Week five 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 second round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Southern Methodist University had his second career touchdown on Sunday. The rookie wide receiver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had four catches for 33 receiving yards and one touchdown in a 27-20 Chiefs win over the Minnesota Vikings. Rice’s touchdown catch was for eight yards. It came four minutes and 50 seconds into the second half, and put Kansas City up 20-13 at the time. With the win, the Chiefs improve to a record of four wins and one loss, and first place in the AFC West.
4) Josh Downs
The native of Suwanee, Georgia was the Indianapolis Colts’s third round pick, 79th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of North Carolina. On Sunday, Downs, a wide receiver, had six catches for 97 receiving yards in a 23-16 Colts win over the Tennessee Titans. With the win, the Colts improve to a record of three wins and two losses, and move into a first place tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars on top of the AFC South.
3) Bijan Robinson
The native of Tucson, Arizona was the Atlanta Falcons’s first round pick, eighth overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Texas. On Sunday, the rookie running back had 14 rushes for 46 rushing yards, and two catches for 12 receiving yards and one touchdown in a 21-19 Atlanta win over the Houston Texans. Robinson’s touchdown catch was for six yards from quarterback Desmond Ridder, and put the Falcons up 15-12 with 12 minutes and 12 seconds left in the game. With the win, the Falcons improved to a record of three wins and two losses.
2) Sam LaPorta
The native of Highland, Illinois was the Detroit Lions’s second round pick, 34th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa. On Sunday, the rookie tight end had three catches for 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 42-24 Detroit win over the Carolina Panthers. It was Laporta’s first multi-touchdown game of his career. His major scores were of four and 31 yards. With the win, the Lions improved to a record of four wins and one loss, and are in first place in the NFC North.
1) De’Von Achane
The native of Missouri City, Texas continues to sizzle for the Miami Dolphins. On Sunday, Achane, the third round pick of the Dolphins, 84th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft, had 11 rushes for 151 rushing yards and one touchdown, along with one catch for 14 receiving yards in a 31-16 Miami win over the New York Giants. Achane’s touchdown run was for 76 rushing yards and came with 10 minutes and two seconds left in the first half. At the time, Miami went up 14-0. The running back now has 455 rushing yards over the last three games, and is the third rookie running back in NFL history to have three straight games with 100 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. Achane follows Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions (1989) and Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos (2000). The Dolphins improve to a record of four wins and one loss with the win, and are first in the AFC East.
