to cut Dallas' 18-point lead to 11.
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He took a handoff from quarterback Josh Johnson before barreling through the Cowboys' defensive line, bouncing off Dallas' secondary on the way to the endzone.
His 10-yard touchdown run extended his scoring streak to three, after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 15, the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, and now the Cowboys in Week 17.
However, early in the third quarter, he broke away for a 72-yard touchdown - the longest of his career - and marked the second game of the season scoring two-plus touchdowns. He burst through a gap in the right side of Washington's offensive line and ran nearly 75 percent of the field untouched to cut Dallas' 14-point lead to seven.
He reached a top speed of 21.62 mph on his 72-yard score, the fastest speed of his 16-game career.
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Croskey-Merritt scored the only two touchdowns for Washington on Christmas Day, with kicker Jake Moody knocking through three field goals and two extra points to account for the Commanders' 23 points. The rookie has now racked up 776 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season, has two 100-plus yard rushing performances, and two two-touchdown games.
He is Washington's leading rusher by more than 341 yards and has scored three more rushing touchdowns than Chris Rodriguez Jr. (5).
The rookie phenom has now earned Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week honors for Weeks 1, 5, 15, and 17, and is the only rookie to win the award multiple times.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Croskey-Merritt wins Rookie of the Week again
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