Running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt made his first start for the Washington Commanders on Sunday and responded with the first 100-yard game of his career.
The former Sidney Lanier High School and Alabama State standout ran for 111 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries and caught two passes for 39 yards in the Commanders’ 27-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The seventh-round rookie scored on a 15-yard run with 4:15 left in the first half as Washington started its comeback from a 10-0 deficit.
Croskey-Merritt had run for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries and caught three passes for 15 yards in the first four games of his NFL career.
Croskey-Merritt became the first rookie running back with a 100-yard game for the Commanders since another former Alabama prep standout, Brian Robinson Jr. from Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Alabama, ran for 105 yards on 18 carries in a 19-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 27, 2022.
Croskey-Merritt was among the 33 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the fifth Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
Four other former state players were involved in the Washington-Los Angeles game:
Chargers cornerback Jordan Oladokun (Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) started at safety for the Commanders. Reaves made seven tackles and broke up one pass.
Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) did not record any stats.
Chargers cornerback Kimani Vidal (Troy) ran for 18 yards on four carries and caught a 1-yard pass. Los Angeles elevated Vidal from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
In the other Sunday games:
Minnesota Vikings 21, Cleveland Browns 17
Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) made one tackle and recovered one fumble. Diabate recovered a fumble at the Cleveland 45-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Browns safety Christopher Edmonds (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road) started at running back for the Browns. Judkins ran for 110 yards on 23 carries and caught an 18-yard pass. Judkins’ 32-yard run to the Minnesota 14-yard line with 9:34 left in the first quarter set up a Cleveland touchdown for the first points of the game.
Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) made four tackles, recorded one sack, registered two tackles for loss and forced one fumble. Cleveland recovered the fumble at the Minnesota 47-yard line in the first quarter and turned the takeaway into a touchdown.
Houston Texans 44, Baltimore Ravens 10
Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) started at center for the Texans.
Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Collins had four receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown and gained 8 yards on the second rushing attempt of his NFL career. Collins scored his third touchdown of the 2025 season on a 10-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud as Houston took a 17-3 lead with 5:36 left in the first half.
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) is on the physically-unable-to-perform list and not eligible to play.
Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) started at right offensive tackle for the Texans.
Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) started at cornerback for the Texans. Lassiter had four tackles and intercepted a pass. Lassiter’s first interception of 2025 was the fourth of his career. Lassiter intercepted a deep pass by Baltimore quarterback Cooper Rush at the Houston 16-yard line with 6:07 to play.
Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) had a 27-yard kickoff return.
Ravens offensive tackle Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M) dressed for the game but did not play.
Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) is on reserve/physically unable to perform and not eligible to play.
Carolina Panthers 27, Miami Dolphins 24
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Mike Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made four tackles.
Dolphins offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible play.
Indianapolis Colts 40, Las Vegas Raiders 6
Colts running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) ran for 6 yards and one touchdown on two carries. In his first appearance in his 11th NFL season, Abdullah scored his 20th touchdown on a 2-yard run as Indianapolis took a 32-3 lead with 5:49 left in the third quarter. Indianapolis elevated Abdullah from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
Riley Leonard (Fairhope) was designated as the Colts’ emergency third quarterback. He could play only if Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson could not.
Colts safety Trey Washington (Hewitt-Trussville) made three tackles in his NFL debut. An undrafted rookie from Ole Miss, Washington joined Indianapolis’ active roster from the Colts’ practice squad last week.
New Orleans Saints 26, New York Giants 14
Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Giants. Flott made four tackles and broke up one pass.
Saints running back Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) had a 9-yard kickoff return.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Nunez-Roches made five tackles and registered one quarterback hit in his return to the line after a three-game injury absence.
Jameis Winston (Hueytown) was designated as the Giants’ emergency third quarterback. He could play only if Jaxson Dart and Russell Wilson could not.
Dallas Cowboys 37, New York Jets 22
Cowboys cornerback Trikweze Bridges (Lanett) did not record any stats.
Cowboys linebacker Shemar James (Faith Academy) made 15 tackles. A fifth-round pick from Florida in the NFL Draft on April 26, James was playing in his second NFL game. In the past 30 NFL seasons, James is the third player to record a 15-tackle performance within his first two career games. Linebacker James Laurinaitis had 15 tackles in the St. Louis Rams 28-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 13, 2009, in his NFL debut, and linebacker Shaquille Leonard had 19 tackles in the Indianapolis Colts’ 21-9 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sept. 16, 2018, in his second game.
George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Pickens had two receptions for 57 yards. Pickens caught a 43-yard touchdown pass as Dallas took a 30-3 lead with 4:33 left in the third quarter.
Jets wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett (Jackson, South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cowboys cornerback Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) made three tackles.
Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Tolbert was targeted once but did not have a reception.
Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (Wenonah) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) started at defensive end for the Cowboys. Williams made two tackles, recorded one sack and recovered one fumble. Williams recovered a New York fumble at the Dallas 9-yard line with two minutes left in the first half to preserve the Cowboys’ 10-3 lead.
Denver Broncos 21, Philadelphia Eagles 17
Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) did not record any stats.
Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship made three tackles.
Eagles cornerback Mac McWilliams (UAB) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at defensive end for the Eagles. Smith made three tackles, recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits. Smith’s first full sack of the 2025 season lifted his career total to 70.5.
Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Tennessee Titans 22, Arizona Cardinals 21
Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Titans guard Clay Webb (Oxford, Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, Seattle Seahawks 35
Seahawks safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (Pinson Valley, Troy) had four receptions for 59 yards and one rushing attempt for 2 yards. A seventh-round selection from Oregon in the NFL Draft on April 26, Johnson entered the game with one reception in his career.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Detroit Lions 37, Cincinnati Bengals 24
Lions wide receiver Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) was designated as a game-day inactive. A hamstring injury kept Cunningham off the field.
Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson (Davidson) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made a 50-yard field goal on the final snap of the first half for Cincinnati’s first points, then kicked three extra points in the fourth quarter.
Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) made two tackles.
New England Patriots 23, Buffalo Bills 20
Bills offensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made seven tackles, recorded one tackle for loss, intercepted one pass and broke up another one. Jones got the fourth interception of his career when he picked off Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen at the New England 10-yard line with 2:53 left in the third quarter to preserve the Patriots’ 13-10 lead.
Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) made one tackle on special teams.
Bills defensive tackle Javon Solomon (Troy) did not record any stats.
Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Week 5 started on Thursday night, when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in overtime.
Week 5 concludes on Monday, when the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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