Top five rookies from Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season

There have been some fine rookie performances in the National Football League this season, but what we saw on Sunday, was one of the best ever games from the wide receiver position by a rookie ever. Let’s take a look at the top five offensive performances by a rookie on winning teams in Week 17.

5) Rhamondre Stevenson–New England Patriots

The 23-year-old from Las Vegas was part of a Patriots smackdown on Sunday. He had 19 carries for a career-high 107 yards and two touchdowns in a 50-10 New England win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the win, the Patriots have clinched a playoff spot and still have an outside chance at the number one seed in the AFC.

4) Trey Lance–San Francisco 49ers

With Jimmy Garoppolo out with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb, it is now Trey Lance’s responsibility to get the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs. On Sunday, Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, completed 16 of 23 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, along with eight rushes for 31 yards, as the 49ers defeated the Houston Texans 23-7. With the win, San Francisco controls its own destiny. A win over the Los Angeles Rams next week, and they are playoff bound.

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3) Najee Harris–Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the playoff hunt in the AFC after a 26-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. Even though Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger captured the spotlight as he played in what was expected to be his final home game in Pittsburgh, it was Najee Harris, the Steelers rookie running back, who was sensational. Harris had 28 carries for a career-high 188 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with a win next week in Baltimore, a Jacksonville win against Indianapolis, and if Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers do not end in a tie.

2) Mac Jones–New England Patriots

Also in the Patriots 40-point win over the Jags, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 22 of 30 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He also added two rushes for 12 yards. On the season, Jones has completed 332 passes in 491 attempts, along with 21 touchdown passes.

1) Ja’Marr Chase–Cincinnati Bengals

What can we say about Ja’Marr Chase? For the second time this season, he had a 200-yard receiving game. After recording 201 yards in a 41-17 Bengals win over the Baltimore Ravens in week seven, Chase had another magical contest on Sunday in a 34-31 Bengals win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The rookie out of LSU was a fantasy football beast as he caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Chase’s 266 yards broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in a game by a rookie. The old record belonged to Jerry Butler of the Buffalo Bills, who had 255 yards on September 23, 1979 in a 46-31 Buffalo win over the New York Jets. That folks happened to be by second birthday! Chase’s 266 yards is 15th on the all-time list. The NFL record for most receiving yards in one game belongs to Flipper Anderson, who had 336 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in a 20-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on November 26, 1989. Meanwhile with the Bengals win on Sunday, they clinched the AFC North, and still have a chance of getting the no. 1 seed in the AFC.

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