LANDOVER — The Washington Commanders were in a 14-point hole when the third quarter began, and if they had stuck with their usual routine, they would have lost the game by at least that much and probably more. Their defense would have imploded and their offense would have struggled to make it competitive.
But Bill changed that.
With nine minutes and 44 seconds left in the third quarter and the Commanders trailing the Dallas Cowboys 24-10, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington’s seventh-round rookie who goes by “Bill,” took a handoff 72 yards around the right side of the line for a touchdown, slipping through a crease and dodging a pair of tackles to reach a top speed of 21.62 mph, according to Next Gen Stats. The score was his second of the game and eighth of the season.
“I saw daylight and was like, ‘This is my chance to show when it’s an open field, I can take it the distance,’” he said afterward. “I mean, it worked out. It worked out perfect.”
It also trimmed a Cowboys lead that, at one point, was as much as 18 points and made the Christmas Day contest into a manageable one-score game. In essence, Croskey-Merritt gave his team a shot.
That Washington (4-12) couldn’t fully capitalize and ultimately fell to the Cowboys, 30-23, says plenty about the team’s struggles and the state of its roster this season; the Commanders haven’t played a complete game with all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — working efficiently together once this season. And they haven’t come close to playing like the team they were last season, when they won 12 games and advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
Thursday’s home finale was more of the same — baffling missed tackles and blown coverages, and repeated defensive failures on third and fourth downs. Although Washington’s pass rush was able to get home and notch a season-high six sacks (three from second-year defensive tackle Johnny Newton), the defense couldn’t get off the field. The Cowboys ran 87 offensive plays, the third-most by a team in a game this season.
And those “winning-time moments” that the Commanders seemed to routinely nail last season have eluded them throughout this season.
But with no playoffs at stake and few starters available because of injuries and illness, the remaining value in the Commanders’ final stretch is rooted in 2026, and in finding the core pieces of the team’s future.
Croskey-Merritt’s potential for next season and beyond was evident in training camp and preseason, when he flashed his explosiveness, speed and decisiveness beyond the line of scrimmage. He had vision and instincts that can’t always be taught.
What he lacked were the skills of a complete back who can block, catch passes out of the backfield and contribute away from the ball.
Developing those parts of the game has been stressed by Washington coach Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. But the coaches also took note of Croskey-Merritt’s coachability. He wanted to develop those parts of his game, they said, and he put in the extra work to get there.
“The thing that comes to mind that I’m impressed by is — one of the running backs told me this earlier — (Croskey-Merritt) likes to meet early and get ahead,” Quinn said after Washington’s loss on Thursday. “So when we got to how we were doing blitz pickups in the meetings, he was the one answering. He’s so urgent about wanting to deliver for the guys. That’s where I’m seeing the growth on the protection side.”
Jacory Croskey-Merritt celebrates the second of his two touchdowns against the Cowboys. (Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
On Thursday, while playing with a depleted offensive line — center Tyler Biadasz left the game with knee and ankle injuries, becoming the third injured starter up front — and without running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who was ruled out in the morning because of an illness, Bill took the lead. He totaled 11 carries for 105 yards and those two touchdowns, the first of which was a 10-yard run up the middle with at least two forced missed tackles.
“I think you can tell his confidence is there,” receiver Terry McLaurin said. “He’s running the ball really well, he’s very explosive and when you have a guy who can hit home runs like that, it just adds another dynamic to your offense.”
Croskey-Merritt fumbled twice early in the season, including one that led to a Chicago Bears touchdown in a 1-point Washington loss.
“I just feel a little better about myself going into the offseason,” he said. “I just want to end on a good note so I can have momentum going into next year. … I got one more game and a couple more goals to knock down, and I feel like I got a good opportunity to do it next Sunday (in Philadelphia).”
Croskey-Merritt said he had 12 family members in attendance for Thursday’s game. All of them grew up Cowboys fans, Croskey-Merritt said, so when he scored on the long touchdown run, he waved to them in the stands.
“It was a lot of their first time coming to see me play at this level,” he said. “It was good for them to see what I can really do in person.”