Some underrated NFL rookies took center stage during Sunday’s Week 14 slate, including a certain quarterback going tit-for-tat with a legend as his team blew out Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On the defensive side, Jalen Pitre helped keep his Houston Texans lead throughout the vast majority of their game against a superior Dallas Cowboys squad. These are among the five best performances from NFL rookies during Sunday’s Week 14 action.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL power rankings
Jameson Williams, wide receiver, Detroit Lions
Talk about making an impact in just your second career game. Coming back from the torn ACL he suffered in the College Football Playoff a season ago, Williams made his debut with Detroit back in Week 13. Though, he took the field for just eight snaps and did not catch a pass.
As Williams continues to work himself into football shape, he had only one catch in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings. But it was an absolutely huge catch for Jared Goff and Co. With the game scoreless early in the first quarter, he scored from 41 yards out on a pass from Goff.
Outside of the fact that Minnesota’s secondary completely lost Williams here, this touchdown set the stage for an absolutely huge Lions win and continued playoff contention in Detroit. Sure we’re not expecting Williams to be at 100% moving forward, but his ability to make an impact like we saw on Sunday can’t go unnoticed.
Related: Best performances from NFL rookies in Week 13
Garrett Wilson, wide receiver, New York Jets
Yet another week with Wilson headlining performances from NFL rookies. Despite his Jets losing 20-12 on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills, this Ohio State product was once again in his bag. Garrett Wilson caught 6-of-7 targets for 78 yards in the 20-12 defeat.
Over the course of the past three games, Wilson has hauled in 19-of-30 targets for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Right now, he has to be seen as the odds-on favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. It’s surprising given that he’s been forced to catch passes from a group of quarterbacks that includes Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White. Put that into perspective for a second.
Jalen Pitre, safety, Houston Texans
This second-round pick out of Baylor continues to make an impact as one of the most-impressive NFL rookies on the season. One week after recording an interception of Deshaun Watson in the end zone, Pitre helped Houston lead for the majority of the game against the Dallas Cowboys before losing at the end. That included a highlight-reel pass break up.
All said, Pitre recorded a team high 12 tackles (nine solo) to go with two passes defended. He was flying around the football like a dude on a mission. Even with Houston at a disastrous 1-11-1 on the season, Pitre has been one of the few bright spots for the long-downtrodden organization. That came out in a big way Sunday in Dallas.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
George Pickens, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Like Wilson, Pickens has been impacted by less-than-stellar quarterback play. That continued during Sunday’s 16-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Fellow rookie Kenny Pickett went down early with a concussion and was replaced by Mitch Trubisky under center. The veteran went on to throw three interceptions in an all-around brutal performance. Though, he did complete all three of his passes to Pickens for a resounding 78 yards.
Talk about an absolutely great grab in between two Ravens defenders. A standout during the preseason, Pickens has been somewhat inconsistent in the regular year. But for a Steelers team that’s merely playing out the string, seeing more of this could be beneficial moving forward. The kid has loads of talent. That’s not even in question.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
Brock Purdy, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
Purdy wasn’t even a year old when Tom Brady made his NFL debut back in 2000. Taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, “Mr. Irrelevant” started his first NFL game Sunday against the seven-time Super Bowl champion and his Buccaneers. Pretty much right out of the gate, Purdy outplayed his counterpart at nearly every turn. That included Purdy completing 14-of-18 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns as San Francisco took a 28-0 lead into halftime.
- Brock Purdy stats (Week 15): 16-of-21 passing, 185 yards, 3 total TD, 0 INT
San Francisco ended up winning this one going away by the score of 35-7. In fact, it was over early in the third quarter. In terms of NFL rookies, Purdy’s presence as the 49ers’ QB1 could be absolutely huge moving forward. San Francisco has won six consecutive games and is outscoring its opponents by margin of 172-64 during that span. If Purdy continues to play like this, he could very well end up being a rookie starting a Super Bowl at quarterback. That’s insane.