James Houston wins Pepsi Rookie of the Week for Week 17

Houston had three sacks and a forced fumble in the Lions win over the Bears

James Houston bagged three sacks in the Detroit Lions big win over the Chicago Bears in Week 17, including a strip-sack of QB Justin Fields that created a takeaway. Houston was rewarded for his fantastic game by earning the Pepsi Rookie of the Week for Week 17.

Houston, a sixth-round pick from Jackson State, took over the NFL rookie sack lead from teammate Aidan Hutchinson with his three-sack day. Hutchinson notched a half-sack and also picked off a pass in the win. No. 59 has proven to be a big problem for opposing offenses with eight sacks in six weeks.

He’s the second Lions defensive rookie to win the weekly honor this year. Hutchinson won in Week 11. Running back Jamaal Williams also won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his performance against the Bears.

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James Houston nominated for Rookie of the Week for Week 12

Lions DE James Houston was nominated for Rookie of the Week for Week 12

One week ago, James Houston was stuck on the Detroit Lions practice squad. The sixth-round rookie from Jackson State had yet to play a single snap in the NFL.

Two sacks of Bills QB Josh Allen later, Houston has now played his way onto the Lions’ 53-man roster. He also earned a nomination for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award for Week 12.

Houston played just five snaps against Buffalo but made them count with two sacks. The award is based on fan voting, so go vote for Houston here via the NFL.

If he wins, Houston is believed to be the first player elevated from a practice squad in that week to capture the honor.

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Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. nominated for Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL rookie of the week

You can help vote for Brian Robinson Jr. as NFL’s Pepsi Zero Sugar rookie of the week.

The comeback story of Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. gets better each week. After being shot twice in an attempted robbery in late August, Robinson returned to the team when he was first eligible in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans. Amazingly, Robinson returned to the NFL just six weeks after being shot.

In Washington’s Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears, Robinson ran for 60 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Ultimately, that touchdown was the deciding factor in the Commanders ending a four-game losing streak.

What’s next for Robinson?

How about being named Pepsi’s NFL rookie of the week? You can vote for Robinson here, who is up against some stiff competition from Week 6.

“I’ve put so much work in my whole life just to make it to the NFL and just have the opportunity that I had tonight,” Robinson said, according to Zach Selby of commanders.com. “It’s great. I’m so blessed. I’m thankful for the opportunity the coaches gave me tonight. They put me in positions to succeed, and I had to repay them for that.”

If Robinson wins the award, he would become the second Commander to win the award this season. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson won the award in Week 1 when he caught two touchdown passes in his NFL debut.

 

Jahan Dotson is named Pepsi rookie of the week

A big honor for Jahan Dotson from his first NFL game.

It’s been a good week for Washington Commanders’ rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson. In his first NFL game, Dotson caught three passes for 40 yards, with two touchdowns. His second touchdown catch would end up being the game-winner for the Commanders.

On Thursday, Dotson was named Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL rookie of the week for his Week 1 performance.

Dotson has been praised since he first landed in Washington back in May. Coaches and teammates have praised Dotson’s maturity since the summer, particularly quarterback Carson Wentz. And the pair also have chemistry on the field.

On Dotson’s first touchdown reception, he puts a move on the defender and Wentz puts the ball right on him in the back of the end zone.

On his second touchdown, Dotson explained how he and Wentz used Jacksonville cornerback Tyson Campbell’s aggression against him.

Dotson isn’t content, telling reporters Thursday he felt he left some plays on the field.

Congratulations to Dotson on winning NFL rookie of the week.

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown wins the Rookie of the Week award for Week 18

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown wins the Rookie of the Week award for Week 18

It took a few weeks, but Amon-Ra St. Brown finally earned the crown of the best rookie in the NFL for the week.

Nominated for the fourth week in a row, St. Brown captured the most votes following Week 18 and earned the Pepsi Rookie of the Week honor. It’s the first win for the Lions standout wide receiver.

St. Brown caught eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s 37-30 win over the Green Bay Packers. The fan voting catapulted St. Brown over the likes of Texans QB Davis Mills, Chiefs LB Nick Bolton and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.

Jags QB Trevor Lawrence up for Pepsi Rookie of the Week after solid Week 18 performance

Trevor Lawrence started off Sunday’s game hot and never looked back, leading the Jags to an impressive win over the Colts.

The Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 season was one fans would rather forget, but the ending to it couldn’t have gone any better in the eyes for then in terms of what went down on the field Week 18. The team was able to defeat the Indianapolis Colts easily by the score of 26-11 and played a part in knocking them out of the postseason.

However, despite their win, the Jags were still able to earn the No. 1 overall pick of the draft. The reason for that was because the Detroit Lions were also able to earn a Week 18 win, as they defeated the Green Bay Packers by the score of 37-20.

A big part of the Jags’ win was the performance of rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who had his best game of the season. Lawrence started the game on fire by leading the Jags down the field for a Laquon Treadwell touchdown on the first drive, and the team never looked back afterward.

Ultimately, Lawrence finished the game 23-of-32 (71.9%) for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished the game without any turnovers and did so with three of his starting offensive linemen out of the lineup.

As a result, the rookie will finish his season with the chance to be Pepsi’s Rookie of the Week and was placed on the ballot for the award on Tuesday. He will be joined by quarterbacks Davis Mills (Houston) and Mac Jones (New England), as well as receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit) and Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Minnesota), and linebacker Nick Bolton (Kansas City).

For those wanting to put in a vote, feel free to head to the link in the tweet above. Fans will be allowed to vote as much as they want until the deadline, and a winner will be announced on Thursday.

Amon-Ra St. Brown up for NFL rookie of the week for the 3rd time in a row

Amon-Ra St. Brown up for NFL rookie of the week for the 3rd time in a row

No, this is not a duplicate post…

Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the finalists for this week’s Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors. It’s the third week in a row Detroit’s top receiver is a nominee for the award.

St. Brown hauled in eight receptions for 111 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a 26-yard run, in Detroit’s 51-29 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He managed to thrive despite playing with backup QB Tim Boyle and minus regular WR running mates Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond.

He’s facing some stiff competition, notably Bengals WR Ja’marr Chase and his 11-catch, 266-yard outburst.

You can vote for St. Brown here on the NFL’s official balloting page.

Amon-Ra St. Brown deserves NFL Rookie of the Week

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown deserves NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 15

For the second time in the last three weeks, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is a finalist for the NFL’s Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award. While he didn’t win it last time around, St. Brown deserves it for Week 15.

And you can help win it for No. 14 by voting for St. Brown here.

St. Brown posted eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, spearheading Detroit’s 30-12 upset win over the Arizona Cardinals. In the process, he set the Lions’ rookie team record for receptions in a season.

There are some worthy combatants for St. Brown. But none played a bigger role in a win than St. Brown did:

Texans QB David Mills: 19-of-30 for 209 yards, 2 TDs
Jets CB Brandin Echols: 4 tackles, 3 passes defended, pick-six
Chiefs LB Nick Bolton: 14 tackles, 3 passes defended
Broncos RB Javonte Williams: 81 total yards
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts: 4 catches, 77 yards

Help Amon-Ra earn the honor. He deserves it.

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Antonio Gibson named Pepsi Rookie of the Week for game vs. Cowboys

Gibson’s 136 total yards and three touchdowns on Thanksgiving Day were good enough to earn him the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award.

If the accolades and praise that Washington rookie RB Antonio Gibson got after his stellar performance on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys weren’t enough, he is now being honored as the NFL’s Pepsi Rookie of the Week.

Gibson finished the game with his best stat line yet, racking up 136 total yards and three touchdowns on the day, giving him 11 total on the year. He is now two away from tying Alfred Morris’ rookie record in Washington.

There is some confidence that Gibson is still learning as a rookie, and that his ceiling is much higher than what we’ve seen so far from the former third-round pick. If that’s the case, then Washington got a real steal, and they likely found their RB of the future for years to come.

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Chargers QB Justin Herbert named Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, Week 5

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has established himself as one of the top rookies.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been named the NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Week for Week 5.

This marks the third time in the past four weeks that Herbert has earned this award.

Herbert was given the weekly honor following his performance against the Saints, where he became the first rookie to pass for four touchdowns in a Monday night game.

In four games, Herbert has a 68.8% completion rate, a 107.1 passer rating and 1,195 passing yards, making him the second two player in modern NFL history with a 100-plus passer rating and 1,150-plus passing yards in their first four games. The other? Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.

Herbert has accomplished this while playing with a below average offensive line and a skill player group that has been hit with injuries.

Coming off the bye week, he will have a good chance to pick up his first win against the Jaguars and Broncos.