There was an unexpected great rookie performance by a quarterback from week eight on Sunday. This performance was not only stellar among rookies, but among all National Football League players who suited up on the weekend. Here are the top five rookie performances from winning teams.
5) Chuba Hubbard–Carolina Panthers
The Canadian running back sensation out of Sherwood Park, Alberta is doing his best while Christian McCaffrey is once again injured. On Sunday, Hubbard had 24 rushes for 82 yards and one touchdown as the Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 19-13 to snap a four game losing streak.
4) Najee Harris–Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer in last place in the AFC North, and a major reason why was because of the play of running back Najee Harris on Sunday. Harris had 26 carries for 91 yards and three touchdowns along with three catches for 29 yards in a 15-10 Steelers win over the Cleveland Browns.
3) Eli Mitchell–San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are trying to get their season back on track after losing their last four games. On Sunday, running back Eli Mitchell had 18 carries for 137 yards and one touchdown in a 33-22 49ers win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
2) Michael Carter–New York Jets
Michael Carter has emerged as the clear number one running back for the Jets this season. On Sunday, Carter was excellent in the New York backfield and in their passing game. The Jets rookie had 15 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown, along with nine catches for 95 yards in a 34-31 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
1) Mike White–New York Jets
The Jets rookie quarterback had a start for the ages on Sunday. He completed 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the three-point win over the Bengals. That is the second most passing yards by a NFL quarterback in his first career start–ever. The only quarterback on the list with more passing yards in his first NFL start is Cam Newton. The former Panthers quarterback who is currently a free agent, completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 Carolina loss to the Arizona Cardinals on September 11, 2011.
