Commanders rookie made a statement in his breakout performance that will impact the rest of the season

The big plays have been there in the run game, but the Commanders didn't run the ball enough to see it happen consistently. Hopefully, Croskey-Merritt changed that on Sunday, and Kingsbury will feature him as the lead back for the rest of the season.

The Commanders finally have a threat at running back

Even though he was drafted in the seventh round of the draft, everyone knew that Croskey-Merritt had a chance to be special with his running ability on tape. The hype was real this offseason, and now we're seeing the breakout happen in real time, and the Commanders haven't had this kind of threat in the backfield in a long time.

Croskey-Merritt became the first Washington rookie with 150+ scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns since RB Alfred Morris in Week 17, 2012. His two-touchdown performance brings his season total to three rushing touchdowns on the season, which leads all rookies in the league. It's also the first game a Commander has had multiple rushing touchdowns since Daniels did it in Week 1 last season.

The Commanders have desperately needed a running back that can be a true threat like Croskey-Merritt, and they finally have one to lean on for the rest of the season. He showed his vision and cut ability to create big plays, but also his receiving ability as a complete back, which is what the coaching staff has been waiting to see. Kingsbury should feed Croskey-Merritt half of the touches, if not more, moving forward, while he continues to develop.

After Sunday, the Commanders are now the best rushing offense in the league, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 156.4 yards per game with a very vulnerable Chicago Bears defense coming up next.