Across The Shield: Justin Fields Shines on Monday Night Football, Terry McLaurin Comes Up Clutch and Malik Harrison Makes A Game-Winning Field Goal Block

By Dan Hope on October 25, 2022 at 10:10 am
Justin Fields
Brian Fluharty – USA TODAY Sports
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Week 7 of the NFL season was a big one for former Ohio State players.

Malik Harrison made the biggest special teams play of the season to date by a Buckeye in the Baltimore Ravens’ win over the Cleveland Browns. Jeff Okudah led the entire league with 15 tackles in Week 7, while a trio of Buckeyes combined for four sacks. Terry McLaurin came up clutch for the Washington Commanders, Ezekiel Elliott ran for two touchdowns and Parris Campbell set a career-high in catches for the second week in a row. But we start this week’s edition of Across The Shield with Justin Fields, who had one of his best games so far as an NFL quarterback on Monday Night Football.

Pro Buck of the Week: Fields fills the highlight reel

In need of a big game to build some positive momentum, Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears both shined on the national stage on Monday night.

Fields’ playmaking ability was on full display as he completed 13 of 21 passing attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball 14 times for 82 yards and another touchdown in the Bears’ 33-14 win over the New England Patriots.

The former Ohio State quarterback gave the Bears an early 10-0 lead when he ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

After a pair of touchdowns by the Patriots, Fields put the Bears back in front when he stood tough in the pocket and delivered a screen pass while being sandwiched by two defenders to Khalil Herbert, who went all the way to the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

Fields’ most spectacular highlight came late in the first half when he eluded a sack and took off to run for a 20-yard gain on 3rd-and-14.

He followed that up with another impressive third-down conversion, firing a perfect pass to Darnell Mooney on the sideline for 17 yards on 3rd-and-16, which set up a Bears field goal before halftime.

Fields made another great pass under pressure in the third quarter, spinning away from one rusher and standing tall in the face of another to complete a 26-yard strike up the left sideline to Cole Kmet.

Fields had 74 of his 82 rushing yards in the first half, good for the most rushing yards ever by a quarterback in a single half against a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots defense.

Fields leaves Monday night’s game with plenty to still work on, as he threw an interception and also had four fumbles on a rainy night in Foxborough, though none of them were lost fumbles and Fields recovered two of them by himself. All in all, however, it was a big night of positive progress for the Bears’ second-year quarterback as his team snapped a three-game losing streak.

McLaurin comes up clutch in D.C.

“Scary Terry” lived up to his moniker in the Commanders’ 23-21 victory on Sunday in Washington.

Terry McLaurin gave the Commanders a lead early in the third quarter when he made one of the catches of the week with an over-the-shoulder snag over Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander for a 37-yard touchdown.

With the Commanders clinging to a 23-21 lead with just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, McLaurin nearly sealed the win with a comeback catch for a 12-yard gain on 3rd-and-9.

The Commanders still had to survive a bunch of laterals on the final play of the game to finish off the two-point victory, but McLaurin – who caught five passes for 73 yards for the day – had plenty of reason to celebrate after the game was over.

Fellow former Ohio State wide receiver Curtis Samuel also had a productive day for the Commanders in Week 7, catching five passes for 53 yards – highlighted by a leaping catch to convert a 3rd-and-11, which led to a Washington field goal – and carrying the ball five times for 26 yards.

Malik Harrison makes a game-winning FG block

The Browns suffered their fourth straight loss in Week 7, and Harrison played a big role in ensuring that happened.

With the Ravens leading by three points and just over two minutes left to play, Cade York lined up to kick a 61-yard field goal that would have tied the game. Instead, the ball came nowhere near the goalposts as Harrison leaped up and deflected the kick for the first field goal block of his entire football career.

That field goal block – which Harrison said actually hit him in the face – preserved a 23-20 lead for the Ravens that would hold for the final score. And the former Ohio State linebacker said he took extra pride in making a big play against a team from his home state.

“It felt good, just to make the game-winning play basically,” Harrison said after the game, per the Ravens’ official website. “I'm a Columbus boy. I feel good about that.”

Zeke scores twice

Ezekiel Elliott had his first two-touchdown game of the season on Sunday to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 24-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

Elliott suffered a scare early in the game when he took a shot to his knee, but he quickly proved to be just fine upon returning to the game, hurdling a defender en route to a 18-yard gain.

Later in the same drive, Elliott ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game.

Elliott added another 1-yard touchdown run to give the Cowboys a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.

Zeke, who had 15 total carries for 57 yards, also helped set up the Cowboys’ final touchdown of the game with a strong pass block.

In a losing effort, former Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah had his most productive game as a pro, recording 15 total tackles – the most of any player in the NFL this week – including a tackle for loss on Elliott.

Noah Brown caught five passes for 50 yards for the Cowboys, though he was responsible for a turnover when he lost a fumble on a somersaulting tackle.

Parris’ second straight career game

Parris Campbell set a new career-high in receptions for the second week in a row.

The former Ohio State wide receiver had the first double-digit catch game of his NFL career as he caught 10 passes for 70 yards – the second-highest total of his career – in the Indianapolis Colts’ loss to the Tennessee Titans.

One of those 10 catches was a 4-yard touchdown, marking the second straight week Campbell has scored a touchdown and the first time he has had touchdowns in back-to-back games.

Olave tops 100 in return

After missing one game with a concussion, Chris Olave had a productive return to action for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, catching seven passes for 106 yards – the fifth-most of any NFL receiver in Week 7. His second career 100-yard game was highlighted by a 41-yard catch-and-run.

Olave took a hard hit from Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson in the fourth quarter, but was able to stay in the game and went on to catch two more passes.

Pete Werner also continued to be as productive as he has been all year, recording seven total tackles with two tackles for loss and a pass deflection.

While Olave and Werner both had strong showings on Thursday Night Football, another New Orleans Buckeye’s night ended early as Bradley Roby was carted off the field with an ankle injury in the first quarter. He joins two other Buckeyes on the Saints’ injured list, as Michael Thomas missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury while Marshon Lattimore missed his second consecutive game with an abdominal injury.

On the winning side, Billy Price made both his first start and first game appearance of the season as he played all 66 of the Cardinals’ offensive snaps at center in their 42-34 win.

Bosa, Jones and Hubbard notch sacks

After missing one game with a groin injury, Nick Bosa returned to action for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday – his birthday – and notched his seventh sack of the season when he took down Patrick Mahomes.

The most productive former Ohio State defensive lineman of the weekend was Dre’Mont Jones, who recorded back-to-back sacks against Zach Wilson on the final two plays of the first quarter of the Denver Broncos’ loss to the New York Jets.

Sam Hubbard also got in on the Sunday sack party, pulling down Marcus Mariota for a drive-ending sack in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 35-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Dobbins, Elflein and Browning injured 

After missing the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, J.K. Dobbins is back on the Baltimore Ravens’ injured reserve list after undergoing arthroscropic knee surgery, meaning he will miss at least four games.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after their win over the Browns Sunday that Dobbins underwent the surgery because he “had a range of motion issue with scar tissue.” In four games this season, Dobbins had rushed for only 123 yards and one touchdown on 35 carries while catching six passes for 39 yards and a score.

Dobbins wasn’t the only Buckeye placed on injured reserve over the weekend, as Pat Elflein was placed on IR on Saturday by the Carolina Panthers with a hip injury, meaning he will miss at least four games.

Baron Browning also suffered a hip injury this weekend that is expected to sideline him for approximately three weeks, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. That puts a breakout season on hold for the former Ohio State linebacker, who earned back-to-back Pro Buck of the Week honors in our last two editions of Across The Shield after dominant performances as a pass-rusher.

Quick hits

  • Corey Linsley returned to action for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday after missing their previous game due to illness. The Chargers lost to the Seattle Seahawks, but it was still a special day for the Linsley family as his wife Anna got the opportunity to sing the national anthem before the game.
  • Garrett Wilson had a quiet week compared to many of the other former Ohio State receivers in the NFL, catching only four passes for 24 yards, but put his one-handed catching skills on display in pregame warmups.
  • Joe Burrow, who finished his college career at LSU but started it at Ohio State, threw for the most yards of any NFL quarterback so far this season as he threw for 481 yards and three touchdowns while completing 34 of 42 passes in the Bengals’ win over the Falcons. He also ran the ball three times for 20 yards and another touchdown.
  • The Dallas Cowboys added former Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield to their practice squad on Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

As for the players who finished their college careers at Ohio State, you can find all of their stats for Week 7 and the 2022 NFL season as a whole in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors’ Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 7 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS Started at CB 19 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 4 tackles 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks (6.5 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 PBU
VONN BELL S BENGALS 3 tackles, 1 TFL 35 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 QB hit, 3 INT, 4 PBU, 1 FF
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS Injured reserve (groin) 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks (12.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 4 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 19 tackles, 7 sacks (47 yards), 7 TFL, 17 QB hits
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS 5 catches, 50 yards 25 catches, 339 yards, 1 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Started at LB 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks (20.5 yards), 5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR, 7 QB hits
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR COLTS 10 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD 28 catches, 239 yards, 2 TD
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS Played at LB 3 tackles, 2 QB hits
WYATT DAVIS OG SAINTS Did not play 1 game played
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 6 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (knee) 35 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD
PAT ELFLEIN C PANTHERS Injured reserve (hip) 6 starts at C
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 15 carries, 57 yards, 2 TD 109 carries, 443 yards, 4 TD; 6 catches, 32 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE 1 catch, 11 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 13/21 passing, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 14 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD 76/136 passing, 1,048 yards, 5 TD, 6 INT; 68 carries, 315 yards, 2 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS Bye 10 tackles, 1 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 6 tackles, 1 TFL 22 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 QB hit
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT RAIDERS 2 tackles 10 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 1 tackle 18 tackles, 1 TFL
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 5 tackles, 1 TFL 30 tackles, 2 sacks (10 yards), 4 TFL, 5 QB hits, 2 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 2 tackles 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 2 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 2 QB hits, 1 PBU 23 tackles, 2.5 sacks (16.5 yards), 5 TFL, 11 QB hits, 3 PBU
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 3 starts at G
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 1 punt, 55 yards, 1 inside 20 27 punts, 49.3 average, 15 inside 20
DRE’MONT JONES DE BRONCOS 3 tackles, 2 sacks (15 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits 22 tackles, 4.5 sacks (38 yards), 5 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF
JAMARCO JONES OG TITANS Injured reserve (triceps) Has not played
MICHAEL JORDAN OG PANTHERS Played on special teams 7 games played
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS Inactive 15 tackles, 2 PBU
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 3 tackles, 1 TFL 13 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits, 1 PBU, 1 FF
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Started at C 5 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 7 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 5 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD 27 catches, 440 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries, 18 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS 3 tackles 13 tackles, 1 TFL
JAKE McQUAIDE LS COWBOYS Injured reserve (triceps) 4 games played
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played at OT 2 starts, 5 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 7 starts at C
ANDREW NORWELL OG COMMANDERS Started at LG 7 starts at LG
JEFF OKUDAH CB LIONS 15 tackles, 1 TFL 39 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 PBU
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 7 catches, 106 yards 32 catches, 495 yards, 2 TD; 2-point conversion
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Started at RT 6 starts at RT
BILLY PRICE OL CARDINALS Started at C 1 start at C
BRADLEY ROBY CB SAINTS 1 tackle 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 FR
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Inactive 4 games played
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 5 catches, 53 yards; 5 carries, 26 yards 39 catches, 340 yards, 2 TD; 10 carries, 64 yards
TREY SERMON RB EAGLES Bye 2 carries, 19 yards
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS Inactive 16 catches, 171 yards, 3 TD
TOMMY TOGIAI DT BROWNS 3 tackles 6 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 2 QB hits
NICK VANNETT TE SAINTS Played at TE 1 catch, 5 yards
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Inactive 1 tackle
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Inactive 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FR, 1 TD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU 61 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 PBU, 2 FF
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 4 catches, 24 yards 28 catches, 312 yards, 2 TD; 1 rush, -2 yards
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