New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton made a big impact in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. That included earning the first receiving and rushing touchdown of his career in the same game.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe was under duress in the pocket. The signal-caller then rolled out and found Thornton in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown as a member of the Patriots. That touchdown added to a day that saw him make an impact in both the running and the passing game.
The quarterback and receiver then implemented a jet sweep to perfection that ended in Thornton blowing past defenders and walking into the end zone for his second score of the day.
With the two scores, Thornton became the first rookie Patriots receiver to record a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Irving Fryar, according to ESPN Stats & Info, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
(Adding a key word here that I mistakenly left out)
From @ESPNStatsInfo: Tyquan Thornton is the first ROOKIE Patriots WR with a rushing and receiving TD in the same game since Irving Fryar in 1985 (vs. the Seahawks). https://t.co/3eALAD8K19
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 16, 2022
The rookie wideout gave the Patriots an offensive spark in a game when Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne were both out with injuries.
It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going as New England turns the page to a Week 7 meeting at Gillette Stadium against the Chicago Bears.
