Across The Shield is our weekly look at how former Buckeye stars are faring around the NFL.
Justin Fields, Terry McLaurin, Bradley Roby and Nick Bosa were among the former Ohio State players who had noteworthy performances in Week 2 of the NFL season.
Fields beats Burrow
Two years after what should have been the showdown for the College Football Playoff national championship, we were finally able to see Justin Fields take on Joe Burrow. It took an Andy Dalton leg injury for us to get the matchup that the SEC video replay booth stole from us at the end of the 2019 season.
Dalton's injury occurred early in the second quarter of the Chicago Bears' home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, prompting Matt Nagy to turn to Justin Fields to guide his team to its first victory of the season.
Chicago didn't put too much on the rookie's plate, as there was a heavy dose of running plays, roll-outs and easy-to-complete passes. Fields completed six of his 13 passing attempts for 60 yards and had 10 carries for 31 yards.
The Ohio State great picked up several first downs with his feet. However, at times, he looked timid when running. The Bears have probably been in the quarterback's ear about taking hits, especially when Fields is the future of the franchise.
Fields should have had his first NFL passing touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the usually reliable Allen Robinson was unable to haul in the very catchable ball.
ARob owes Justin Fields dinner
— Swiftizm (@SwiftizmTTV) September 19, 2021
Cost him his first career TD pass
Pass was beautiful, ARob let it fall right through his hands pic.twitter.com/Slb5V48n4t
Nonetheless, the Bears earned a 20-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals as Burrow threw three interceptions.
McLaurin, Young shine in Thursday night lights
All Terry McLaurin does is make clutch catches and burn the New York Giants.
Seven quarterbacks in three years haven't kept Terry McLaurin from doing what he does best: Gash the Giants. In his previous three games against the G-Men before this season, McLaurin had torched them for 21 receptions and 275 yards. Thursday night was more of the same.
Early in the second quarter, McLaurin ran a pro's route and scorched the Giants' James Bradberry for an 11-yard touchdown. Taylor Heinicke's pass wasn't perfect, but T-Mac adjusted and evened the score at 7-7.
Terry McLaurin is a superstar pic.twitter.com/sjlrX72zk4
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) September 17, 2021
With 11 catches for 107 yards, his first touchdown of the season and a 30-29 win on national TV, McLaurin had plenty to celebrate on Thursday night.
Love yall! https://t.co/lEdqihjSo8
— Terry McLaurin (@TheTerry_25) September 17, 2021
In the second game of his second season, Chase Young contributed three tackles and a tackle for loss in the win. However, the big man's most impressive moment was running stride-for-stride with Giants star Saquon Barkley.
Yes, that is 6-foot-5, 264-pound Chase Young running stride-for-stride with Saquon Barkley. pic.twitter.com/ncQsyTE5M7
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 17, 2021
Trey Sermon makes his debut
A healthy scratch in the season opener, Trey Sermon made his NFL debut with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. If you left the room, you probably missed his only carry. Sermon burst through the line of scrimmage for a nice 8-yard gain, but stumbled at the end and took a nasty head-on collision.
Trey Sermon first play, takes huge head to head contact snd loses ball pic.twitter.com/rCfvl1fsdZ
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 19, 2021
Sermon went into concussion protocol and did not return after the vicious hit.
Zeke gets fed
Ezekiel Elliott picked up his first touchdown of the 2021 season against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. His score put the Dallas Cowboys up 14-7 near the end of the first quarter.
Elliott finished the game with 71 rushing yards and two catches for 26 yards. His efforts helped the Cowboys to a 20-17 victory, which they won on a last-second 56-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
@EzekielElliott
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021
: #DALvsLAC on CBS
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/AfrVbT3PXi
A new scene and a sack for Roby
Four days before the start of the season, the Houston Texans traded Bradley Roby to the New Orleans Saints. After finishing out a suspension in Week 1, the 2014 first-round pick suited up for the Saints for the first time on Sunday.
After last week's stunning blowout of the Packers, the Saints were pummeled by the Carolina Panthers, but Roby finished the game with two tackles, including this 7-yard sack.
Roby with the sack! #Saints | FOX pic.twitter.com/IaxkjPgVkV
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 19, 2021
Roby is now one of seven Buckeyes currently employed by the New Orleans Saints. He joins Malcolm Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore and Pete Werner on the Saints' active roster, while Jalyn Holmes is on their practice squad (though he was elevated to the active roster for Week 2) and Michael Thomas and Nick Vannett are currently on reserve lists due to injuries.
C'mon Damon
First-round draft picks are held to a higher standard, which is why former Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette – the 19th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2020 NFL draft – took plenty of heat after he failed to touch down Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool after getting beat in coverage on Sunday.
Damon Arnette forgot this wasn't college pic.twitter.com/CYfCz1N8Hr
— Christian D'Andrea needs help to buy Ale Asylum (@TrainIsland) September 19, 2021
Fortunately for Damon, Las Vegas was able to get a 26-17 victory over the Steelers and remain undefeated in the young season.
Tattle-Tell on Bell
Vonn Bell was penalized for taunting Dalton in the Bengals' loss to the Bears on Sunday. The former TCU quarterback channeled his inner five-year-old child as he tattled to the ref on Bell.
Nice job by Andy Dalton alerting the official of the taunting pic.twitter.com/2G7IhjFT5d
— Barroom Network (@BarroomNetwork) September 19, 2021
Little Bear Making a Big Play
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts became well-acquainted with Nick Bosa on Sunday. The 49ers defensive end harassed Hurts all day in Philadelphia. Bosa was credited with two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
In the play below, Bosa bullies Jordan Mailata on his way to giving Hurts a cuddly bear hug.
Nick Bosa showing off his power rush against Jordan Mailata.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) September 19, 2021
Sack No. 3 in 2021 for Bosa. pic.twitter.com/97vfZONINg
Highlight Show
Need more Buckeye action from Week 2? The clips below should satisfy your needs.
Nick Bosa is a monstersack No. 2 on the season. pic.twitter.com/7JTwM4XnhH
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) September 19, 2021
Cam Heyward's bull rush remains undefeated. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/1f9YyL0g1P
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 20, 2021
Pretty fun watching Sam Hubbard & Trey Hendrickson rush the edges together.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 19, 2021
: #CINvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/hOp6gXUPdt
Chase Young beats 2 men then gets called for roughing the passer pic.twitter.com/FajmWbz9o8
— Alex. (@dubs4o8) September 17, 2021
1. People easily miss what made Justin Fields' 10-yard scramble for the game-sealing 1st so great.
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 20, 2021
The broken tackle was one thing, but it was his awareness to get on the ground inbounds to keep the clock moving.
To have that presence of mind as a rookie? It's rare.#Bears pic.twitter.com/UP8aJoU4Ca
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | WEEK 2 STATS | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELI APPLE | CB | BENGALS | 3 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 TFL | 9 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 TFL |
| DAMON ARNETTE | CB | RAIDERS | 1 PBU | 1 PBU |
| JEROME BAKER | LB | DOLPHINS | 3 tackle, 1 FF, 1 PBU | 15 tackles, 1 FF, 1 PBU |
| VONN BELL | S | BENGALS | 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU | 13 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU |
| TUF BORLAND | LB | VIKINGS | Practice squad | |
| JOEY BOSA | DE | CHARGERS | 3 tackles | 7 tackles |
| NICK BOSA | DE | 49ERS | 3 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards) 1 TFL, 2 QBH, 1 FF | 7 tackles, 3 sacks (21 yards), 4 TFL, 4 QBH, 1 FF |
| NOAH BROWN | WR | COWBOYS | Played at WR | 1 game played |
| BARON BROWNING | LB | BRONCOS | Played at LB | 2 games played |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | COLTS | Inactive (abdomen) | 1 catch, 24 yards |
| JONATHON COOPER | LB | BRONCOS | Played at LB | 2 games played |
| WYATT DAVIS | OG | VIKINGS | Played at OL | 2 games played |
| TAYLOR DECKER | OT | LIONS | IR (finger) | |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | RAVENS | IR (knee) | |
| NATE EBNER | DB | GIANTS | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
| PAT ELFLEIN | OG | PANTHERS | Started at OG, left with hamstring injury | 2 starts |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | RB | COWBOYS | 16 rushes, 71 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 26 yards | 27 rushes, 104 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 32 yards |
| LUKE FARRELL | TE | JAGUARS | 1 catch, 6 yards | 1 catch, 6 yards |
| JUSTIN FIELDS | QB | BEARS | 6/13 passing, 60 yards, INT; 10 rushes, 31 yards | 8/15 passing, 70 yards, INT; 11 rush, 34 yards, 1 TD |
| JORDAN FULLER | S | RAMS | 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU | 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU |
| DaVON HAMILTON | DT | JAGUARS | 5 tackles | 9 tackles |
| JOHNATHAN HANKINS | DT | RAIDERS | Did not play | 2 tackles |
| MALIK HARRISON | LB | RAVENS | 3 tackles | 5 tackles |
| DWAYNE HASKINS | QB | STEELERS | Inactive | |
| JAKE HAUSMANN | TE | GIANTS | Practice squad | |
| CAMERON HEYWARD | DT | STEELERS | 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU | 11 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 1 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| K.J. HILL | WR | CHARGERS | 1 PR, 6 yards | 3 catches, 30 yards; 1 PR, 6 yards |
| JUSTIN HILLIARD | LB | GIANTS | Inactive | |
| JALYN HOLMES | DE | SAINTS | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
| MALIK HOOKER | S | COWBOYS | 3 tackles, 1 TFL | 3 tackles, 1 TFL |
| SAM HUBBARD | DE | BENGALS | 7 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 1 QBH | 10 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 1 QBH |
| CARLOS HYDE | RB | JAGUARS | 2 rushes, 7 yards | 11 rushes, 51 yards; 2 catches, 14 yards |
| JONAH JACKSON | OG | LIONS | Started at OG | 2 starts |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | S | SAINTS | 6 tackles | 9 tackles |
| CAMERON JOHNSTON | P | TEXANS | 4 punts, 52.3 avg, 1 inside 20 | 10 punts, 47.5 avg, 4 inside 20 |
| DRE'MONT JONES | DT | BRONCOS | 1 tackle, 1 QBH | 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH |
| JAMARCO JONES | OT | SEAHAWKS | Played at OG | 2 games played |
| MICHAEL JORDAN | OG | PANTHERS | Inactive | |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE | CB | SAINTS | Inactive | 3 tackles, 1 PBU |
| TYQUAN LEWIS | DT | COLTS | 1 PBU | 1 tackle, 1 QBH, 1 PBU |
| COREY LINSLEY | C | CHARGERS | Started at C | 2 starts |
| TERRY McLAURIN | WR | WFT | 11 catches, 107 yards, TD | 15 catches, 169 yards, TD |
| RAEKWON McMILLAN | LB | PATRIOTS | IR (knee) | |
| JAKE McQUAIDE | LS | COWBOYS | Played at LS | 2 games played |
| JOSH MYERS | C | PACKERS | Started at C | 2 starts |
| ANDREW NORWELL | OL | JAGUARS | Started at LG | 2 starts |
| JEFF OKUDAH | CB | LIONS | IR (leg) | 4 tackles, 1 PBU |
| BILLY PRICE | C | GIANTS | Started at C | 1 start |
| MALCOLM PRIDGEON | OG | STEELERS | Practice squad | |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | OT | BENGALS | Did not play | 1 game played |
| BRADLEY ROBY | CB | SAINTS | 2 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QBH | 2 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QBH |
| CURTIS SAMUEL | WR | WFT | IR (groin) | |
| C.J. SAUNDERS | WR | PANTHERS | Practice squad | |
| TREY SERMON | RB | 49ERS | 1 rush, 8 yards | 1 rush, 8 yards |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | FALCONS | IR (foot) | |
| DEVIN SMITH | WR | JAGUARS | Practice squad | 1 target |
| MICHAEL THOMAS | WR | SAINTS | PUP (ankle) | |
| TOMMY TOGIA | DT | BROWNS | Inactive | |
| NICK VANNETT | TE | SAINTS | IR (knee) | |
| BINJIMEN VICTOR | WR | RAVENS | Practice squad | |
| SHAUN WADE | CB | PATRIOTS | Inactive | |
| DENZEL WARD | CB | BROWNS | 4 tackles | 10 tackles, 1 PBU |
| PETE WERNER | LB | SAINTS | Inactive | 1 game played |
| CHASE YOUNG | DE | WFT | 3 tackles, 1 TFL | 6 tackles, 2 TFL |
