One Commanders rookie may have more responsibilities this week after the latest report revealed an injury to a key starter

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 10:07 PM ET

The Washington Commanders battled it out against the New York Giants in a classic NFC East matchup that's always as physical as it gets. The team came out on top with a 21-6 win, and now they have to hit the road for a quick turnaround against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football.

The travel time and lack of rest might hurt the chances of the team being fully healthy on Thursday, and the first injury report showed that one player got dinged up, and one standout from Sunday might get even more reps.

Austin Ekeler popped up on the injury report, and we might see even more Bill Croskey-Merritt if the Commanders don't want to push the injury this early in the year.

The disadvantage of a short week

Nobody likes a short week, but luckily, the Commanders are doing it now, and not during a long stretch before their bye week. Still, though, the turnaround is rough after any game, and a couple of players get knicked up. The team had a walkthrough today, but they released an injury report that reflects what would've happened if there had been a practice today, and Ekeler would've been limited with a shoulder injury.

Monday injury report#WASvsGB | #RaiseHail
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 8, 2025

Now, Ekeler did start at running back and had some big plays, especially in the receiving game, so I'd be surprised if they held him out, or if it's bad enough to miss time, but still, it's a long season, so no need to push it. He may just take fewer snaps than he did on Sunday, and switch counts with rookie Croskey-Merritt, who certainly made his presence felt in his debut.

Ekeler played on 33 snaps, while Croskey-Merritt was on the field for 23, so maybe they flip those numbers and let the rookie run loose this week.

The rookie stole the show

It didn't take long, and we all knew it was coming, but Croskey-Merritt, aka "Bill", has officially arrived and is living up to the hype. Ekeler had more snaps, but Croskey-Merritt finished with more yards as he gained 82 yards on 10 carries, and had the biggest run on the day that sealed the deal on a 42-yard run.

GET HIM IN YOUR LINEUPS!

#NYGvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/9uls0Pu1Be
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 7, 2025

He did have more carries in the run game than Ekeler did, and there's no doubt he can handle an increased workload. The homerun ability is there in his runs, and that's been missing from the Commanders' backfield for a long time.

We will have to see how Ekeler progresses on the injury report this week, with the team doing light practices or just walkthroughs and their travels to Green Bay, but don't be surprised if we get more Croskey-Merritt on Thursday night.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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