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 Finds End Zone, 'Niners Still Lose
Last week, Carlos Hyde had 143 yards from scrimmage, accounting for nearly 60 percent of San Francisco's total yardage. The only problem was, he never found the end zone and the 49ers lost 12-9.
This time, Hyde finished the job, scoring twice against the Rams on Thursday night.
The 'Niners had a really neat strategy – whenever they were in a short-yardage situation, they seemed to give the ball to Hyde. And it worked!
Carlos Hyde is in for the score! pic.twitter.com/Jo688D6PCq
— SportsDragon (@SportsDragon_) September 22, 2017
Those two touchdowns would have been more than enough last week, but not this week. The 'Niners still lost 41-39 and are still winless on the season.
And to be honest, those weren't even Hyde's top highlights from the game. Those came on a pass block and a half-yard rush.
Saints' Air Raid
You had to figure playing with Drew Brees would work out in Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr.'s favor eventually this season, and things finally began to click for the Saints' passing attack on Sunday.
Thomas and Ginn each caught a touchdown during the team's 34-13 smackdown of Carolina and combined for 131 of the team's 220 receiving yards.
Ginn also showed off his versatility a bit against his former team, rushing for 15 yards on a sweep play that nearly went for a touchdown.
It's almost unfair to have an offense with both Thomas' hands and route running ability as well as Ginn's blazing speed.
Bosa Mic'd Up
If you've ever wondered what Joey Bosa sounds like in the midst of his footballing, the Chargers have you covered as the former Buckeye All-American was mic'd up during Los Angeles' game against the Dolphins last week.
Highlights include Bosa informing his teammates not to say bad things because he's wearing a wire, breaking up "fights" between plays and asking to keep the ball Antonio Gates caught to break Tony Gonzalez' tight end touchdowns record.
Of course, it's all in his trademark monotone voice with his famous dry humor.
Also, it turns out he's still pretty good at doing football.
No defender has racked up more pressures in their first 14 games since we began grading in 2006 pic.twitter.com/4WpsaxmF2W
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 21, 2017
More Touches For Curt?
We're about one year removed from Curtis Samuel being Ohio State's only consistent source of offense, putting up huge numbers both as a receiver and a ball carrier.
Samuel has yet to really flash that game-breaking ability in the NFL, but on Sunday, we saw a glimpse of what the former Buckeye can do. Early in the second quarter, Samuel received a pitch and promptly took it 30 yards, showing off his vision, speed and ability to make people miss.
The do-it-all player also had two catches for five yards.
Samuel's role in the Panther offense seems to grow every week, and he may be asked to produce even more after Carolina's leading receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a leg injury during Sunday's game, though it appears Benjamin will be fine.
Two Starts, Two Picks
Malik Hooker now has an interception in each of his first two NFL starts after he sealed the win over the Browns with his pick on Sunday.
The ball was a desperately heaved duck that basically landed in his lap, but it still counts in the record book and made Browns fans feel sad.
A Malik Hooker interception ending a Browns drive that started with Jabrill Peppers fair catching a punt with 23 seconds left is *chef kiss*
— Local Ultra (@marion_ohio) September 24, 2017
Ohio Against the World
Last week, I mentioned that I need a perfect storm in order to win a fantasy game, and it's not happen this week.
I got good games from Carlos Hyde and Michael Thomas, as well as a decent performance from Ted Ginn Jr., but 3.9 points from Terrelle Pryor is not going to cut it. Also, I was playing against Stefon Diggs, who had over half my entire team's points by himself.
We'll get 'em next time.
