If being back at Northwest Stadium for a divisional matchup against the New York Giants wasn't enough excitement for Washington Commanders' fans, a touchdown from highly-touted rookie running back Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt surely lived up to the gameday hype.

Croskey-Merritt took the handoff from quarterback Jayden Daniels around the edge for a six-yard scamper across the goal line for his first regular-season NFL touchdown. Croskey-Merritt's touchdown run capped an eight-play, 58-yard drive to give Washington a two-possession lead with time on the clock ahead of the second half.

The only rookie mistake he made all day: dropping the touchdown ball in favor of an end zone celebration.

"I forgot the ball again," Croskey-Merritt said in a postgame press conference. "I told myself, 'When I score, I'm going to make sure I keep my football.' I think the excitement just takes over me, and I just end up dropping it. [Wide receiver] Terry [McLaurin] ended up finding the ball and giving it to me."

"That's what I've been doing since I got here, and so each guy who has their first touchdown, whether it's in preseason or the NFL regular season, I just try to make sure they get their football," McLaurin said in the locker room following the game. "I let him do his dance and let him have a good time and let me worry about the football."

Putting six points on the board and notching a touchdown are definitely cause for celebration, although Croskey-Merritt said his end zone moves are still a work in progress.

"I'm still trying to figure out the celebration situation, because in college, I didn't really celebrate," Croskey-Merritt said. "My friends were like, 'You need to do something in the end zone.' I'm thinking that's going to be my signature move. I don't know yet. I might have to switch it up. I'm still searching right now."

With "Bill" chants echoing throughout the stadium, Croskey-Merritt continued to elicit cheers from fans each time he touched the ball. In what was the longest run of the game, Croskey-Merritt took the handoff from Daniels in the backfield and bounced off Giants' defenders before being pushed out of bounds at the Commanders' own 47-yard line.

The 42-yard run largely sealed the 21-6 victory for Washington -- something McLaurin recognized and verbally praised Croskey-Merritt for after the game.

"It's just unbelievable to see the way he's come in and just put his head down and worked," McLaurin said. "I think he's earned the respect of the O-line, our entire team, and he runs really hard. He can run in between tackles, he can bounce it out outside, and he gets a lot of yards after contact. You saw his burst today, and it definitely put us in a position to ice the game."

Croskey-Merritt had no expectations for his role ahead of Week 1. Despite taking snaps behind Austin Ekeler in practice all week, he was listed as the fourth running back on the Commanders' depth chart.

"It was whatever the coaches wanted me to do, and I was going to do that one hundred percent," Croskey-Merritt said. "I just appreciate my teammates being there for the whole time."

Despite not taking his first snap until the second quarter, Croskey-Merritt ran hard each time his number was called. He finished with the most carries among the three active Commanders' running backs with 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.

"This whole day was amazing, just being able to be on the field with my teammates," Croskey-Merritt said of his first regular-season game. "I've waited a long time for this, and I just want to give these guys thanks for just pushing me and believing me."

With a Thursday Night Football game in Green Bay just around the corner, Washington is operating on a short week. For Croskey-Merritt, the focus is on staying true to himself and his game.

"I just go out there and do me," Croskey-Merritt said. "It's football at the end of the day. I just go out there and have fun."