The final week of the NFL regular season – and the first Week 18 of the NFL season since 1993 – provided plenty of Buckeye action and playoff drama.
Zeke eclipses 1,000 yards
Against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a game-high 87 yards and surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the 2021-22 season, marking the fourth time in six NFL seasons that Elliott has reached the coveted milestone. What makes this year's accomplishment more impressive is that Elliott has played much of the season with a banged-up right knee.
.@EzekielElliott surpasses 1,000 yards on the season...his fourth 1,000 yard season of his career.
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 9, 2022
: #DALvsPHI on ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/Ii4pl473lZ
Elliott joins LaDainian Tomlinson in some very exclusive company.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has joined LaDainian Tomlinson as the only players in NFL history to record at least 1,250 yards from scrimmage in each of his first six seasons.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 9, 2022
Has Zeke's production gone down over the years? Yes, but the man is still producing. To become only the second player in NFL history to accomplish this feat says something about his elite talent ... and his offensive line.
Back-to-back for T-Mac
Terry McLaurin completed the Washington Football Team’s final game of the season – and as the Football Team – against the New York Giants with four catches for 93 yards. That solid performance pushed him to 1,053 yards for the season and made him the first Washington player to gain 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons since Henry Ellard (1994-96).
Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) January 9, 2022
As a receiver for the Washington Football Team, McLaurin also has to play defensive back. The man can do it all.
A Brink's truck should be waiting outside Washington's training facility tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ukCmitT7s2
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 9, 2022
Chargers and Bosa run out of juice
In an epic game that had playoff implications on the line, the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders closed out the regular season in grand fashion. The winner of the game was guaranteed a playoff spot. However, if the teams tied, both franchises would have made the playoffs and the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been left on the outside looking in.
With close to three minutes remaining in regulation, the Raiders, leading 29-22, faced 3rd-and-6 on their own 29-yard line. Derek Carr dropped back to pass when Joey Bosa did Joey Bosa things, recording his seventh forced fumble of the season.
Joey Bosa sack forces the #Raiders punt. pic.twitter.com/hdVVzRupU7
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) January 10, 2022
Although the Chargers were unable to recover Bosa's forced fumble, the Raiders were forced to punt. Justin Herbert and Los Angeles' offense proceeded to embark on the longest two-minute drill in the history of the NFL. Three fourth-down conversions later, the Chargers possessed the ball on the Raiders' 12-yard line with five seconds on the clock. Herbert connected with Mike Williams and the tie America was rooting for was back in play.
Field goals were exchanged on the first two possessions of overtime, and the tie was becoming a reality until Brandon Staley, the Chargers' head coach, called a timeout with 38 seconds to go. The move appeared to prompt Rich Bisaccia to move from letting the clock run out to playing for the win.
Following the timeout, Josh Jacobs blasted through a gaping hole for ten yards. With two seconds on the clock, the stage was now set for Daniel Carlson to attempt the game-winning field goal.
Stone-cold clutch. @DanielCarlson38 | #LACvsLV | More highlights on https://t.co/wXUK7ZZimE pic.twitter.com/CNEYzJLdw7
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 10, 2022
Carlson's fifth game-winning kick of the season knocked Bosa and the Chargers out of the playoffs.
Buckeye Bronco update
Baron Browning displayed his pass defending skills against the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver on Saturday.
Baron Browning has been better in coverage than I dared hope for this year. pic.twitter.com/Ff8wO0POc3
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) January 8, 2022
Later in the game, Browning hurt his shoulder and had to leave the game for a spell before returning.
Linebacker Baron Browning Injured #chiefsvsbroncos #bronco #nfl pic.twitter.com/rdWmHpvYqB
— Breaking Trends News (@breakingtrendsn) January 8, 2022
Not to be outdone, Dre'Mont Jones showed off his football IQ along with his phenomenal athletic ability. Recognizing he wasn't going to be able to make a play on Patrick Mahomes, Jones dropped back from the line and made an incredible leaping pass breakup.
Dre'Mont Jones making plays in coverage pic.twitter.com/oOVgqQFZy5
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) January 8, 2022
Jones also made a great bullrush against Kanas City's Joe Thuney to apply pressure on Mahomes. Although Jones didn't get to the Chiefs' quarterback, Shelby Harris was able to pick up the sack on the play.
My goodness Dre'mont Jones pic.twitter.com/evrNu2mkJ2
— Ryan Greene (@RyanCBS4) January 8, 2022
Jonathon Cooper celebrated his birthday by recording four tackles and a hit on Patrick Mahomes.
Hamilton fumble recovery and Jags victory
DaVon Hamilton wasn't going out with a loss. The defensive tackle doesn't care about his team getting the No. 1 overall draft pick (which it did anyway). He just wants the ball ... and to win.
Strip sack for the Jags D! #DUUUVAL
— NFL (@NFL) January 9, 2022
: #INDvsJAX on CBS
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/iEuNhqOeS9
Hamilton gets credit for falling on and securing the ball. However, it appears he forgot the lessons of Larry Johnson. Imagine the great defensive line coach saying, “That could have been a scoop and score.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars' unlikely 26-11 victory knocked the Indianapolis Colts out of the playoffs.
Heyward hits double-digit sacks
With the playoffs on the line, Cameron Heyward did what all great players do: Ball out. Heyward led the Steelers with six tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.
Tyler Huntley got absolutely popped by Cameron Heyward. #Ravens pic.twitter.com/g9tOK8zvbA
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbywbal) January 9, 2022
Heyward finished the season with 10 sacks, marking the second time in the All-Pro defensive lineman’s career he has reached double-digit sacks. He had 12 in 2017.
Nick's struggle is real
Opposing offenses have recently taken to double-teaming Nick Bosa. On Sunday afternoon, the Rams took that strategy a step farther. That's right, they decided to triple team Little Bear.
Bosas life pic.twitter.com/CjkXbgRn9U
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) January 9, 2022
The extra attention enabled Arik Armstead to sack Matthew Stafford on the play. Armstead finished the game with 2.5 sacks. Despite the challenging blocking scheme, Bosa was still able to record a half-sack to finish the regular season with 15.5.
Sack DE Nick Bosa and DL Arik Armstead split a sack. Armstead has 1.5 so far, took the half away from Key (for now). Bosas 15.5 of the Season, Armsteads 5th of the season. #49ers #FTTB @arikarmstead pic.twitter.com/iOhuCnLHqc
— 49er_Edits (@49er_edits) January 9, 2022
Jenkins and the Saints go marching...
In a must-win game for the New Orleans Saints, Malcolm Jenkins came up big late in the first half. The All-Pro strong safety sniffed out a screen and blasted running back Mike Davis of the Atlanta Falcons to force a fumble.
FUMBLE! Jenkins forces it and Alexander recovers - Saints Ball!
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 9, 2022
TV: FOX pic.twitter.com/ope0sjy2Li
Three plays later, the Saints scored and took a 24-6 lead into halftime. New Orleans held on for a 30-20 victory. However, Sean Payton's team needed the San Francisco 49ers to lose in order to march on into the playoffs, and the 49ers beat the Rams 27-24 in overtime.
How did Jenkins feel about Saints' playoff berth being based on the outcome of another game? "It's hard when your future, your fate, is in somebody else's hands,” said Jenkins, a 13-year veteran who has now competed in 199 NFL games.
Fuller out, Rams go down
The Rams needed a win against the 49ers to secure the second seed in the NFC playoffs. With under two minutes to play, the Rams were in position to solidify their place in playoffs.
The 49ers had just a 0.4% chance of winning after punting with 1:57 remaining in the game.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 10, 2022
In order to come back and win, the 49ers had to:
Force a three-and-out
Score a TD without any timeouts
Prevent the Rams from scoring in regulation
Win in OT#SFvsLAR | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/V0uL0Rxut5
The lead did not hold, and the 49ers made the improbable comeback. With the victory, San Francisco knocked the New Orleans Buckeyes Saints out of the playoffs. What might be lost in the loss is that Jordan Fuller was not on the field during San Francisco's comeback. Fuller injured his right ankle and was unable to put pressure on his right leg as he was helped off the field.
After blowing a 17-0 halftime lead, the Rams went from the No. 2 seed in the NFC to the No. 4 seed. Would San Francisco have won if Jordan was not injured? Fans of the Rams will ponder that question as their team traverses a tougher playoff path.
They’ll have to traverse that path without Fuller, who was ruled out for the rest of the season on Monday.
Jordan Fuller may need ankle surgery and is out for the rest of the year, per Sean McVay.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 11, 2022
Campbell and Myers return, Decker hurt
Parris Campbell returned to action for the first time since breaking his foot against the Houston Texans in Week 6. His return to the Indianapolis Colts did not go as planned.
Campbell finished the game without a catch and was unable to haul in a perfectly thrown ball from Carson Wentz on 4th-and-12 in the fourth quarter. The Colts were down 20 points, so the incompletion and turnover on downs did not alter the outcome of the game. However, it did remind fans of Indianapolis that the franchise selected Campbell ahead of some other talented receivers.
DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, Terry Mclaurin, Hunter Renfrow all were taken after Parris Campbell, a guy who has been injured for 90% of his professional career, and hasnt been impactful when healthy.
— Jason (@Meerkxtt) January 9, 2022
Campbell was also unable to come down with a 3rd-and-12 pass in triple coverage late in the first half.
Parris Campbell can't come up with it on 3rd and 12 #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/aC0JpEKLdH
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) January 9, 2022
The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers were happy to have Josh Myers return as the team's starting center on Sunday.
I wanted to get out there with Dave [Bakhtiari] and Josh [Myers] we got to figure out what our best five is and our healthiest five is #Packers Rodgers on the importance of playing with momentum today going into postseason
— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) January 9, 2022
The rookie center had been on injured reserve since injuring his knee against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. Getting the rust off in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions should help Myers and the Packers when they play in two weeks as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Taylor Decker injured his foot in the 37-30 win over the Packers. The injury occurred shortly before the end of the first half. Although Decker did not return to the contest, it appears he escaped without a major setback, as Lions coach Dan Campbell said he thinks Decker “will be OK.”
To end the regular season on a positive note, let's finish with this Kenny Golladay and Decker fun fact.
Taylor Decker has more touchdown receptions https://t.co/ju2fqcwJHO
— Zach (mting06 hate account) (@nymmedia_) January 9, 2022
Buckeyes in the playoffs
Sixteen Ohio State players are represented on seven of the 12 teams playing in the NFL's Wild Card Round. If you don't have a dog in the fight (damn you, Seattle), you might want to root for playoff teams with Buckeyes on them.
Saturday, 4:30 (NBC): No. 5 Las Vegas Raiders at No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals
Raiders: Johnathan Hankins
Bengals: Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, Sam Hubbard, Isaiah Prince
Saturday, 8:15 (CBS): No. 6 New England Patriots at No. 3 Buffalo Bills
Patriots: Raekwon McMillan (IR), Shaun Wade (COVID)
Bills: None
Sunday, 1:00 (FOX): No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Eagles: None
Buccaneers: None
Sunday, 4:30 (CBS): No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys
49ers: Nick Bosa, Trey Sermon
Cowboys: Noah Brown, Ezekiel Elliott, Malik Hooker, Jake McQuaide
Sunday, 8:15 (NBC): No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 2 Kanas City Chiefs
Steelers: Dwayne Haskins, Cameron Heyward
Chiefs: None
Monday, 8:15 (ESPN): No. 5 Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams
Cardinals: None
Rams: Jordan Fuller (IR)
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | WEEK 18 STATS | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELI APPLE | CB | BENGALS | Did not play | 48 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 INT, 10 PBU, 1 FR |
| DAMON ARNETTE | CB | DOLPHINS | Practice squad | 4 tackles, 1 PBU |
| JEROME BAKER | LB | DOLPHINS | 6 tackles, 1 PBU | 93 tackles, 5.5 sacks (52 yards), 9 TFL, 15 QBH, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 1 FF |
| VONN BELL | S | BENGALS | COVID-19 | 97 tackles, 1 sack (12 yards), 5 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 INT, 8 PBU, 3 FF, 1 FR |
| JOEY BOSA | DE | CHARGERS | 2 tackles, 1 sack (10 yards), 1 FF | 50 tackles, 10.5 sacks (68 yards), 5 TFL, 20 QBH, 7 FF |
| NICK BOSA | DE | 49ERS | 5 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QBH | 51 tackles, 15.5 sacks (122 yards), 21 TFL, 32 QBH, 1 PBU, 4 FF |
| NOAH BROWN | WR | COWBOYS | Played at WR | 14 catches, 157 yards |
| BARON BROWNING | LB | BRONCOS | 5 tackles, 1 PBU | 58 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH, 2 PBU |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | COLTS | Played at WR | 10 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD |
| JONATHON COOPER | LB | BRONCOS | 4 tackles, 1 QBH | 36 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 TFL, 6 QBH, 1 FR |
| WYATT DAVIS | OG | VIKINGS | Inactive | 6 games played |
| TAYLOR DECKER | OT | LIONS | Started at RT | 9 starts, 1 catch, 6 yards, 1 TD |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | RAVENS | IR (knee) | |
| NATE EBNER | DB | GIANTS | IR (knee) | 2 tackles |
| PAT ELFLEIN | C | PANTHERS | Started at C | 9 starts |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | RB | COWBOYS | 18 rushes, 87 yards; 1 catch, 3 yards | 237 rushes, 1,002, 10 TD; 47 catches, 287 yards, 2 TDs |
| LUKE FARRELL | TE | JAGUARS | Started at TE | 7 catches, 56 yards |
| JUSTIN FIELDS | QB | BEARS | COVID-19 | 159/270 passing, 1,870 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT; 63 rushes, 346 yards, 1 TD |
| JORDAN FULLER | S | RAMS | 6 tackles | 107 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PBU |
| DaVON HAMILTON | DT | JAGUARS | 2 tackles, 1 FR | 42 tackles, 1 sack (12 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QBH, 2 PBU, 1 FR |
| JOHNATHAN HANKINS | DT | RAIDERS | 1 tackle | 37 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 PBU |
| MALIK HARRISON | LB | RAVENS | Played on special teams | 22 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH |
| DWAYNE HASKINS | QB | STEELERS | Inactive | |
| CAMERON HEYWARD | DT | STEELERS | 6 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 2 TFL, 1 QBH | 89 tackles, 10.0 sacks (55.5 yards), 15 TFL, 17 QBH, 1 INT, 9 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| JUSTIN HILLIARD | LB | GIANTS | IR (ankle) | 2 games played |
| JALYN HOLMES | DE | SAINTS | Played | 14 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU |
| MALIK HOOKER | S | COWBOYS | 3 tackles | 38 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU |
| SAM HUBBARD | DE | BENGALS | Did not play | 61 tackles, 7.5 sacks (32.0 yards), 11 TFL, 16 QBH, 3 PBU, 1 FF, 2 FR |
| CARLOS HYDE | RB | JAGUARS | IR (concussion) | 72 rushes, 253 yards, 1 TD; 12 catches, 65 yards |
| JONAH JACKSON | OG | LIONS | Started at LG | 16 starts |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | S | SAINTS | 2 tackles, 1 FF | 74 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FF, 1 TD |
| CAMERON JOHNSTON | P | TEXANS | 5 punts, 42.6 avg, 4 inside 20 | 83 punts, 46.7 avg, 37 inside 20 |
| DRE'MONT JONES | DT | BRONCOS | 2 tackles, 1 PBU | 32 tackles, 5.5 sacks (37.5 yards), 9 TFL, 11 QBH, 3 PBU, 2 FF, 1 FR |
| JAMARCO JONES | OT | SEAHAWKS | Played on special teams | 1 start, 7 games played |
| MICHAEL JORDAN | OG | PANTHERS | Started at LG | 10 starts, 10 games played |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE | CB | SAINTS | 2 tackles | 66 tackles, 3 INT, 18 PBU, 1 FR |
| TYQUAN LEWIS | DT | COLTS | IR (knee) | 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks (3.5 yards), 3 TFL, 6 QBH, 1 INT, 2 PBU |
| COREY LINSLEY | C | CHARGERS | Started at C | 16 starts |
| TERRY McLAURIN | WR | WASHINGTON | 4 catches, 93 yards | 77 catches, 1,053 yards, 5 TD |
| RAEKWON McMILLAN | LB | PATRIOTS | IR (knee) | |
| JAKE McQUAIDE | LS | COWBOYS | Played at LS | 1 tackle |
| JOSH MYERS | C | PACKERS | Started at C | 6 starts |
| ANDREW NORWELL | OL | JAGUARS | Started at LG | 16 starts |
| JEFF OKUDAH | CB | LIONS | IR (leg) | 4 tackles, 1 PBU |
| BILLY PRICE | C | GIANTS | Started at C | 15 starts |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | OT | BENGALS | Started at RT | 4 starts, 14 games played |
| BRADLEY ROBY | CB | SAINTS | Inactive | 21 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QBH, 1 INT, 5 PBU |
| CURTIS SAMUEL | WR | WASHINGTON | Inactive | 5 catches, 18 yards, 2 rushes, -1 yard |
| C.J. SAUNDERS | WR | PANTHERS | 2 catches, 11 yards | 2 catches, 11 yards |
| TREY SERMON | RB | 49ERS | IR (ankle) | 31 rushes, 136 yards; 1 catch, 23 yards; 1 FC, 2 tackles |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | FALCONS | Played on special teams | 4 tackles |
| MICHAEL THOMAS | WR | SAINTS | PUP (ankle) | |
| TOMMY TOGIAI | DT | BROWNS | 3 tackles | 16 tackles, 0.5 sack, 1 QBH, 1 PBU |
| NICK VANNETT | TE | SAINTS | 1 catch, 10 yards | 9 catches, 133 yards, 1 TD |
| SHAUN WADE | CB | PATRIOTS | Illness | 3 games played |
| DENZEL WARD | CB | BROWNS | COVID-19 | 41 tackles, 0.5 sack (2 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QBH, 2 INT, 10 PBU, 1 TD |
| PETE WERNER | LB | SAINTS | Played on special teams | 53 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 QBH |
| CHASE YOUNG | DE | WASHINGTON | IR (knee) | 26 tackles, 2 sacks (7 yards), 4 TFL, 4 QBH, 1 PBU, 2 FF |
