Week 10 might be the weirdest week for the Studs and Duds column to this point in the NFL Season. Both monster and atrocious performances from past weeks have increased expectations for what constitutes a stud and a dud, respectively, and this week provided many performances that just did not meet the current standards in either direction. Most of the rookies were good, not great, and none of the now-household names flopped. In another strange week in the NFL, it was a pretty standard day for most rookies, with the two of the three lone exceptions coming out of New England and the other recording catch of the year contender.
(And, to follow up from my last column, I will not be writing about Trevor Lawrence in the dud column any longer. His rookie year has been almost one big dud, and until he can show anything, he will remain out of this column entirely.)
On those notes, here are your Week 10 Rookie Studs and Duds:
Studs
Mac Jones
Week 10 Stats: 19/23, 198 YDS, 3 TD vs. Cleveland Browns
The undisputedly best rookie quarterback of the season put together his best showing of the season this past Sunday.
Mac Jones was as efficient as they come, completing 83% of his passes in the Patriots blowout win against the Cleveland Browns. The Alabama product threw for three touchdowns for the first time in his career and did not record a pick on just 23 pass attempts. He also recorded his best quarterback rating (83.9) and passer rating (142.1) of his rookie campaign by wide margins and ranks as the top rookie quarterback according to Pro Football Focuses’ advanced metrics. Jones is doing this in Tom Brady fashion, as the weapons around him, wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Myers, do not jump off the page, yet, he has been able to play within himself and orchestrate efficient offensive attacks week after week.
The Patriots have now won four straight games, and Jones has six touchdowns and just one pick during that stretch. If Jones can keep working within Bill Belichick’s scheme,
the Patriots should have a clear path to not only making the playoffs, but to become a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl.
Rhamondre Stevenson
Week 10 Stats: 20 ATT, 100 YDS, 2 TD vs. Cleveland Browns
One of the other reasons Jones was able to have success this past Sunday was due to the surprising showing from rookie backup running back Rhomondre Stevenson.
The 4th round pick out of Oklahoma has played second fiddle to starting running back Damien Harris for most of the season, but with Harris out due to injury, Stevenson took advantage. Stevenson gave New England a workhouse back output, registering his first 100 yard game of his career on 20 carries. Stevenson exhibited a multifaceted skill set, showing patience on runs up the middle, speed on pitches to the outside and toughness to break tackles late into runs. He showed this particularly at the goal line, stretching out the defense on a pitch for his first touchdown and powering through defenders from two yards out for his second. Stevenson also recorded four catches, showing a little bit of versatility in the passing game, as well.
Against the Panthers a week ago, the under the radar Stevenson put up 100 total yards (62 rushing, 44 receiving) on just 12 touches, and his increased touches in Week 10 show the Patriot’s confidence in the talent of the rookie running back. If Harris is out or limited due to injury, Stevenson should continue to receive ample touches, but even if Harris is healthy, look for New England to utilize Stevenson at the goal line and in the passing game to give them a formidable two-headed monster at running back in an offense that has come to form in recent weeks.
Najee Harris
Week 10 Stats: 26 ATT, 105 YDS, 4 REC, 28 YDS vs. Detroit Lions
In a Steelers tie where they put up just 16 points against the winless Lions, Najee Harris shone as the lone bright spot in the offense.
Harris continues to be the workhouse back for the Steelers, totaling 133 total yards on 30 touches even with a passing game absent of Ben Roethlisberger due to COVID-19. This game marks the fifth straight game in which Harris has received more than 25 plus touches and the fifth out of ten games in which he has registered 100 plus yards from scrimmage. Week in and week out, Harris leads the Steelers offense who have been
forced to retreat to a more run-heavy offense with Big Ben’s arm in visible decline and a passing attack far removed from the days of the Killer B’s. Harris once again failed to eclipse the 5 yards per carry mark, which has only achieved in one game this year, but in the nearly one-dimensional Pittsburgh this year, it is hard to blame Harris. Harris will continue to receive the touches to produce, and if the Steelers can muster some sort of passing game, the 100 yard mark seems to be a realistic floor for the rookie.
DeVonta Smith
Week 10 Stats: 4 REC, 66 YDS, 2 TD vs. Denver Broncos
After weeks of struggling and ending up on the wrong side of this list, DeVonta Smith is officially back on stud watch week after week.
Although he recorded just four receptions, the big play ability of Smith showed through in a tough matchup against the Denver Broncos defense and former teammate and stud rookie corner Patrick Surtain II. The play of the game (and the season for Smith) came on Smith’s first touchdown reception, where after running a crisp double-move up the field that Surtain II played beautifully, Jalen Hurts hurled it up, and Smith jumped over top of the rookie corner in an Alabama vs. Alabama matchup to secure the touchdown catch – your classic “he just got Mossed” moment. This alone netted Smith a spot on this list, but he also recorded another touchdown grab late in the second quarter to break a 10 to 10 tie, doubling his season touchdown total to four combined with his first reception.
While Smith has exhibited his big play ability as of late, this game spoke to Smith toughness despite his 170 pound frame, making him an equally deadly red zone threat. Smith now ranks ahead of fellow rookie standout Ja’Marr Chase in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, creating a battle at the top of the rookie wideout position. While Chase is still the front runner Offensive Rookie of the Year, Smith is providing Eagles fans with results to justify his selection at 10th overall.
Rashod Bateman
Week 10 Stats: 6 REC, 80 YDS vs. Miami Dolphins
Some late first-round wide receivers have finally overcome injuries to show off their first-round talent as Eljiah Moore put on display a week ago. This week’s breakout – former Minnesota Golden Gopher Rashod Bateman.
Bateman looked promising coming out of the draft and seemed fit to provide the Baltimore Ravens with another weapon to take pressure off Marquise Brown, but the rookie struggled to get on the field after a groin injury in training camp. Now healthy for the last few weeks, Bateman has been an integral part of Lamar Jackson’s aerial attack. This past week, he put up his most targets (8), catches (6) and tied his high in yard (80) in his rookie campaign, and his 28 targets in the past four weeks rank third on the team to mainstays Brown and tight end Mark Andrews. Although he has yet to have a monster performance, a slower week for rookies allows Bateman to get some deserved spotlight even in a brutal loss to the Miami Dolphins. Bateman looks primed for a big day in the coming weeks once the Raven’s offense can get back on track.
Honorable Mentions:
Michael Carter – 16 ATT, 39 TDS, TD, 4 REC, 43 YDS vs. Buffalo Bills Elijah Moore – 3 REC, 44 YDS, TD vs. Buffalo Bills
Duds
Kenneth Gainwell
Week 10 Stats: 2 ATT, 5 YDS, 1 REC, 9 YDS vs. Denver Broncos
The Philadelphia Eagles rushing offense is always a mystery. Week to week, even when starter Miles Sanders, it is unknown how many touches any running back will be given on any day. An injury to Sanders opened the door for others to excel, and one who looked primed to do so was fifth-round selection Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell put up an impressive performance in Week 4 against the Chiefs, recording 89 total yards and a touchdown on just 9 touches, and with the Sanders injury, Gainwell seemed tasked with taking over in his absence.
That did not materialize.
In the subsequent games since then, Gainwell has had just three touches or less in half of those games, and the most surprising stat is his 7 receptions in the six games after his six reception performance against Kansas City. Gainwell’s lack of use in the passing game in perplexing, and ceding carries and touches to veteran journeymen Boston Scott and Jordan Howard is also concerning for the young rookie. This continued Sunday, in which he only had three touches for 19 yards in a big win against Denver. It’s safe to say the young rookie will not be seeing an uptick in carries soon with Sanders
returning, and it remains to be seen if he will have any sort of role in the offense going forward.
Rondale Moore
Week 10 Stats: 2 REC, 10 YDS vs. Carolina Panthers
It has been a rough go for the rookie out of Purdue so far this year, showing glimpses of the second-round talent the Cardinals see in him. However, he has not been able to carve himself any sort of significant role within the offense.
Since his career performances of 68, 117 and 59 yards in his first five games, Rondale Moore has not sniffed those numbers in the five games since. Even with DeAndre Hopkins out or limited in most of those games, Moore has averaged 3 receptions on 4 targets for 18.4 yards, and three of those came in 30 point offensive showings. Colt McCoy starting has shown the Cardinals, and Moore, no favors, either, as McCoy hit Moore just two times for 10 yards in a blowout loss to the Panthers. Moore has caught an impressive 82 percent of his targets this season, but those targets have continued to be hard to come by with so many mouths to feed. Outside of Hopkins, Moore still has the most potential of the passing attack, and Murray coming back may help the rookie get back on track, but the two seem like they have not been on the same page as of late. If Murray can get healthy, and the Arizona offense can get back to having big time passing days, there might be still time for the two to develop a chemistry to utilize the rookie’s skillset.
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