RB Jaylen Samuels wins Rookie of the Week honors for game against Patriots

While he may have missed out on player of the week honors for Week 15, it appears the efforts of Jaylen Samuels did not go completely unnoticed after he was announced as the Rookie of the Week for his performance against the New England Patriots.

Samuels would finish the day with 19 carries for 142-yards and a 7.5 yards a carry average, adding another 30-yards from two receptions and producing rushing numbers that would exceed even his best efforts in both college and high school. His total on the day is now second in team history for a rookie behind Bam Morris with 146-yards, a record set in Week 8 of the 1994 season against the New York Giants.

The last time a Pittsburgh Steelers player won Rookie of the Week honors was back in Week 16 of 2013 when Le’Veon Bell rushed for 124-yards and a touchdown off 26 carries against the Green Bay Packers. For most of the 2018 season, the award has been won by a member of the Browns. A Cleveland player had picked up the honor nine times in the previous 15 weeks, with quarterback Baker Mayfield winning the award five times.

Given James Conner is set to miss his third consecutive game of the year against the New Orleans Saints, Samuels will get the opportunity to prove last Sunday was no fluke in Week 16.