Week 6: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who starred at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after a successful homecoming as he led the Bears to a 25-24 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday night.

Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, completed 17 of 29 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown and also rushed for a touchdown as the Bears rallied from a 24-16 deficit in the fourth quarter. Following a Washington turnover with less than three minutes remaining, Williams drove the Bears into position to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired.

It was Chicago’s third consecutive victory.

“It felt great — back in my hometown and being able to come out with a win like that is big for us, big for us as an offense,” Williams told reporters after the game. “That’s a hell of a team over there. Being able to come out victorious in a dogfight where things weren’t perfect, weather wasn’t perfect, being able to come out victorious is big for us.”

Week 5: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

photo courtesy washington commanders

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after the best game of his young career helped the visiting Commanders beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10, on Sunday.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Croskey-Merritt had made a quick impression with his hard, physical running. He earned a role in the Commanders’ rotation of running backs and grabbed the spotlight on Sunday.

Croskey-Merrit -- who goes by the nickname Bill, because as a kid he looked like the cartoon character Little Bill – carried 14 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns (all career highs) as quarterback Jayden Daniels returned and the Commanders got back in the win column.

“Obviously, I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I feel like this is just the beginning,” Croskey-Merritt said. “There is a lot more I want to show. I think I showed I can make plays when my name is called and be the best team player I can be.”

It was Croskey-Merritt’s performance in the preseason that helped persuade the team that previous starter Brian Robinson was expendable and he was traded to San Francisco. Croskey-Merritt rushed 10 times for 82 yards and one touchdown in the season opener, earning NFL Rookie of the Week honors.

A fan favorite at home games, Croskey-Merritt has come a long way in a short period of time. He played his first three seasons of college football at Alabama State, then spent one year at New Mexico. He transferred to Arizona for his final season in 2024, but was limited to just one game after questions rose after how many games he played during his redshirt season at Alabama State, which said that another player took Croskey-Merritt’s No. 21 jersey while he was sitting out.

Instead of getting a senior season to showcase himself, Croskey-Merritt had to shine in practice and hope his performance there could persuade NFL scouts to take a chance on him. With veteran Austin Ekeler out with an injury, the Commanders have rotated Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. as their running backs.

Croskey-Merritt lost a fumble on the opening play of the fourth quarter Sunday, but otherwise was spectacular as the Commanders erased an early 10-0 deficit and scored the game’s final 27 points.

“We’ll continue to build and see where we take it from here,” Washington Coach Dan Quinn said. But the more effective you can run it, the more play-action passes come alive.”

Week 4: Jamie Gillan, New York Giants

New York Giants punter Jamie Gillan, who played at Leonardtown High School, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after his terrific play helped the Giants beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 21-18, for their first victory this season.

In his seventh NFL season, Gillan played a large role Sunday in helping the Giants maintain an edge in field possession.

He averaged 48.8 yards on three punts, including three that landed inside the Chargers’ 20-yard line. Gillan also boomed a 68-yard punt from the back of his own end zone in the middle of the third quarter, preventing Los Angeles from having a short field to try for the go-ahead score.

Gillan, who grew up in Scotland, was more of a rugby player growing up. His family moved to Southern Maryland because his father is in Royal Air Force and had an assignment as an exchange officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. But he joined the Leonardtown football team midway through his senior year of high school and got a last-second scholarship offer to play collegiately at Arkansas-Pine Bluff after a friend saw the team post on Facebook that it needed a kicker.

Undrafted out of college, Gillan signed with the Cleveland Browns and played three seasons there. He then joined the Giants and is now in his fourth season with the team, having signed a three-year, $10.2 million contract this past offseason.

Week 3: Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders

photo courtesy washington commanders

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after his stout play led the Commanders to a 41-24 win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

A 14-year NFL veteran who spent nearly all of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Wagner joined the Commanders prior to last season and immediately made an impact as an experienced leader. An 11-time All-Pro selection who has led the league in tackles in three seasons, Wagner has shown he has plenty of football left.

On Sunday, he made 11 tackles and had two sacks, leading the way for a defense that held the Raiders to just 10 points in the first three quarters as the Commanders built a comfortable lead.

“We wanted to be aggressive,” Wagner said. “We understood that we have really good, talented players. [Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.] did a good job of sending us and mixing up coverages. We had a good game plan.”

It was a welcome victory after having 10 days since the Commanders’ first loss of the season.

“It sucks to lose a game like that on Thursday, because you have so much time to sit and think about it,” Wagner said. “You go back to the drawing board. You know that’s not the team we want to be or the team that we are. And you try to correct those mistakes and be accountable of all those things that happened and try not to let them happen again.”

Washington limited Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty to 17 carries for 63 yards, totaled five sacks and held Las Vegas to 3 of 14 on third down conversions.

But it was a short few seconds in the locker room at halftime that made the game most memorable. Commanders Coach Dan Quinn went for a tumble after being run over on the sideline by quarterback Marcus Mariota. Quinn required medical attention at halftime, leaving players wondering about his availability for the second half. Wagner, as one of the team’s elder statesmen, was preparing to address the team before Quinn appeared out of nowhere.

“It was like a movie,” Wagner said. “That was such a cool moment. I’ll remember that forever, for sure.”

Week 2: Nick Cross, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross, who played at DeMatha Catholic High School and the University of Maryland, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after his strong defensive performance helped the Colts beat the Denver Broncos, 29-28, on Sunday.

Cross made a team-high seven tackles and broke up a key third-down pass to force a punt as Indianapolis improved to 2-0.

Now in his fourth year in the NFL, Cross was selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He moved into a starting role last season and has excelled. He made 133 tackles and intercepted five passes last season.

Week 1: Daron Payne, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week after his strong defensive performance led the Commanders to a season-opening 21-6 win over the visiting New York Giants on Sunday.

Beginning his eighth season in the NFL, Payne was a force throughout the win, especially on third down.

On the Giants’ opening possession, Payne disrupted a screen pass on third-and-11. In the second quarter, on third-and-9, he burst into the backfield to sack quarterback Russell Wilson. In the third quarter, he shared another third-down sack and later batted down a pass to force another punt.

The Giants never reached the end zone and managed just two field goals in the game. They were 4 of 16 on third down and managed just 231 yards of total offense.

After the game, Coach Dan Quinn said that Payne has taken his play to another level.

“There was another space he went to in practice and performance,” Quinn said. “It was better. It was different. It was higher.”