Week 15 of the 2023 National Football League regular season is now complete. Here are the top five performances by rookies on winning teams.
5) Rashee Rice
The Kansas City Chiefs continue to lead the AFC West. On Sunday, they defeated the New England Patriots 27-17 thanks to the performance of wide receiver Rashee Rice of North Richland Hills, Texas. The Southern Methodist University product led the Chiefs in catches (nine) and receiving yards (91). Rice opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown catch not from Patrick Mahomes, but from running back Jerick McKinnon of Atlanta, Georgia.
4) Tre Tucker
The Raiders rookie wide receiver from Akron, Ohio had three catches for 59 yards, and his first two NFL touchdowns in a 63-21 Raiders clobbering over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday. Tucker had a 30-yard touchdown catch from Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell of Long Grove, Illinois in the first quarter, and a 20-yard touchdown catch from O’Connell in the second quarter with 31 seconds left in the first half.
3) Jahmyr Gibbs
The Detroit Lions clobbered the Denver Broncos 42-17 on Saturday night, and a major reason for their explosiveness was the play of their rookies. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs of Dalton, Georgia had 11 rushes for 100 rushing yards and one touchdown, and two catches for eight yards and another major score. Gibbs’s touchdown catch was nine yards from quarterback Jared Goff of Novato, California, and his touchdown run was for 12 yards in the fourth quarter.
2) Sam LaPorta
The Detroit Lions tight end from Highland, Illinois continued his remarkable rookie season with the Lions on Saturday. He had five catches for 56 yards and three touchdowns in the 25-point Detroit rout. The Lions lead the NFC North at 10 wins and four losses.
1) Aidan O’Connell
It is fair to say the reason why there was a coaching and general managerial change in Los Angeles on Friday was because of the passing proficiency of Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell on Thursday night. O’Connell completed 20 of 34 passes for 248 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 63-21 Raiders romp over the Los Angeles Chargers. The 63 points scored by the Raiders set a single game franchise record.
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