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Tyquan Thornton made a major impact in just his second career NFL game on Sunday.
The Patriots' second-round rookie receiver caught four passes for 37 yards and had three carries for 16 yards. Most importantly, Thornton scored his first two NFL touchdowns (a receiving and a rushing touchdown) to help the Patriots beat the Browns, 38-15.
Thornton's breakout performance came during what's apparently been a tough time for the young receiver. Patriots veteran tight end Jonnu Smith shared how proud he was of the rookie.
“Tyquan Thornton, that’s my guy, man. That’s my young guy,” Smith said following the win. “We’ve got a good relationship. He’s been battling some personal things. I don’t want to get too much into it, but me myself, I’ve experienced the exact same thing that he’s going through right now. For him to come out and put on a performance like he did today, it just speaks volumes about that kid. I know when I was going through it it was tough.
“To see him have a smile on his face. To see him go out there and make plays and play free, that speaks volumes, man. Guys like that, those are the kind of guys we want around us. Guys that fight through adversity. Guys that put their hard hat on and take the challenges on head-on.”
Tyquan Thornton didn't disclose what personal struggles he's going through at the moment when he spoke with reporters following the game. However, he posted a message saying “This one for chubs” with a heartbroken emoji on his Instagram story prior to Sunday's game.
Jonnu Smith on Tyquan Thornton: "He's been battling some personal things. … For him to come out here and have the performance he had today, it speaks volumes about the kid."
Don't know any specifics, but Thornton's IG story indicated the death of a friend/loved one pic.twitter.com/RPfniEiZz7
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) October 16, 2022
As for his performance on Sunday, Thornton felt good about it. His first touchdown came on a 3rd-and-goal play at the 2-yard line, creating quick separation in the middle of the end zone to get the touchdown grab after the Patriots struggled to score in a similar spot earlier in the game.
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Tyquan Thornton's first touchdown ended up being the game-deciding score as it put the Patriots up 17-6 at the beginning of the second half. But that wasn't enough for him. One play following a muffed punt by the Browns, Thornton scored his second touchdown of the game on a jet sweep, moving in motion before the snap and got the handoff right after the ball was hiked by Bailey Zappe. The rookie quickly turned upfield to score on the 19-yard run.
https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1581738682448433152
Thornton kind of expected to score on such a play on Sunday.
“I wasn’t quite surprised because one of the coaches was telling me about it throughout the week,” Thornton said.
Tyquan Thornton will look to have a similar performance when the Patriots host the Bears on Monday night in Week 7.
