Across the Shield: Rookie Defensive Backs Shine, Carlos Hyde Carries 'Niners Offense & Michael Thomas is Saints' Bright Spot

By Kevin Harrish on September 18, 2017 at 9:05 am
Malik Hooker nabbed his first-career interception.
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Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. Across the Shield follows those who once wore Scarlet and Gray on their journeys through the NFL.

El Guapo Carries 'Niners

San Francisco did not have a great game offensively on Sunday afternoon, but former Buckeye running back Carlos Hyde sure did.

Hyde rushed for 124 yards on 15 carries against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon and added 19 receiving yards on three receptions, giving him 143 yards from scrimmage on the day.

The 49ers had just 248 total yards as a team, meaning Hyde accounted for 56.7 percent of the team's total offense on Sunday.

If there's one knock against Hyde, I guess it's that he never managed to get the ball into the end zone. San Francisco had to settle for three field goals and lost 12-9.

DBU Takes the League by Storm

This was the first week all three of Ohio State's first-round pick defensive backs were in action, and it sure didn't take them long to announce their arrival to the league.

Malik Hooker

The former Buckeye ball hawk Malik Hooker made his first career start on Sunday and promptly nabbed his first-career interception.

Hooker finished the game with two total tackles, one pass defense and that lone interception.

Gareon Conley

Former Buckeye cornerback Gareon Conley made his first NFL start this weekend after an injury kept him sidelined for the Raiders' opener last week, and the rookie is already turning heads.

That's pretty stellar.

According to Pro Football Focus, Conley allowed just one catch for eight yards on two targets during his 28 plays on Sunday afternoon. On one of his targets, Conley made an excellent play on a deep ball, deflecting the pass and nearly forcing an interception.

Conley finished the game with three total tackles and one pass defense.

Marshon Lattimore

The Saints did not have a great day defensively as Tom Brady carved up the New Orleans defense for 447 passing yards, but one bright spot was the play of former Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Of those 447 passing yards, only 28 went against Lattimore as the rookie essentially shut down Patriots receiver Brandin Cooks. 

A bright spot for a struggling defense.

Lattimore finished the game with two pass breakups as well as seven total tackles.

Zeke Shut Down

Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing by quite a wide margin last season, aided by what is likely the best offensive line in the league.

Sunday's performance provided little-to-no evidence of that.

The Denver Broncos shut down the former Buckeye back, limiting him to just eight yards on nine carries and four catches for 14 yards. To do that math for you, Elliott averaged less than a yard per carry on Sunday.

If there's any bright spot, it's that for once, former Buckeye running back Rod Smith had a better rushing performance than Elliott as he rushed for eight yards on two carries.

Can't Guard Mike

There weren't many positives for the Saints this weekend as the Patriots drubbed them 36-20 in a game that really wasn't even as close as that score might indicate, but Michael Thomas was one of the bright spots.

Thomas was the team's leading receiver on Sunday afternoon, hauling in five passes for 89 yards.

Of course, it wasn't enough to lift the Saints over the Patriots, but I'm not sure any receiver could have single-handedly overcome that deficit.

Ohio Against the World

This week wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't great. And when you're taking zeros at two positions on your roster every week, you pretty much need the stars 

I got pretty big games out of Carlos Hyde and Michael Thomas this week but neither found the end zone, which is where the big points come from.

I didn't get much help from my other players, either. Terrelle Pryor had just two catches for 31 yards, Ted Ginn Jr. had three for 24, and of course, Ezekiel Elliott was held to under 10 yards rushing for the first time in his life.

There's just no way I win a game with Pryor, Ginn and Elliott all giving me less than seven points, unless Hyde and Thomas somehow combine for 100 points.

Needless to say, I'm starting the season 0-2, but there's always next week!

Week 2
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