Anthony Miller up for Rookie of the Week after running wild against Lions

Run roughshod through a secondary and there’s no doubt you’ll be seen as one of the NFL’s top rookies in any given week. That’s the story for the Bears’ Anthony Miller after his career-high 122 yards against the Lions on Sunday: the 24-year-old’s first 100-yard game of his professional life.

Thanks to an afternoon where he averaged 24.4 yards per catch and was a general nightmare out of the slot, Miller is up for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week for Week 10.

This kind of performance seemed to really be lying in the wings for Miller. All it took was a porous Lions defense and a patience and toughness that’s quickly becoming synonymous with the young receiver.

If Miller’s going to be Rookie of the Week for his play against Detroit, he’ll have to overcome a quality bunch of competitors. First, there’s the Browns’ Baker Mayfield, who threw three touchdown passes against the Falcons. Then, there’s Leighton Vander Esch, who had a key interception in a Sunday night win over the Eagles. Follow that up with a stud duo of running backs in Cleveland’s Nick Chubb and his 176 rushing yards, and Seattle’s Rashaad Penny’s 108 rushing yards against the Rams, and you have a stiff pecking order for Miller to overcome.

Whatever happens, the Memphis Grind Miller has previously discussed has clearly arrived, and is here to stay. If that’s the case, a Rookie of the Week honor will be arriving sooner rather than later.

Robert is the Editor-in-chief of The Blitz Network (subscribe here!), the managing editor of Windy City Gridiron, and writes for a host of other fine publications. You can follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski.