Some of the most-impressive NFL rookies of 2022 were in display to help their surprising teams come away with wins in Week 6. Running back Breece Hall and the New York Jets stunned the Green Bay Packers on the road at Lambeau Field. Hall pretty much put the game away with a touchdown run to open the fourth quarter.
Remaining in the AFC East, rookie fourth round-pick Bailey Zappe led his New England Patriots to a blowout win over the Cleveland Browns in the quarterback’s second start of the season. These are among the five NFL rookies who showed out the most in Week 6.
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Sauce Gardner’s brilliant performance for the New York Jets
The No. 4 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, Sauce Gardner recorded his first interception last week against the Miami Dolphins. A stud at Cincinnati, the shutdown cornerback headed into Sunday’s outing against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers having yielded a 77.4 QB rating when targeted this season. Opponents had tallied a mere 154 receiving yards on 24 targets.
Even though he didn’t come away with an interception of Rodgers in New York’s shocking 27-10 win, he was that true shutdown guy. The tape tells us this story.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner was targeted six times in coverage on Sunday. He allowed just one catch for eight yards while breaking up three passes. It’s insane that a rookie cornerback is already this good.
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Bailey Zappe making New England Patriots QB decision difficult
It was ahead of Sunday’s game against the Browns that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would not commit to Mac Jones as their starting quarterback once he’s able to return from injury. Jones has been out since Week 3 with a high-ankle sprain. Prior to going down, he led the NFL with five interceptions against a mere two touchdowns. For his part, Zappe continued his excellent performance in a 38-15 blowout win over the Browns in Cleveland.
Zappe completed 24-of-34 passes for 309 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the victory. He’s now the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post consecutive games with a 100-plus QB rating to open his career. That’s insane.
- Bailey Zappe stats (2022): 73% completion, 596 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 111.4 QB rating
New England officially has a decision to make. Jones has been seen as their franchise cornerstone since they selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The question now becomes whether Belichick and Co. believe Zappe gives them a better chance to win. At 3-3, this is no longer a lost season in New England. If playoff contention is the name of the game, Zappe might get the call. After all, he’s been one of the best NFL rookies of the past two weeks.
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Brian Robinson’s first NFL start is a success
We know the story. Less than two months after being shot twice in an attempted carjacking, this rookie third-round pick started for Washington on Thursday. In an otherwise stinker of a game between the Commanders and Chicago Bears, Robinson is the one that stood out.
It didn’t have as much to do with Robinson’s performance on the field (60 yards on 17 attempts). Rather, it was all about the former Alabama standout getting the start over Antonio Gibson. For good measure, Robinson scored from one-yard out with 7:21 remaining in the fourth quarter to help give Washington a 12-7 win and snap a four-game losing streak.
“My biggest goal was to find my way back on the football field. I was looking for opportunity that came my way. … Every day, I came in and prepared to get myself healthy so I can [make the most] of an opportunity like this.”
Washington Commanders Brian Robinson after first career NFL start
It’s an absolutely great story. Not only did Robinson recover from the shooting, he was able to return to the field and play a major role in a rare Commanders win. For that, he deserves all of the praise.
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Kayvon Thibodeaux makes play of early NFL career
A top-five pick of the Giants in April, this Oregon product had not done a whole bunch in his first three games since returning from a preseason injury he suffered. In fact, Thibodeaux entered Sunday’s action having recorded just one quarterback hit and zero sacks in 134 snaps.
Well, Lamar Jackson found out just how talented the former Duck is. With Baltimore down 24-20 in the fourth quarter, it was attempting for a game-winning drive. That’s when Thibodeaux did his thing by strip-sacking the NFL MVP candidate to put this one on ice.
Talk about an absolutely huge play from the rookie to help New York move to a shocking 5-1 on the season. After said play, he was seen showing some tremendous emotions, knowing full well how big this play was for both him on a micro level and the Giants as a whole.
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Breece Hall continues to dominate for the New York Jets
Fresh off a brilliant performance in a blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, this rookie second-round pick from Iowa State was back up to his old tricks against the Packers on Sunday. Hall gained 116 yards on 20 attempts, including a game-changing 34-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter.
This game-breaking ability has been absolutely huge for the surprising 4-2 Jets. It changed the dynamics of Sunday’s 27-10 win over Green Bay. It also has Hall on pace for what would be an historical rookie season.
- Breece Hall stats (2022): 391 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 218 yards, 609 total yards, 4 TD
Yes, Hall is on pace for a whopping 1,725 total yards and 11 total touchdowns through six games. Forget about being one of the best NFL rookies, Hall could very well earn a Pro Bowl spot in 2022. That’s how good he’s been for Robert Saleh’s squad.