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Best rookie performances of Week 11: Fournette, Foreman, Kamara star

Here's a closer look at how some of the top rookies fared in Week 11:

Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky

Round drafted: 1

Statistics: 18-of-30, 179 yards, TD; six carries, 53 yards

Analysis: The Bears’ rookie quarterback was up-and-down on Sunday. The positives: Trubisky scrambled for 19 yards on fourth-and-13 with 28 seconds left to play to keep Chicago’s hopes alive. On the next play, Trubisky connected with Dontrelle Inman for 15 yards to put the Bears in field goal range. Trubisky also had a touchdown pass to tight end Adam Shaheen, and on several occasions versus the Lions, Trubisky stood tall in the pocket in the face of pressure and found his targets downfield. The negatives: Trubisky fumbled a snap that Detroit recovered and returned for a touchdown. The second overall pick also threw a low, incomplete pass to Benny Cunningham, who was wide open at the front of the end zone. The first-year quarterback also was off the mark on several other throws and ran into a sack on the game’s final drive. -- Jeff Dickerson

Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette

Round drafted: 1

Statistics: 28 carries, 111 yards; two catches, 7 yards

Analysis: Fournette tied his career high with 28 carries, which isn’t bad, considering he was questionable to play against the Browns because of an ankle injury. Fournette didn’t seem to have his normal burst, but he did get to the edge once for a 29-yard gain. It was tough work against the Browns’ fourth-ranked run defense, especially with the Jaguars down two starters on the offensive line because of injuries. Fournette said after the game that his ankle isn’t going to be 100 percent until after the season, but he’ll be on the field each week. -- Michael DiRocco

Arizona Cardinals S Budda Baker

Round drafted: 2

Statistics: 12 tackles, special-teams tackle, sack, two forced fumbles, fumble recovery

Analysis: Baker was everywhere Sunday for the Cardinals. His strip-sack of Texans quarterback Tom Savage in the second quarter, which Baker recovered, led to Arizona’s first touchdown. Baker is now the starting strong safety, and the additional snaps gave him more opportunities to show his skill. He had a well-rounded game, filling every column of the stat sheet except for interceptions. His quickness off the edge, as well as his ability to cover, has given Arizona another defensive weapon. -- Josh Weinfuss

Cleveland Browns QB DeShone Kizer

Round drafted: 2

Statistics: 16-for-32, 179 yards, TD, two INT, two fumbles lost

Analysis: Kizer followed one of his better games with probably his worst. That it came against a nasty, aggressive defense hardly mattered. Kizer’s first words at the podium were: “It hurts.” He then said for the first time he did not feel like he took a step forward in a game. This was a tough outing, as Kizer saw one turnover set up a Jaguars touchdown and another turn into a Jaguars defensive touchdown. He had a long day, and though coach Hue Jackson committed to starting him next Sunday in Cincinnati, Kizer did little to help convince the Browns they should not draft a quarterback first overall in April. -- Pat McManamon

Houston Texans RB D’Onta Foreman

Round drafted: 3

Statistics: 10 carries, 65 yards, two TDs; three catches, 15 yards

Analysis: Foreman had the best game of his young NFL career, scoring his first two touchdowns. All 65 of his yards came in the second half as he helped jump-start the Texans’ offense. But Foreman called the game “bittersweet” because he left with an injury after his touchdown run. Foreman was carted off the field after the 34-yard run, and the initial diagnosis is a torn Achilles. The rookie running back will have an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed. “I just wanted to get something started,” Foreman said of his two touchdowns. “I knew in the second half I just had to go out there and try to make some plays and try to help us win the game, and I feel like I did that.” -- Sarah Barshop

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara

Round drafted: 3

Statistics: eight carries, 42 yards; six receptions, 74 yards; had game-tying TD catch and 2-point conversion run in final minutes of regulation

Analysis: Kamara continues to raise the bar with each passing week. He and the Saints’ entire run game got off to a slow start on Sunday. But then he provided two of the biggest highlights of the game during New Orleans’ rally from a 15-point deficit in the final three minutes. He scored on an 18-yard TD catch despite nearly losing the football and bobbling it to himself. Then he raced wide behind a great block by TE Josh Hill for the two-point conversion. Kamara leads the NFL with 6.4 yards per carry and is on pace for more than 700 yards rushing and 700 yards receiving. Mark Ingram said Sunday that Kamara should be the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. -- Mike Triplett

Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt

Round drafted: 3

Statistics: 18 carries, 73 yards; three receptions, 4 yards

Analysis: Hunt failed to reach 100 scrimmage yards for the third consecutive game. He had gained more than 100 yards between rushing and receiving in each of the first seven games but has failed to get there in any of the past three games. Hunt failed to score a touchdown for the seventh consecutive game after scoring six TDs in the first three games. -- Adam Teicher

Washington Redskins RB Samaje Perine

Round drafted: 4

Statistics: 23 carries, 117 yards, TD; one catch, 9 yards

Analysis: He did exactly what Washington had hoped for, with the Redskins needing a strong rushing attack to have a chance versus New Orleans. Perine delivered enough for the Redskins to win the game -- though had he finished with 118 yards instead of 117, the Redskins would have won. The inability to pick up a third-and-1 run led to a punt and the Saints’ game-tying drive in regulation. But Perine was consistent in his best showing this season, especially in the first half, which left the offense in favorable third-down situations. Perine even had a 30-yard run. With Rob Kelley and now Chris Thompson both out for the season, Perine becomes the Redskins' most experienced back. It’ll be hard to duplicate this sort of game, but he showed that he can be a factor down the stretch. -- John Keim

Chicago Bears RB/WR Tarik Cohen

Round drafted: 4

Statistics: Nine carries, 44 yards, TD; four receptions, 15 yards; seven returns, 132 yards

Analysis: The Bears made Cohen a priority on Sunday. The rookie touched the ball a combined 20 times between offense and special teams. The highlight of Cohen’s afternoon came at the end of his 15-yard touchdown run when he dove to ensure the football crossed the plane of the goal line. “I felt like I had a 44-inch vertical,” Cohen joked after the game. The Bears rookie also slipped through several would-be tacklers to pick up 10 yards on a run off right tackle. The only negative: Cohen returned a late kickoff from the end zone instead of kneeling for a touchback -- and was stopped by the Lions at the 22-yard line. -- Jeff Dickerson

New York Giants RT Chad Wheeler

Round drafted: Undrafted

Statistics: Played all 68 offensive snaps

Analysis: The undrafted rookie out of USC more than held his own in his first career start, matched mostly against Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston. Houston had seven tackles, no sacks and no quarterback hits. That’s a win for Wheeler and the Giants. Wheeler also had a key block -- along with tight end Rhett Ellison -- on the game’s only touchdown, as the right side of the line collapsed the defense on the goal line. That was noticeable, but Wheeler wasn’t most of the contest. That’s a positive. Coach Ben McAdoo noted that Wheeler had a quiet day. “That’s a good day for your first start.” -- Jordan Raanan

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